Birthday
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A birthday is the day when a person was born. In many places, on a person's birthday, he or she celebrates with friends and family at a party, where they eat cake or other foods, and get gifts.
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[edit] Western birthdays
Not everyone celebrates birthdays, including Jehovah's Witnesses.
In many English-speaking countries, people sing the song "Happy Birthday to You" to the person celebrating his birthday. There are similar songs in other languages.
A birthday cake is usually decorated and covered with candles. Most of the time, the number of candles is the same as the age of the birthday person.
[edit] Coming of age
A birthday can give a person new responsibilities and rights.
- In the United States of America, a person can buy tobacco and pornography, vote, and become a legal adult at age 18.
- In Judaism, boys have a bar mitzvah around the time they become 13. Girls sometimes have a bat mitzvah around their 12th or 13th birthday.
- In Latin America, a quinceañera party marks a girl's 15th birthday.
[edit] Astrology
The astrological sign is based on one's birthday.
[edit] Symbolism
[edit] Birthstones
A birthstone symbolizes the month of birth. In 1912, the Jewelers of America agreed on a list of birthstones:
- January: garnet
- February: amethyst
- March: aquamarine or bloodstone
- April: diamond
- May: emerald
- June: pearl, moonstone, or alexandrite
- July: ruby
- August: peridot or sardonyx and sapphire
- September: sapphire
- October: opal or tournaline
- November: topaz
- December: turquoise, lapis lazuli, zircon, or blue topaz
