History of Happy Birthday
History of Happy Birthday
The tradition of celebrating birthdays and singing the famous “Happy Birthday to You” song has an interesting and layered history. Here’s how it evolved over time:
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🎉 Ancient Birthday Celebrations
• Egyptians: The earliest recorded birthday celebrations date back to the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. However, these weren’t personal birthdays, but rather the coronation day when a Pharaoh was considered to have become a god.
• Greeks and Romans: The Greeks adopted this idea and began celebrating the birthdays of gods and goddesses. The Romans were the first to celebrate birthdays of ordinary men (not women at first), especially for the rich or powerful.
• Christians: Early Christians avoided birthday celebrations, viewing them as pagan. It wasn’t until later centuries that the idea became more widely accepted.
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🎂 Origin of Birthday Parties
• Germany in the 18th century celebrated “Kinderfeste” — the first known children’s birthday parties.
• A cake with candles became part of the tradition, each candle representing a year of life. People believed the smoke from the candles carried their wishes to the heavens.
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🎵 “Happy Birthday to You” Song
• Originally, the melody was from a song called “Good Morning to All,” composed by American sisters Mildred and Patty Hill in 1893.
• The lyrics were later changed to “Happy Birthday to You” — no one knows exactly who changed it, but by the early 20th century, it had become the standard birthday song in the U.S.
• It became so popular that it was eventually copyrighted. For many years, royalties had to be paid to use it in movies or public events. However, in 2016, a court ruled the song was in the public domain, meaning anyone can use it freely now.
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🧁 Today’s Birthday Traditions
• Today, birthday parties, cakes, candles, and the “Happy Birthday” song are common in many cultures.
• People also give gifts, throw surprise parties, and share birthday wishes online through social media.
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Fun Fact:
• The “Happy Birthday” song is one of the most recognized songs in the English language worldwide!
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Would you like this in Nepali or in a simpler version for kids?