h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi everybody,

I'm looking to start a collaborative entry on birthdays. I thought that Ask would be the best place to get a variety of contributions. Anyone who makes a comment I use will be credited on the finished entry.

What I'm after is any information on the following:

Which birthdays are particularly celebrated as 'special' in your country? Are they celebrated in any different way than 'non-special' birthdays? Do you get special presents?

If it comes to that, are presents on birthdays a worldwide phenomenon?

Are there any cultures/religions which don't celebrate birthdays? (I'm aware Jehovah's Witnesses don't).

What legal rights do people get when they reach a certain birthday/age (I'm coming at this from a UK perspective so I'm more interested in other countries).

and anything else you can think of that would fit.

Title typo.

Brithdays don't seem to be a big deal in Turkey. Some people I met there didn't even know their exact birthdate, only the official date of registration.

My Turkish uncle doesn't even know which *year* he was born in!

For Germany:

If it's your birthday, generally *you* bring the cake and *you* pay for everyone's drinks.

It's terribly bad luck to celebrate anyone's birthday in advance. It's simply not done. Better a week late than a day early (though some people have parties in the evening that turn into birthday parties at midnight. This is caller "reinfeiern", celebrating in.) Ditto on even saying happy birthday, or opening gifts.

Important birthdays:

16 - certain rights, including going into discos and pubs without an adult, and ordering alcoholic beverages (except "hard" alcohol), marriage with parental consent, and driving a moped. This is also when you get your Personalausweis, your ID card.

18 - age of majority. Gives you lots of rights, including driving, ordering hard liquor, buying cigarettes, signing legal documents, voting, using tanning booths... Men have to register for their military/alternative civilian service.

21 - not such an important one. You do get a few rights, but especially lose protection - you no longer count as a young adult for legal purposes and so on.

All the "round" birthdays, like 30, 40, 50 and so on are important as well, of course.


And 30's important if you're not yet married. You may be forced to sweep the courthouse steps or polish doorknobs... A49997308 (last section)

In Korea they for some reason add a year. When born, they count your age as 1 year old. When you die, they also add a year.

Important birthdays.... the bithday of nighthoover is useually celibrated in my world at least
I try to vvoid celibrating my birthday these days

Hi Elentari

According to folklore, if you cry on your birthday, you will cry every day of the year.

Do you want to mention the Queen's birthday? (Civil Service holiday, also an honours list)

Apparently there are only two birthdays mentioned in the Bible:

1. Pharaoh's birthday (Genesis 40:20):

"Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials"

If you've seen the musical Joseph, you'll know this. These two men were in prison, and he tried them - the butler was freed and the baker hanged (as predicted by Joseph).

2. On Herod's birthday (Matthew 14:6-11) they served the head of John the Baptist:

"On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias [Salome] danced for them and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, 'Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.' The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother."


In Islam, they celebrate Mohammad's birthday (Mawlid).

That's all I can think of for now.

Good luck with it!

Icy

This is excatly what I'm looking for, thanks everyone!

Oooh, for Germany, you'll need to mention "Dinner for One - der 90. Geburtstag", a Freddie Frinton sketch about a 90th birthday party that's shown on German TV every New Year's and which is hardly known *outisde* Germany, even though it's in English. (It merely has a German introduction.)

http://www.zoopy.com/video/39g/dinner-for-one

It's shown in Australia too - every New Years Eve

Oooh There *is* another country that knows it

(Sure it isn't just Austria? They get our television.)

(Oh, yes, and of course it's New Year's Eve - shown repeatedly on every channel. There are remakes - in colour, with famous actors, in various dialects... but the original is still the best.)

Does it get as annoying as Monty Python's Parrot Sketch?

Re: Dinner for One - there's a Guide Entry about it: A2207288

I got that one sent to me last year, i've heard of it too

Is it worth mentioning the regularly celebrated birthday of our lord jesus christ (probably a Libran) which is carried out near mid winter in countries across the world or something?

In our family, 11 was important (first year with two numbers!) 13 (first teenage year!) 16, 18, 21 (yeah, greedy! In fairness though, we were both given the choice which would be *the* important one between 18 and 21.) After that it's pretty much the 10s apart from 25 because your car insurance goes down

In our family presents (often silly things, always thoughtful and VERY rarely functional unless specifically asked for. Oh, and always ALWAYS a surprise) are opened at some point during the day or evening (I never work on my birthday, it's sacrosanct!) and you spend time with some people you'd like to be around (family generally being an important part of that) doing something whimsical, relaxing or interesting, even if that's just having a long breakfast and hanging around with nice people while everyone chips in to making a big dinner.

Cake is up to whoever wants to bring it. Generally my mum makes them, she gives good cake! Last year was a big stack of meringue, fresh cream and mixed fresh fruit (strawberries, banana, berries that sort of thing) all drizzled over with dark chocolate. the year before was a recreation of my 11th birthday fairy castle cake (meringue minarettes, green coloured coconut grass, handmade chocolate swiss rolls for turrets, dark-chocolate-dipped marzipan windows and doors and a marzipan dragon that I made...)

Mm, I love birthdays, I like celebrations

Bad Robyn ( got you "y" this time ) you're making me hungry!

I'll not describe breakfast to you then... Those greenhouse grown golden yellow sweet tomatoes lightly fried served with fresh white overnight loaf toast, real butter (a cornish one that's got extra salt crystals churned into it, perfect with breakfast), fried free range eggs, grilled farmer's market bacon and some fried mushrooms if I remind mum in time... No, I'll not explain that sweet delectable taste of tomato juice soaking into the toast with the salty tang and the crisp of the bacon all covered in *just* enough yolk.

And a cup of English Breakfast tea with milk and two spoons of light muscovado sugar

Not nice! I've been wanting a fry-up all day! You little

if it helps, I've been starving all day even after lunch, and now I really want one of my mum;s fry-ups. I dont know how she does it but they always seem light, flavoursome and less greasy than any others...

In my family, we always have a big crisis on our birthdays, but that's just us