I recently celebrated another birthday, a bonus year ended & another ahead to enjoy. I must admit I’m rather an inquisitive soul & enjoy looking into just why we have adopted certain traditions. So today I thought we would explore more about the tradition of celebrating birthdays & where this came from…

But first let’s grab our cuppa’s, I have a real treat for us as my lovely husband baked a batch of gf Scones served with Strawberry jam & dollops of fresh cream! He loves making desserts & confectionary for those he loves. And gluten free scones are not easy to make but his are light, fluffy & rather delicious!

Now we have our cuppa’s & scones, let’s begin…

Modern Birthday Traditions 

Have you ever wondered; Why we have birthday cakes, light candles & make a wish as the candles are blown out? And why we have birthday parties, especially for children?

Well let’s explore these today;

Celebrating birthdays, as we do in western culture, is a recent event in history. As modern birthday celebrations for the general population only became popular in the very late 1800’s – early 1900’s with the rise of consumerism & individualism.

Before this birthday celebrations were only for the super wealthy & before that only for gods, deities, Emperors & Pharaohs! How interesting!

I found that the tradition of celebrating a child’s birthday actually originated during the 1400 -1500AD with the Germanic superstition that evil spirits were concentrated around a child on the anniversary of their birth & would try to steal the child’s soul.

Thus a round cake was made in the morning (reminiscent of the moon cakes made in ancient times for the goddess Artemis’ birth, celebrated each lunar month) with a candle placed upon it for each year of the child’s life plus one for the coming year (in the hope the child would be given another year of life).

These candles were thought to ward off evil spirits & would be kept burning all day long, then in the evening the child would be taken to the village hall, where all the adult villagers would give their well wishes for the coming year (not gifts) & the child, in the company of all of the adults for protection, would blow out the candles in one big breath making a wish, this was called the ‘Kinderfest’ (Child Festival). Ref

Thus the following question is begging to be asked…

Should we celebrate birthdays, as Christians, when they have superstitious & pagan origins?

It’s a thought provoking question, don’t you think? And I’m sure there are passionate answers for & against.

But I always like to go to the prime guideline for living & that’s God’s Word. The bible actually doesn’t have any ‘for or against’ celebrating birthdays.

We only have two main accounts of birthday celebrations in the Bible, both ended badly, one in Genesis tells of Joseph’s (the coat of many colours Joseph) prophetic dream interpretation being fulfilled;

‘Now on the third day, [which was] the Pharaoh’s birthday, he [released the two men from prison and] made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker [inviting them to the celebrations] among his servants.

And Pharaoh restored the chief butler to his butlership…but Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted their dreams.’

Gen 40: 20 -22 

And the other of John the Baptist’s beheading at the birthday celebration of Herod in the gospels of Mark & Matthew;

‘But an opportune time [finally] came [for Herodias]. Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his officials (nobles, courtiers) and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. Now [Salome] the daughter of Herodias came in and danced [for the men]. She pleased and beguiled Herod…and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you…” she asked, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter!”

Mark 6: 20-24

So where does that leave us?

History informs us that both Christmas & Easter celebrations were thought to be deliberately set at the times of pagan festivals as Emperor Constantine l (after he came to faith in Jesus Christ) brought in Christmas celebrations of Jesus birth (in 336AD) to focus upon Jesus rather then the Roman pagan festival of the sun on December 25.

As the main event that was remembered, celebrated & special to the early Christians before 325AD was Jesus’s death & resurrection, it was celebrated at the time of the Passover each year for Jesus was the ultimate Passover Lamb, sacrificed for all.

Constantine I also convened the Council of Nicaea, a church council that brought in the timing of the celebrations of Jesus’s death & Resurrection in 325AD for the West, which was set to be the first Sunday after the Spring Equinox (which was the same time as the festival of Eostre). However, it is also around the time the Passover is celebrated each year in the Jewish calendar of Nissan.

So what do Birthday Celebrations do?

I don’t know about you but being on the shier side & a bit of an introvert, I’m not necessarily comfortable with all the focused attention that comes with birthday celebrations. And hubby who is more introverted than I definitely isn’t comfortable with the attention that birthdays bring.

I’m happier just to have an afternoon tea with my family or catch up with a friend over a cuppa, enjoying their company with a few delicious treats.

However, if we stand back & look at what opportunities birthdays bring in the modern world, we can have an insight into their positives aspects;

• They can bring people together, especially extended families who may not see each other very often.
• It’s a prime opportunity to give glory to God for a year lived & another to share the Good News of Jesus with those around us.
• It’s an opportunity to demonstrate how much we love that person (whose birthday it is).
• And it’s a time we can set aside to have a special time of encouragement with them.

A few negative aspects;

Have you noticed that in the last few decades children’s birthday celebrations have gone to crazy heights?

With the event of Social media, sadly many parents are trying to keep up with the hype around children’s birthday productions, who often can’t afford to do so, with many going into debt to hold these mini productions!

When most children are more than happy to have the focused attention of their parents & siblings with maybe a friend or two over on their birthday, playing in their backyard or having a picnic in a play park rather than anything else.

How do you celebrate your birthday my friend?

Until next time,

Jennifer

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

or in Prayer

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© 2025 Jennifer M. Ross, All Rights Reserved. Photos by Onur Satıcı on pexels.com & Jill Wellington on pexels.com

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