Birthday Cake

It is commonplace in the US to celebrate our birthday with a beautiful and tasty birthday cake. Although the Greeks were the first to use cakes to celebrate birthdays, they were commonly used to celebrate the birthdays of gods and goddesses.

And the inclusion of candles on a birthday cake is also of Greek origin as the cake to celebrate the birthday of the Greek moon god Artemis was topped with lit candles.

In the middle ages, the English would conceal symbolic items inside the cake. Each item was a prediction for the finder’s future.

Usually items such as gold coins, rings and thimbles were baked into the cake. The birthday cake made its way to Western culture in the mid 19th century and has been an important part of birthday celebrations since.

When cutting into ones birthday cake, there are little superstitions some people believe. If the knife touches the bottom, or when pulling the knife from the cake itself there are pieces of cake stuck to the knife, than the birthday person must kiss the nearest person of the opposite sex.

Another belief is when you blow the candles out on your cake, you are supposed to make a wish. If the candles are blown out in one blow and the wisher keeps the wish a secret, then it is believed the wish will come true.

Birthday cakes are typically highly decorated with lots of colors and flowers or something of that sort. For kids, it is popular to have cartoon characters or their favorite them on the cake.

Cakes can go from home made, simple designs to more elaborate cakes that can cost hundreds of dollars.