A birthday is a day when a person celebrates the anniversary of his or her birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party, or rite of passage. The celebration of a birthday usually is thought to mark how old a person is, traditionally stopping when death occurs and only stating that if still alive, they would have been (number of years) old. Some contemporary writers ignore this aspect, however, and keep counting the years since the date of birth of famous people, such as, proclaiming that it is Shakespeare's "four hundredth birthday" (although he died at the age of fifty-two) instead of noting that it is the four hundredth anniversary of his birth.
Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders (e.g., Buddha's Birthday, Christmas) – which is celebrated widely by Christians and non-Christians alike – is the most prominent example. In contrast, certain religious groups, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, choose not to celebrate birthdays.
Read more about Birthday: Legal Conventions, Cultural Conventions, Birthday Traditions, Frequency, Time Zones and Birthdays, Leap Day
Famous quotes containing the word birthday:
“Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.”
—Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894)
“Some days your hat’s off to the full-time mothers for being able to endure the relentless routine and incessant policing seven days a week instead of two. But on other days, merely the image of this woman crafting a brontosaurus out of sugar paste and sheet cake for her two-year-old’s birthday drives a stake through your heart.”
—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)
“Age is a limit we impose upon ourselves. You know, each time you Westerners celebrate your birthday you build another fence around your minds.”
—Robert Riskin (1897–1955)