where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage
. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders (e.g., Buddha's Birthday
), Christmas
– which is celebrated widely by Christians and non-Christians alike – is the most prominent example. In contrast, certain religious groups, as is the case with Jehovah's Witnesses, express opposition to the very idea of celebrating birthdays.
In most legal systems, one becomes a legal adult on a particular birthday (often the 14th through 21st), and reaching age-specific milestones confers particular rights and responsibilities.
"Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time." -- Jean Paul Richter
"The more things change, the more they remain the same." -- Alphonse Karr
"Every ten years a man should give himself a good kick in the pants." -- Edward Steichen
"A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age." -- Robert Frost
"Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest." -- Larry Lorenzoni
"A well adjusted woman is one who not only knows what she wants for her birthday, but even knows what she's going to exchange it for." -- Anonymous
"There is still no cure for the common birthday." -- John Glenn
"Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again." -- Menachem Mendel Schneerson
"We know we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it." -- Anonymous
"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip." -- Anonymous