Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy… NOPE
Have you gotten bored of the same old birthday song, birthday cake and birthday flowers?
The same celebration every year can get pretty monotonous so, to spice things up a bit, we have clubbed together 7 unconventional and strange birthday traditions from around the world that you can (AT YOUR OWN RISK) try out for some extra birthday fun!
Single, 30M, German
If you’re a man who is turning 30 in Germany, pick up that broom and head out. A long-standing weird German strange birthday traditions requires men turning 30 to sweep the local church or town hall.
Reason?
This will help them show off their good looks, probable good muscles, good manners and, most of all, cleaning skills! Okay, be honest, which woman(or man) wouldn’t like that? We are pretty sure it works!
Canadian buttering of the nose
Forget T-zone for a moment, because Canadians sure do on birthdays!
The birthday girl or guy is practically pinned to the floor while friends and relatives come to them one after the other and butter their nose. WHAT? WHY?
Oh, they have a pretty interesting reason behind it. They try to get the nose greasy enough for bad luck and ominous vibes(if they dare approach) to ‘slip’ off the special person. One buttering voo-doo lasts one whole year, so they do it on every birthday!
Chinese kids have to debate their career choices on their FIRST birthday
China has a different concept of age than the rest of us do. When a baby is born, (s)he is considered one-year old already. So, on their first birthday which is considered their ‘second’ one, the little cutie is placed on the floor with some objects that the poor soul doesn’t understand. These objects may include money, grains, toys, pens, and much more. Now begins the contemplation! Out of the objects, the little one has to choose only one, which will be regarded as their career preference. WHAT
The next birthdays aren’t as stressful. The kid is given a bowl full of noodles that (s)he has to stuff their mouth with till they can stuff no more. Easy enough. Can we all do this?
The Vietnamese concept of birthdays can be confusing
Just like the Chinese, Vietnamese are born 1. But that’s not all. Vietnamese have a countrywide birthday celebration that can last upto a week. YAS. This is basically because everyone turns a year older on the Vietnamese New Year’s Day.
So how will you find out when your birthday is next year? Ask someone with the next year’s calendar!
The Dane and the decapitated cake
A normal cake just doesn’t do it for the ones in Denmark. To take things to the next level, the Danes get a cake made which resembles a man. Yes, A MAN! This cake is called the cake man. Once the song and candles are done with, the cake man has his head cut off, which is presented to the child. Spooky? The friends and family then dig in and enjoy the body. Okay, that’s cannibalism.
Creepy Swiss clowns
Clowns are about the creepiest creatures there are. Even Sam from Supernatural, who hunted ghosts for a living, was scared of clowns!
What then, must the dear Swiss kids feel? Swiss parents hire grotesque clowns for their child’s birthday. The clowns look downright diabolical! That’s not all, either. These evil spookies follow the child around and torment them. Thank the heavens, after all this tormenting and scaring the child, the clown ends up putting a pie in the kid’s mouth for good luck, and leaves.
Rebirth at 1 in India
In India, the ceremonious ‘mundan’ is performed on the kid’s first birthday (although it may be performed at other times, too). Mundan roughly translates to “cleansing”. The baby’s head is shaved (poor dear, we know!) – a symbolical cleansing, which is one of the 16 purification rituals. This shaving is said to rid the child of negativity and trauma from the past life and helps them start their life anew!
The next birthdays are pretty basic and involve visiting temples, cake cutting and donations to orphanages and old age homes.
Which of these strange birthday traditions will make it to your next birthday? Tell us!
If you liked reading this, you will love: 5 Asian Tribes, Their Dazzling Jewellery And What It Signifies
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