Birthday

A birthday is the date on which a person was born. It is customary in many cultures to celebrate the anniversary of one's birthday in some way, for example by having a birthday party with friends in which gifts are given. It is also customary to treat someone especially well and generally accede to their wishes on their birthday.

Special birthdays

Notable birthdays can include:

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• When the most significant digit changes, for example one's 1st, 10th, 20th, 50th, or 100th birthdays.
• One's golden birthday is the day when the age one turns and the date of birth coincide (e.g. someone turning 20 on September 20th celebrates his golden birthday).
• In most legal systems, one becomes a legal adult on a particular birthday, and at different ages gain different rights and responsibilities -- voting, certain drug use (e.g. alcohol, tobacco), eligibility for military draft, driving etc.
• Most cultures have one or more coming of age birthdays:
• Jewish boys have a bar mitzvah on their 13th birthday. In Reform and Conservative Judaism, Jewish girls observe a bat mitzvah on their 12th or 13th birthday.
• In Latin America the quinceañera celebration traditionally marks a girl's 15th birthday.
• Many girls in the USA have "sweet sixteen" birthday parties.
• In countries with significant drinking ages, it is often typical to become intoxicated with one's friends as soon as legal; some bars facilitate this through drink specials or the like. In countries where age restrictions on alcohol are loosely enforced, this phenomenon may be less common.

The birthdays of historically significant people, like Jesus, Muhammad, or Martin Luther King, Jr., are often turned into holidays.

Related Topics:
Jesus - Muhammad - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Holiday

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