How Did Birthday Celebrations Become a Thing?
Culture, kinship, and history all transcend to this present moment.
Can you remember the best birthday present you ever received? What was it? Where were you and what imagery do you remember?
I got mine when I was 9. My mother gave me $100 to spend at Toys "R" Us. This was in the 1990s, when $100 went a long way. When the doors to the store swung open, I felt the endless possibilities, feeling so lucky and fortunate as I did the math on how many toys I could purchase. And spoiled as this moment made me, it is a treasured memory that reminds me I was loved and cared for.
So much pomp and circumstance surrounds birthdays now, from Sweet 16’s to quinceañeras. But so little is written about their origins. How did we get here? How have birthday’s changed in meaning over time?
The evolution of your special day
Centuries ago, birthday celebrations weren’t even a consideration in most cultures. Until very recently, many Native American tribes didn’t even count their ages in the way that we do, with people simply living. Age was just an abstract concept they ignored, which sounds much nicer on this half of life.
