Birthday cakes became accessible to the lower class as a result of the industrial revolution and the spread of more materials and goods. The birthday cake is often decorated with small candles , secured with special holders or simply pressed down into the cake. In many cultures the person whose birthday is being celebrated is invited to make a wish, and blow out candles. Though the exact origin and significance of this ritual is unknown, there are multiple theories which try to explain this tradition.
According to some sources putting candles on cake was a Greek innovation. In Ancient Greece, worshippers brought moon-shaped cakes to the temple of Artemis, the goddess of the moon and the hunt. The cakes were decorated with lit candles in order to make them glow like the moon. According to other sources the tradition of adding candles to the top of a birthday cake comes from Germany.
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The lights dim and a hush falls over the party. Suddenly a cake, aglow with candlelight, is brought out and singing starts. Credit: Pexels The earliest stories of candles and cakes are linked to the ancient Greeks. Credit: Pexels The first well-documented case of candles being placed on a birthday cake comes from Germany in Until next time, we've got some cake to eat!
Gods and goddesses were a huge part of Greek culture. Greeks offered many tributes and sacrifices to appease these gods. The lunar goddess, Artemis, was no different. The candles also symbolized the sending of a signal or prayer. Blowing out the candles with a wish is another way of sending that message to the gods. They lit candles in response to these spirits almost as if they represented a light in the darkness. This implies that birthday celebrations started as a form of protection. In addition to candles, friends and family would gather around the birthday person and protect them from harm with good cheers, thoughts, and wishes.
They would give gifts to bring even more good cheer that would ward off evil spirits. Noisemakers were also used to scare away the unwanted evil. This seems to be the first time in history where a civilization celebrated the birth of non-religious figures. Regular Roman citizens would celebrate the birthdays of their friends and family members.
The government, however, created public holidays in honor of more famous citizens. Any Roman turning 50 years old would receive a special cake baked with wheat flour, olive oil, grated cheese, and honey. But an important thing to note is that only men would experience this birthday celebration. Female birthdays were not celebrated until about the 12th century.
This lasted for the first few hundred years of the existence of the Christian Church. Ladies and gentlemen, and those yet to make up their minds, this one goes out to… the Greeks. Super-early days the Greeks adopted those Ancient Egyptian birthdays, celebrating the birth of a god, and as you may well remember from those primary-school-project days, Greek culture was pretty big on gods and goddesses. Enter Artemis, the lunar goddess. The Greeks had a thing for offering sacrifices to the gods and as a tribute to Artemis, one of the best inventions ever came to be.
The Greeks would offer her moon-shaped cakes. Cakes which were adorned with lit candles. This two-part symbolisation birthed the traditional confectionary we now adore. The glowing radiance of the new-found birthday cake recreated the beauty of the moon. The candles signifying the sending of prayers.
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