Your very own holiday
You have a holiday that is your very own— your birthday!
The day you were born is a very special day for you and your family. You
probably celebrate this holiday with a birthday cake, perhaps with a
party—and by getting presents!
For thousands of years, people all over the world have thought of a
birthday as a very special day. Long ago, people believed that on a
birthday a person could be helped by good spirits or hurt by evil
spirits. So, when a person had a birthday, friends and relatives
gathered to protect him or her. And that’s how birthday parties began.
The idea of putting candles on birthday cakes goes back to ancient
Greece. The
Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. Among them was one called
Artemis [(ahr]{.smallcaps} tuh mihs).
Artemis was the goddess of the moon. The Greeks celebrated her birthday
once each month by bringing special cakes to her temple. The cakes were
round, like a full moon. And, because the moon glows with light, the
cakes were decorated with lighted candles.
Not all people celebrate their birthdays. Some people celebrate their
name days instead. In certain religions, children are named for saints.
Each saint is honored on a special day, called the saint’s feast day.
People who are named for saints often celebrate the saints’ feast days,
or their name days, rather than their own birthdays.
At the front of each of the following sections of this book there is a
birthday calendar for the month. It will tell you what famous person
shares your birthday.
