I just returned from a three-week long trip to Germany and Austria and it really felt as if everyday was like a birthday; full of surprises. Lovely buildings and statues around every corner, loads of decadent cakes and “tortes”, ice creams and other treats and every house and second building adorned with window boxes filled with vibrant, colourful flowers.
During a visit to Schloss Shoenbrunn on the outskirts of Vienna, I could quite imagine myself in a bygone era where ladies of the court, dressed in finery, were spoiled with chocolates or having their tea and dainty cakes in the rose garden, maybe sitting underneath giant trees listening to music, laughing at the antics of the court jesters or just walking around the grounds of the castle, having a good time until it was time for the ball in the evening with fine food and wine.
Isn’t that what birthday parties are all about? Today, we celebrate birthdays with treats, cakes, and tons of fun shared by close friends and family. However, birthdays were not always the joyous occasions that it is today. In fact, centuries ago, especially in Europe, birthdays were considered to be something much different.
Originally, people feared their upcoming birthdays and were quite fearful of this special day because they believed that evil spirits could harm them. So birthday parties were devised as a way to keep those spirits away by surrounding yourself with friends and loved ones who often brought small tokens and food to share. People also used noisemakers to scare off the spirits that may be hanging around the house.
It was in the middle ages that birthday parties began to take on a more celebratory status and the tone turned more positive. But they were not yet commonplace amongst peasants as it was usually only celebrated by royalty or some of the lords and ladies that were very wealthy.
It wasn’t until reformation that the birthday party became a more common occurrence in England. Then people would begin to make cakes for the birthday person and they would place hidden fortune tokens in the cake for the guests to find.
It is thought that children’s birthday parties originated in Germany and was called Kinderfeste.
Over the years, the art of throwing birthday parties went form a small party to elaborate parties that are only fit for royalty. The art of throwing parties have come along way and today a lot of planning goes into choosing a theme for your kid’s birthday party to ensure that it will be a day that will be remembered not only by your kid but also by his or her guests.
