A birthday is a day on which a person is born. It is customary in many cultures to celebrate one’s birthday in a special way by giving a party to friends in which gifts are exchanged. It is also customary to treat birthday boy or girl very nicely and comply with their wishes.
Astrology
The zodiac sign that one is born under depends on ones birthday and the specific time of birth is used to calculate the person’s natal chart. However, astrology is not limited to western astrology alone. In modern India Vedic astrology (or Jyotish) is commonly used and in China, Chinese astrology has been around for thousand of years. The ancient Egyptians also had their own system of astrology while a unique system of astrology eventually emerged in Tibet as well. Other cultures and civilizations around the world also developed their own astrological systems.
History of Birthday Celebration in West
It was thought that the large-scale celebration of birthdays in Europe was due to Mithraism in the Roman Empire and prior to this it was not so common. Mithraism had a large influence throughout the empire because of it being taken up by many Roman soldiers.
Official And Alternate Birthdays
Some notables, particularly monarchs such as Queen Elizabeth of England have official birthdays that do not match their actual birthday, but on which the celebrations are held.
Children who are born on The 29th of February, which falls in the leap year, celebrate their birthday on the 28th February or the 1st march.
In Roman Catholic countries such as France, it is common to have a ‘name day’/ ‘saint’s day’. This is celebrated like any ordinary birthday, but is held on the official day of the saint that the person is named after.
