For any person, a birthday is one of the most desirable days of the year, whatever their age, likes, dislikes, etc. Of this day there is so much to enjoy. From your nearest and dear friends, the candles, decorations, balloons, birthday presents and wishes that make you feel like you’re on cloud nine. But one more important aspect of every birthday is the cake. I’m sure you probably cut a cake even if you don’t do something special since a birthday without a cake is so unfinished.

These days there are so many varieties of cake from which you can choose your favourite. From chocolate to blueberry, there are so many flavours available. You can now even get personalised birthday cakes online with a message written on it. But have you ever wondered why on our birthday we were cutting a cake or where did this tradition originate?

As per the classical Roman culture, the cakes were rarely served as a gift on the occasion of a special birthday or a celebration of the wedding. These cakes were made in flat circles using honey-sweetened nuts and flour and leavened with yeast. Bakeries in Germany created a new trend during the 15th century A.D. by creating and selling one-layered cakes for their customers for the birthdays, barring the old idea that a cake can only be cut at the occasion of a wedding. And so, came a modern birthday cake.

The history of the candles on cakes from the 18th century can be traced from German children’s birthday celebration, also known as a kinder fest. Such festivities often include candles on the cakes which are intended to battle the lurking evil spirits around. The children were brought to a position like an auditorium, where the adults shielded the children from the evil spirits that might seek to steal their souls. In 1881 a further example of the tradition of the blowing candle was recorded in Switzerland. Researchers at Switzerland’s leading newspaper have reported the Swiss middle class’s numerous superstitious beliefs. One of which is they assumed they had the same number of candles on the cake that corresponded to each year of life.

The song “Happy Birthday to You” became famous in the early 1900s after which the term Happy Birthday started to be written on the cakes for birthdays. In various countries, the variants of the birthday song and the related traditions occur.

There are many variants of birthday cakes which are eaten on birthdays around the world. The Swedish people have another kind of birthday cake which is shaped like a pound cake with a marzipan icing and decorated with their national flag.

It’s possible that people will see this tradition as a guideline for birthdays. No wonder why we have been cutting cakes, making wishes and blowing candles on our birthdays since childhood hoping all those wishes will come true and we will experience a wonderful year ahead because that’s the magic of a birthday. So many funny and unusual creeds helped us to plan our birthdays in a good way.

With the advancement in services, these days wherever you are, personalised cakes can be delivered to any location you want.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 10th, 2020 at 8:58 am and is filed under Birthday Cakes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.