For most people, there isn’t a happier day for them than their birthday. That’s why birthday celebrations transcend traditions and can be seen in most world countries. But is that the same for birthdays in India? India is a country with a unique culture. Therefore, one can expect the way birthdays are celebrated there to be quite unique and maybe different to what you are used to!
Indians celebrate their birthdays by giving thanks to God for life, eating food, and dancing to music. On that day, the birthday person wears new clothes to symbolize a new beginning and donates food and clothes to the needy if they can afford them. Children get to wear brand new clothes to school instead of their uniform and carry sweets and chocolates to school for their classmates.
The diverse way Indians mark their birthdays cannot be covered in just a few words. So, if you want to know more, read on and find out for yourself. Who knows, you might stumble upon a few facts you can use to surprise your Indian friends.
Differences and Similarities Between Indian and Western Birthdays
Due to noticeable cultural differences, there are various ways in which Indian birthdays differ from those in the west. Also, there are a few ways they are similar. For further explanations of all the points in the table, read on after this section!
| Indian Birthdays | Western Birthday | |
|---|---|---|
| Importance | Birthdays in India are a big deal. They are celebrated at any age with partying, dancing, food and lots of music. There aren’t any birthdays Indians defer for big occasions. | In the west, any birthday can pretty much be special if you want it to be and you can have celebrations at any age, although there are some most people defer to for big occasions. |
| Significant Birthdays | Apart from a child’s first birthday, Indian people place alot of significance on the 18th birthday. That’s the age where a person is legally an adult and allowed to do adult things like obtaining a driver’s license and vote. A 40th is the more significant of the other birthdays, although not as much as the 18th. | Most Western people place significance on certain birthdays, such as 1st, 13th, 16th and 21st, and then each decade birthday like a 30th or 40th thereafter for example. But any and every birthday can be celebrated. Some people even celebrate half birthdays! |
| Cake | A cake is an ever-present part of any Indian birthday. The birthday person cuts into the cake first and feeds some of the guests. The cake is cut to the singing of the happy birthday song. The cake is, however, not decorated with candles to be blown off while making a wish. The candles are just lit instead. | In the west, you can’t call it a birthday party without a cake and candles. People go out of their way to ensure there is a cake to cut and for candles to be blown out. |
| Food | Indians have a rich food culture, and all birthdays involve all the Indian traditional foods the organizers can get. However, the most famous are biryani (fried rice- with spices), curry with chicken or mutton, chutney, and rice pudding. | Party food which is usually processed and full of sugar is generally eaten at children’s birthday parties. Sometimes food is designed and created around a birthday party theme. Adult birthday parties can follow a similar cuisine, but many will offer a meal that includes the birthday person’s favorite food, followed by dessert. |
| Age on Birthday | In India, a baby is zero at birth. Each year on the anniversary of their birth, they turn a year older. | In the west, a baby is zero at the time they are born and each year on the anniversary of their birth they turn a year older. |
| Date of Birthday | For most Indians, their birthday is the day they were born. Registration might have made it change, especially for older people who couldn’t remember most of their birthdays. So, they just go with the date on their official papers. | Most westerner’s birthday is the day they were born. For some older people, the date might differ because the registration of births differed considerably from the past to today, and to save hassle, they just go with what the paperwork states. |
| When to celebrate | In India, you celebrate your birthday on whatever day it falls, depending on how you decide. It is, however, common to see only a tiny part of the day marked if it’s a weekday and the full celebration to be over the weekend. | In the west, if your birthday falls on a weekday, you might have a small family celebration that night, but your party might occur on the weekend or the best date around your birthday when you are able to get a venue or do an activity you were looking forward to. It is the birthday person’s choice, but generally, the day would be within a week or two of the actual birth date. |
| How old are you? | Unless you are familiar with the birthday person, asking about their age is rude, especially for women. Children, on the other hand, have no issues being asked about their age. Their parents might even offer to tell you that. | Many Adult westerners find it impolite to be asked how old they are especially by strangers. It is generally okay to ask them around their birthday time especially if they are having a party and you are invited to celebrate with them. Parents on the other hand are always telling everyone all about their children and their ages – it is okay to discuss the ages of children. |
| Gifts | In India, the birthday person is showered with lots of gifts. Money, jewelry, a gift basket, or birthday cards are okay to give. It should be something the birthday person will love. | If you are invited to a party, it is obligatory to bring a card and a gift for the birthday person. The gift should be something you think the birthday person would like and if you are unsure – money or a gift card is also okay to give. |
| Song | The happy birthday song is sung to the birthday person as they cut the cake. It can either be in English or Hindi. | The ‘Happy Birthday Song’ is traditionally sung after lighting candles on the birthday cake. The candles are then blown out after the song has finished by the birthday person who makes a personal secret wish when blowing them out. |
Do people in India Celebrate their Birthdays?
Indians celebrate their birthdays. They were not such a big deal in the past. However, with the influx of western culture, it is now more common to see Indians throw a party for their birthdays. It is, therefore, common to see an exciting fusion of the Western and Indian culture in the way birthdays are celebrated.
How Do people in India Celebrate their Birthdays Traditionally?
The typical birthday morning for a birthday person starts by them receiving blessings from their elders. They receive these blessings by touching the feet of the elderly family members. This is a common occurrence since most Indian families live together. After receiving blessings from their elders, they head over to the temple, where they give thanks for their life. The ceremony is known as aarti and they will often light a candle and offer it to a deity.
Therefore, for Indians, the birthday is more of thanksgiving for the gift of life than it is about the party. That’s why it’s common to see most Indians head to the temple on their birthdays to pray and give thanks for reaching whatever milestone they have made it to. They also pray for good fortune for the forthcoming year. The same is done when they get back home.
The praying and giving to the temple aren’t only reserved for the birthday person. The family members will also join in this to pray for the well-being of the birthday boy or girl. If they are of considerable age, this would be a time for great reflection by the birthday person over the preceding years and the direction their life is taking.
Since it’s a day to give thanks, the birthday person will donate generously to the disadvantaged in society. That could be by providing food and clothes to the needy. Acts of service can replace this if the birthday person can’t afford to donate food and clothes. For instance, they could give grass (green) to their cow. In the evening, after all the thanksgiving and donation is made with is when the feast begins.
The feast can be anything from a party with a few family members to many friends present. Song and dance take up most of the event as the guests wish the birthday person all the best in their lives. The birthday cake is often cut by the birthday person, who feeds the guests, starting with the family members.
The birthday person isn’t supposed to blow the candles as you’d expect at a western birthday. Extinguishing a light in Indian culture is taboo because it will be akin to putting out the spring of knowledge that guides the person throughout their life.
Since this is a special day, if the birthday person is a schooling child, they will wear new clothes for the day. The same applies to any other person that might be celebrating their birthday. The new garments symbolize a fresh start or chapter of their lives.
Do Indian people celebrate any special or specific Birthdays?
Indians also have special birthdays that are usually a bigger deal than all the other birthdays. The 1st, 18th, and 40th birthdays aren’t your usual birthdays in India. That’s because they are usually enormous milestones for all people involved.
The 1st Birthday
A child’s first birthday is an auspicious event for most Indian parents. Such a birthday is marked by taking the child to the temple of prayers and blessings. That’s meant to ensure they have God’s protection over their lives as they grow. Some people shave the head of the child on this birthday.
The tradition is significant because it is a milestone for the child to have survived one year of life. The thanksgiving celebration is, therefore, to ask for good tidings and their long life on earth. The other purpose of the prayers on a child’s first birthday is to cleanse them of any wrongs and curses from the previous would.
Most Indian people believe in reincarnation. That’s why they pray for the child on their first birthday to cleanse any spiritual issues that might have followed the child to their new life. It is like giving the child a fresh start to their new life.
It is worth noting that children’s birthdays are more rituals for the child’s divine protection than actual celebrations. That mostly depends on the parents who might want to throw a lavish party to celebrate their child turning a year old.
The 18th Birthday
The 18th birthday is significant because it is the age that a person gains adulthood status. At this age, the person can engage in adult things like registering to vote, voting, getting a driver’s license, and even drinking alcohol.
The day might, however, be more significant to the birthday person themselves than the other people. That’s why most of their family members will celebrate it the same way as they would any other birthday. Indians being the religious people they are, the birthday will be marked by a visit to the temple if possible. They will also do several rituals to give thanks for the milestone and to pray for long life.
The 40th Birthday
As people get older generally all over the world, birthday celebrations seem to be reduced further and further. That isn’t any different for Indians as well. The 40th birthday, however, is usually a chance for a person to take stock of the far they’ve come in life. That’s why it is among the most significant birthdays for most Indians.
Adult birthday parties such as this one will often be celebrated with close friends and family members. It might be a visit to a restaurant where the birthday person might get a special meal if they have an arrangement with the restaurant. Depending on how religious the person is, they might go to the temple during the day to give thanks for their life.
What Food is Eaten at a typical Indian Birthday Party?
A typical Indian birthday party will have all the traditional Indian foods with a heavy dosage of sweet foods. Sweets will be in plenty, especially if it’s a child’s birthday party. While sweet foods are a staple of most western birthdays and can be eaten at any time in the day, In India, they are only eaten before dinner as dessert.
The sweet food is usually a milk and sugar food known as payasam or kheer. For dinner, the most famous food is biryani which is rice fried with a lot of spices. This biryani can be of any type depending on the person cooking it. Depending on the preferences of the guests, one could make egg or vegetable biryani. The biryani is eaten with gravy, chicken, or mutton. They also eat Chicken Curry, vegetables, and chutney with the biryani.
Fruits and nuts take center stage for the dessert alongside rice pudding. For the drinks, you can have a mocktail, juice, or masala tea. A yogurt side dish might accompany most of the main meals.
Do people have birthday cake at their parties in India?
Indians have a rich and unique culture that has withstood the test of time. However, when it comes to birthdays, several western cultures have permeated the Indian culture, with the most famous being the presence of the cake. It just isn’t a birthday for an Indian if they can’t eat cake.
The cake has also become part of a popular birthday tradition where friends smear the birthday person’s face with the cake. That, however, only happens after the birthday boy or girl has cut the cake and fed the guests, starting with the family members as they do likewise for the birthday person.
The most common type of cake was traditionally made with just wheat flour or all-purpose flour. Recently, however, most Indians experiment and come up with rice and semolina cakes. Vegan cakes are also quite the rave at Indian birthday parties because there is a considerable number of Indians who are vegetarians.
Do People in India Give Gifts at Birthday Parties?
Yes, people in India give birthday gifts. It is obligatory to carry a gift to a birthday party. The type of gift you take should be something the birthday person will love. You can take anything from a bracelet and other kinds of jewelry to cash or gift baskets.
A gift card is also an excellent gift to take to an Indian birthday party. Since Indians love wearing new clothes on their birthdays, you could also buy the birthday person a dress or shirt. It is common to see a girl gifted with a sari for her birthday. Males, on the other hand, receive silk shirts or trousers.
You can also get the person a Hindu idol for them to display in their home or room. For children getting them sweets and chocolate is sure to win their hearts. Kids worldwide are the same and can’t resist sweet things, don’t you think!
Children in school are given sweets and chocolates that they distribute to their classmates in school. As a sign of respect, a child will kneel to receive the gift from an adult and touch their feet for blessings. If you can afford it, you could also buy them electronics toys or gaming consoles.
Is the Birthday Song or ‘Happy Birthday to You’ sung in India?
Yes, the Happy birthday song is sung in India. The birthday song, much like the cake, is another western tradition that has infiltrated Indian culture. Indians sing either the Indian or English version of the world-famous happy birthday song as the birthday person cuts the cake.
The only difference is that there are so many versions in Hindi. The song people decide to sing might be significantly influenced by the region they come from. Here is a Hindi version of the happy birthday song with the translation.
Happy birthday happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you
Tum ho jag ka wo sitara
Jo hamara sabka hai pyara
Let forever, let forever all about you
Lets the hand clap
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you x4
Nahi kisi se jhagadna hai
Apne mummy dady ko sunna hai
Sach ki jete ho hoti hao
Bas isi bat ko samjhana hai
Nahi kisi se jhagadna hai
Apne mummy dady ko sunna hai
Sach ki jete ho hoti hao
Bas isi bat ko samjhana hai
Ankho me base hai chote sapne
Kabhi na kabhi na to honge wo bhi apne
Ankho me base hai chote sapne
Kabhi na kabhi na to honge wo bhi apne
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you x4
Kadam tumhre badte rahe
Har pal har pal sambhalte rahe
Khushboo ho tum us phool ki
Jo har dam mahkata rahe
Kadam tumhre badte rahe
Har pal har pal sambhalte rahe
Khushboo ho tum us phool ki
Jo har dam mahkata rahe
Ankho mein base hai chote sapne
Kabhi na kabhi na to honge wo bhi apne
Ankho me base hai chote sapne
Kabhi na kabhi to honge wo bhi apne
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you x4
Tum ho jag ka wo tara
Jo hamara sabka hai pyara
Let forever, let forever all about you
Lets the hand clap
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you x4
There are also many other songs by Indian pop stars that people listen to or sing during birthday celebrations. One such song is Ishq Forever’s song titled Happy birthday.
here is a link to the song.
OTHER INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT BIRTHDAYS IN INDIA
Black and White Gift Wrappings or Envelopes Are a No!
When you are offering the gifts, it would be a wise idea not to wrap them in entirely red or white wrappings. That’s considered a sign of bad luck. That’s because the two colors are linked to unhappiness, and you wouldn’t want that for the birthday person, would you?
Using Sharp Objects to Cut the Cake is Frowned Upon
For some Indians, It is bad luck to bring a sharp object to a celebration. Therefore, some people don’t like the presence of knives at their birthday, no matter how noble the knife. However, not many people observe this tradition for lack of a better tool to cut the cake.
Birthday Parties are Like one Large Family Gathering
In India, the family is one of the most important social units. The profoundness of that is how the Indian people live with most households consisting of the larger extended family whenever possible. That’s why a birthday celebration brings all of them together.
Family members travel from far and wide to come and be a part of the celebration. What better way to mark your day than with all your cousins, uncles, and the wider extended family there with you? Who knows, it might even add to the number of gifts you’ll get.
TAKEAWAYS….
- Birthdays in India are often an exciting fusion of the rich Hindu culture and a few Western traditions. Indian people mark their birthdays by partying, dancing to music, and wearing new clothes. The celebrations are full of traditional Indian foods, with many guests drawn from family and friends
- They heavily feature the presence of God, with the day beginning with prayers before the party even begins. The birthday person starts the day by seeking blessings from elderly family members before wearing new clothes in readiness for the day’s events.
- One of the events is to give back to society and give thanks for their life at the local temple. If they can afford it, the birthday person will donate food and clothing to the society’s needy.
- Indians also have cake on their birthdays. The birthday person will feed the guests, starting with the family members, the cake before people smear or smash it on their face. Some Indian people do like using a sharp object to cut the cake because that might be a bad sign or bad luck.
- Also, some people do not extinguish the candles on the cake to make a wish. Extinguishing a light is synonymous with putting out the guiding light in one’s life. That’s why they light lamps when people go to give thanks at the temple on someone’s birthday.
If you have an Indian friend whose birthday is due, surprise them with the facts you’ve learned here and get them a gift if possible. Just remember not to wrap the gift in a solid white or black envelope when you offer it to them.