How do different countries celebrate birthdays? The variety is endless, and the world will never want for either whimsical or sinister birthday traditions.
Been thinking about celebrating your birthday belatedly, like people sometimes do with Halloween when the actual date falls on a weeknight?
If you’re in China, it might be prudent not to. In parts of the country, observing your birthday early might be okay, but it’s frowned upon to celebrate after the actual day. Moreover, there are some birthdays that you might have to skip altogether.
First of all, when Chinese children are born, they’re already considered to be a year old, so it’s important to keep that in mind when doing the math.
For Chinese women, the 30th birthday is associated with danger and chaos, so they remain 29 for an extra year instead. The 33rd birthday is likewise stigmatized.
To avoid bad luck, women must hide in the kitchen and chop a piece of meat 33 times, which transfers evil spirits into the meat, which is subsequently tossed out.
A similar ritual occurs on the 66th birthday … but a daughter or a close female relative has to carry out the chopping. For men, there’s a little less to remember: many of them simply skip their 40th birthdays, as said occasions are considered “inauspicious.” They simply remain 39 for an additional year.
Moreover, some Chinese people don’t actually start celebrating their birthday at all until they’re 60. The advanced age is seen as the start of a new life cycle, full of children and grandchildren. After 60, some only celebrate their birthdays every 10 years until they pass … and each party is successively grander and more lavish.
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