Our family history, culture, language and economic status all plays a huge part in how we celebrate our birthday. From a lavish do with hundreds of guests and champagne, to a quiet meal with your family at home, everyone has different ways of celebrating their birthday and some may appear stranger than others.
At ecards.co.uk we have been sneaking into to people’s parties and nosing on the neighbours to see how they celebrate their birthday. From the plains of Africa to the East Coast of Australia we have stretched the length and breadth of the globe to see what’s going on in birthday land.
This month, with the World Cup in full flow and celebrations flying around the globe, we have taken a trip to Africa to see how birthdays are celebrated amongst the different cultures around the country.
In many African cultures the day a child is born is not necessarily seen as a special day. Instead, when an African child reaches a certain age, they are initiated into the community to learn the laws, beliefs, customs, songs and dances of the tribes. These initiation ceremonies are celebrated amongst groups of children instead of individual children.
Egyptian birthday parties –
Egyptian birthday parties are full of singing and dancing when a child reaches his/her first year life. Lots of flower and fruit 
are used to decorate the party as symbols of life and growth.
Ghanaian birthday parties –
On the morning of their birthday, children wake up to a special treat called ‘oto’ which is a patty made from mashed sweet potato and eggs fried in palm oil. Afterwards they have a birthday party where they usually eat stew and rice as well as a dish known as ‘kelewele’ which is fried plantain chunks (these are similar to bananas).
The Asante people in Ghana celebrate ‘krada’ (which means Soul Day) on the date of their birth. On a person’s krada, he/she wakes up early and washes themselves using a special leaf soaked overnight in water (this is a cleansing ritual intended to purify the inner soul). Later on, they have a feast with family and friends and the celebrant is usually dressed in white clothing.
Kenyan birthday parties –
When a baby is born, the mother takes the child strapped to her back into the thorn enclosure where the cattle is kept, and there, her husband and the village elders wait to give the child his/her name.
Nigerian birthday parties –
In Nigeria the 1st, 5th, 10th and 15th birthdays are considered extremely special events. On these dates they throw a huge party which has up to 100 guests or more. On these days they have a feast consisting of an entire roasted cow or goat. A dish called ‘jollof rice’ is also served at the party, which is rice with tomatoes, red peppers, and onions plus cassava which is similar to sweet potato.
Sudanese birthday parties –
In Sudan the children who live in the cities celebrate their birthday whereas in the country they don’t. Children usually drink red punch that is called ‘karkady’ which is made from hibiscus flowers.
West African birthday parties – After the baby is eight days old the mother takes the baby for its first walk in the big wide world and friends and family are invited to meet the new baby.
Massai birthday parties – Between 13-17 years old Massai boys undergo a two stage initiation. The first stage lasts 
around three months. The boys leave their parents’ home, paint their bodies white and are taught about how to become young warriors. At the end of this stage they have their heads shaved and they are also circumcised. The second stage is where the young warriors grow their hair long and live in a camp called a manyatta where they practice hunting the wild animals that may attack the Masia herds. This stage sometimes lasts a few years. When they are ready they will marry and become owners of a large cattle herd like their fathers.
Girls are initiated when they are fourteen or fifteen and are taught by the older women about the duties of marriage and how to care for babies. Soon after that they are married and lead a similar life to that of their mothers.
So no personalised birthday cards here then! There are thousands of ways people celebrate a birthday or special occasion around the world, so why not make your next birthday cards super personal and send it with ecards.co.uk. The free and easy way to say happy birthday in the most personalised way possible.
