Birthdays

Birthdays in Australia
When children are young they celebrate birthdays with their family members. They always have a birthday cake, which is a
sponge cake that is iced with candles on top. If you are five you have five candles, if you are nine you have nine. Other foods that people have to eat include sausage rolls, tiny red sausages,bread with hundreds and thousands sprinkled on top, chips, twisties, fresh fruit, cheese blocks and lots of lollies!There is quite a range of foods that people eat and it often depends on an individual family’s food choices. Teenagers like to have barbecues or pizzas.

If children have birthday parties they invite their friends and the have a celebration with food, games, music and the guests usually bring a gift for the person celebrating their birthday. People give a range of gifts depending on how much they want to spend. They often include writing paper, CD’s, soap, cosmetics, candles, T-shirts, books and photo frames. People often put balloons up in their houses. Sometimes they tie them on their front gates to show people where the party is happening.

Some people have their birthday parties at McDonalds or Pizza
Hut, but they still have a cake and sing a song called Happy Birthday to You. Teenagers enjoy lots of music and dancing at their parties. Some watch videos or go to movies. Sometimes they have “Sleepover Parties” when they stay at each other’s place for the night.

Games people play at parties include musical chairs, pass the parcel, whacko, treasure hunt and pin the tail on the donkey.

Click here for lots of party games.

Click here for the birthday cake recipe.

Birthdays in Malaysia
Young children usually do not have large parties, but prefer celebrations with about 5 to 10 people. Tina’s mother is a wonderful cook so she always prepares a smorgasbord of delicacies which
range from fried noodles, sweet and sour pork, fish cutlets, chicken pieces wrapped in pandan leaves, broccoli and beef, stir fry vegetables, curries, and egg omlette.

At all birthday celebrations family members and friends gather together to enjoy food. They may sing along together or play musical instruments. Friends or relatives who visit give presents to the person celebrating their birthday or they may give an ang-bao. This is a small red packet filled with money. If relatives do not know what to buy, the money is a good present.

At about 16 when teenagers start to invite boys and girls to their parties there is lots of dancing and games to help find a partner. They often make up their own games so that everyone eventually finds their own partner. The trick is always to have the same numbers of boys and girls! At 18 birthdays are celebrated with family members or people may go to the movies with their boy/girlfriend. At 21 people usually have a big party.

At all birthday celebrations people have birthday cakes and candles and they sing the “Happy Birthday” song in English, Chinese or Malay.

Click here for one of Tina's special recipes.

Click here for some games played at birthdays in Malaysia.

Birthday Celebrations in England
People celebrate birthdays with families and friends. Some people have parties and the main ages for this are16, 18, 21 and 40. Forty is when you are meant to be going down hill and everything happens to you!
Every one has a birthday cake and if you have a party you eat trifle, jelly, sausage rolls, cheese and pineapple on a stick, cocktail sausages and sandwiches. Most people who have parties don’t usually have them at their houses any more. They tend to have them at places like McDonalds, Wacky Warehouse, community centres or pubs.Some of the popular presents at the moment are computer games for Nintendo, Sony and Sega and anything to do with Spice Girls.

Birthdays in America.

Birthdays are exciting to celebrate! They are celebrated more for children than adults, unless it is a milestone like 21, 30, 40 or 50. For children,balloons and streamers are hung up and lots of friends are invited to parties. There are always presents, cakes and ice cream. The birthday person has a cake topped with candles; one for each year and they must try to blow them out in one breath. If successful their secret wish will come true. Sometimes the person having the birthday can choose what they want to do: bowling, swimming, arcades, amusement parks camping trips and so on. It's such a blast!

Click here to learn how to make ice-cream.