*How do YOU GUYS celebrate your birthdays?* 😊 Let me know in the comments below! 👇 I wanna know about games that are played at kid's parties, cake preferences, when to say happy birthday, etc.! Check out related videos: 7 things YOU NEED for a GERMAN NEW YEAR'S EVE! ua-cam.com/video/5hGc-cUMSvA/v-deo.html Driving in Germany vs. USA ua-cam.com/video/jECjkKfdlF8/v-deo.html Alcohol Culture GERMANY vs. USA ua-cam.com/video/aGVRnCo3WaU/v-deo.html Baked Goods USA vs. Germany ua-cam.com/video/Neeglel1c60/v-deo.html Ice Cream ISN’T THE SAME in Germany & USA?! ua-cam.com/video/DKLUt09uRlw/v-deo.html
Celebrating your birthday for the whole month or even the whole week of your birthday is news to me! Usually people call me the day of my birthday or 1-2 days in advance the most to wish me a happy birthday because they might be too busy otherwise. I don't even start receiving cards until the week of my birthday, so what you are talking about must be some new trend.
Felii What a lighthearted topic. Birthdays.. Since you did Germany I won't repeat it, I'll just say that hearing you speak of this reminded me of my time living there. Bithdays were just like you described them. When it come to the US I too DON'T understand the reasoning behind the "Birthday Month" situation or the wishing "Happy Birthday" way ahead of time. Is it really that necessary?? 🤔 (I don't think so, I don't like it) And to answer your Q's I'll tell you what I recall from Bdays in Argentina: 1. Games kids play (pretty much the same ones played in Germany), like: > Eirlaufen ( la carrera de los huevos) > Sackhüpfen ( la carrera de los sacos) > Mehlschneiden (don't remember in Spanish, sorry) > Piñata > Topfschlagen (don't remember in Spanish, sorry) > Reise nach Jerusalem (el juego de las sillas) > Freeze > Charades (digalo con mimica) >Telephone 2. Cake preferences: Any cake if bake for a birthday is a Birthday Cake in Argentina. (at least that's how I remember it) In general, when it was a kids birthday party they would have a home-made cake. However, I have heard, that nowadays most kids have store-bought cakes. for me it used to be one of my favorite. Having home-made cake of any kind as a Birthday cake. I loved it when my grandma or mom baked mine. As a kid I liked chocolate or vanilla. Now I go for a cake with fruits. Especially berries, my favorite. hahaha 3. So wishing people happy birthday, in the US you said it. In Argentina, kids mostly on the day of (like in Germany. Personally for me is the way to go. But some people in their 20's opt for "birthday month style" others just like kids and if someone forgot the "belated wish." 4. Who pays for things at a Birthday Celebration in Argentina: It toally depends on the group of people the birthday person is with. Sometimes there is a split bill situation/ others the Birthday person pays, or If the invitees pay. I had birthday where I paid for the whole table (german-style) and others where one of my friends paid. -honestly I like the second option better 😂 5. Birthday Songs: In Argentina at kids parties Happy Birthday in Spanish is sang "Que los Cumplas Feliz" (Argentinian) or "Las Mañanitas" (it´s from Spain) and sometimes in English as well. In my case, I had my "happy birthday" sang in all three languages: English, Spanish and German in different points in my life growing up. 😂 6. Significant Birthdays in Argentina (from what I recall and been told): > Us Girls: - 15th Birthday ( La Fiesta de los Quince 15) pretty similar to Sweet Sixteen in the US. - 18th Birthday ( you're Legally an Adult, can go to Jail, Drink and Drive) > Guys : - 18th Birthday ( you're Legally an Adult, can go to Jail, Drink and Drive.)
My husband is first generation American of German parents. His mom used to call him and wish him a happy birthday (on his birthday, of course). To him it sounded like she was saying, "happy burst day," which kind of made sense to him. It was the day he burst into the world.
You didn't mention this, but it's definitely "a thing" in American birthdays . . . the "SURPRISE" birthday party. This usually takes careful planning, where one designated friend will go "out" with the birthday person, usually under the excuse that they are celebrating their birthday. Then, while they are out, a bunch of other friends sneak into the birthday person's house (usually with the help of relatives or family, they don't just break into their home LOL), and wait for them to arrive back at the house. Once they enter, everyone jumps up from behind the couch or something and yells "SURPRISE!!!!". The birthday person has a mild heart-attack, and then it's just a giant party. I've had this done to me, and I can't express how thoughtful it is. Even if you didn't want it in the first place, you can't really be mad about it because of how much effort it takes. It's actually very embarrassing but also humbling and a sweet feeling to know that many people cared to coordinate such an event without you knowing it.
I planned a surprise party for a friend once, under the ruse that I was having a small group of six over for dinner. She arrived and met the people who were supposed to be there. But 30 other friends were hiding in the kitchen. I came off great. And I had another friend plan her own surprise party, thinking she was planning it for someone else.
I wonder if this is regional in America. I live in Texas, and I've never known anyone who's tried to throw anyone a surprise party. I always kind of thought it was just something from the movies. :-)
@@wesgray5832 Really?! That's so bizzare. I'm from SoCal, and I've always understood it to be a natural thing; like, one way to choose to celebrate someone's birthday is to plan a surprise party for them. XD
We had an older aunt in her 80's who had quite a sense of humor. We deliberately made her a very small cake, meaning the 85 or so candles had to cover the entire top and sides like a porcupine. She was thrilled.
Felichen!! How about doing a video contrasting the Similarities an Differences between Typical American and German WEDDINGS?? If you are not too familiar with the details of American Style weddings, just ask some of your American friends!! I think this would be a good topic for another video from you!
One thing I know they do in German wedding receptions is saw a log. Seriously. The bride and groom will each grab one end of one of those two-man saws they use to cut down trees, and work together to saw a log in half. It symbolizes the need for coordination and cooperation to overcome obstacles in the years ahead.
The differences start already with the engagement ring. The American gemstone one can often be used to drive paving stones into the earth. For the german gemstone you need often a magnifying glass or there is actually no "bling bling" stone.
We never say "birthday child" in English; it's always "birthday boy" or "birthday girl," which you can even jokingly use for adults. But in German, one always hears "Geburtstagkind." Never thought of this on a conscious level until now.
Ich habe die nie gegessen, aber nur weil meine Mutter generell nie fertige Torten und so gekauft hat und selbst toll backt. Das werde ich bei meiner Tochter aber auch so fortführen😅 Aber ich lese öfter mal davon. Aber es ist doch eigentlich nur eine fertige Sahnetorte mit Spielzeug, oder?😅
Felicia, the “birthday cake” flavored cakes, ice cream, cookies and other goodies is something relatively new. Most parents generally make the flavor of the cake that the person desires. More and more people are buying the cake at the store. Personally, I usually desire a cheesecake… any cake will suffice for a birthday cake in the USA. As an adult, I prefer doing shots of Apfelkorn or Jaegermeister. I was born in the USA, but my grandparents were born in Germany.
The white "birthday cake" is usually for kids. Adults or kids with family that are good at baking usually get homemade cakes with all the variety like the ones you said. There's also a lot of regional cakes desserts common for birthdays. Like St. Louis butter cake, sopapilla cheesecake, Texas sheet cake etc.
We used to play „Stoptanz“ (stop dance), where everyone is dancing and then suddenly the music stops and everyone has to freeze in whatever pose they’re in while dancing, without moving or falling over or you get disqualified. Whoever sticks around the longest wins. And also „Mord im Dunkeln“ (murder in the dark) which I don’t quite remember the rules of anymore but I remember it being very popularity at birthdays
10:33 In Switzerland it’s quite common to sing the Happy Birthday Song in different languages. In my family we usually sing first the Swiss German “Zum Geburtstag viil Glück”, followed by the English “Happy Birthday to you” and the Italian “Tanti auguri a te”. I know others who also sing the French “Joyeux anniversaire”. And a funny difference between Swiss and Germans: In Switzerland it’s often “Happy Börfday” instead of the German “Happy Börsday”.
I innocently went into the bakery to ask about buying a whole cake for my kid's birthday and everyone there looked at me like I'd sawed both my arms off!
Yea I don't know anyone who celebrates anymore than just 1 day for their birthday. I have a twin sister and my wife all born on the same day, so we celebrate with my family all together with everyone. I don't usually do anything special for my birthday other than maybe eat at a special restaurant.
The way I look at it, in the U.S. we wish someone a happy birthday the same way we wish someone merry Christmas or happy holidays. We wish them well as they approach the celebration day (whatever that special day is).
We also played “Dreibeinlauf” (three leg run) where your leg gets tied to another persons leg and you’re racing against two other people. Also “Schnitzeljagd” was a big thing! Benjamintorte has a big part in our birthday traditions too :)
Hello Feli, greetings from Germany I work for a church backed charity and we had a birthday "kid" this month our team leader (a nearly 80 years old woman) called for the song "Viel Glück und viel Segen auf all Deinen Wegen, Gesundheit und Frohsinn sei auch mit dabei" a song that I have had almost forgotten since I had not sung it for decades. But I noticed that every one of my colleges did know it.
@@claudiakarl2702 Ich arbeite für unsere örtliche Tafel die wiederum von der Caritas getragen wird und daher bin ich seit meinem beruflichen Einstieg ein Angestellter der Caritas. Und ja in Christlichen Einrichtungen ist es tatsächlich noch sehr populär.
Ich bin in keinster Weise christlich aufgewachsen, aber habe dieses Lied Jahr für Jahr gehört und für andere gesungen! Also zumindest in meinem Bekanntenkreis gehört das definitiv dazu und hat nichts mit dem Alter zu tun :)
I prefer the idea of bringing your own birthday cake because a) it leaves the decision to myself to celebrate with my colleagues or not, b) everybody, who wants to celebrate their birthday, can do it, no matter if the others like him/her or not. Imagine, everybody else gets a birthday cake from the buddies at the office, and you are the only one who doesn't.
Generic U.S., birthday cakes have become more popular in the past 25 years due to the popularity of buying the finished cakes from the supermarket. Families who make their own cakes usually still let the birthday person pick their favorite type of cake or other baked dessert, similar to Germany. Sadly, a lot of U.S. Americans have little experience with the high quality cakes and baked desserts of Europe, so kids especially will still pick their favorite cake-mix cake. Also it is easier to have a stereotypical cake for a big party.
My family it's the same way birthday person requests favorite cake/dessert and it gets homemade and delicious. Like one of my favorites is Strawberry Vanilla Cheesecake. Also my family generally we combine the birthdays from that month in one family gathering and each chooses their favorite meal and dessert.
@@enfynet I'm not american but i bake a lot of stuff with american recipes - as far as i understand it the "birthday cake flavor" is some sort of slightly almond and vanilla flavored cake with lots of sprinkles :) but without the almond and sprinkles it's not birthday cake ☝🏼😅 but that's only what I've seen from baking blogs online
I think she just doesn’t understand the US traditions that well in this instance. I too have always had it be that family will get the preferred cake of that person (whether it is carrot cake, red velvet etc). Then there is generic birthday cake which is a white cake with sprinkles (and that is what they use as a ‘flavor’ for other items I suppose).
I turned 40 while working in Schwäbisch Gmünd. I thought I'd just gotten older but then some German friends explained that I'd reached my Schwabenalter. I was finally wise. Probably my most memorable birthday.
Sorry, but the popular rhyme goes "A Schwob wird erscht mit 40 gscheit, an andrer net in Ewigkeit." (A Swabian will get wise only with 40 years of age, others never in eternity...)
We always had whatever kind of cake we wanted for our birthdays. So does everyone I know. Often we would get Mom to make us a red velvet cake, which is just chocolate with red food coloring in it, with cream cheese frosting. The flavor “birthday cake” is just used for things like ice cream, candy bars, etc. Birthday cake can be any kind of cake you want.
I think to play „Zeitungstanzen“ (newspaper dance) was great… You are dance with a other person on a news paper and when the music stops you must fold the newspaper in the middle… Which team touch the floor fist is out…
At 10:36- The song "Happy Birthday To You" was written by 2 sisters who cared for children in early 20th Century Louisville KY, just down I-71 from where you are in Cincy. It was originally called "Good Morning To You", then the lyrics were changed to celebrate birthdays. Thanks for posting!
Felicia Ich bin Amerikanerin österreichischer Abstammung. Meine Familie wanderte in den 1840er Jahren nach Maine aus. Gott, du bist wunderschön und ich liebe deinen Geist.
Here in Norway the legal age for most alcohol is 18, but anything with 22% or more require you to be 20. Grocery stores can only sell alcohol up to 4.7%, and that sale usually ends around 8pm. For anything stronger you have to go to a special liquor store. Gas stations and similar stores do not sell alcohol.
Would not be surprised if piñatas and Topfschlagen have the same origin... piñatas originated as a game to smash a clay pot while blindfolded and the treats and hanging it up were added later.
We do have eierlaufen! We don't exclusively play this at birthday parties. It's most often played at outdoor gatherings in warm weather. My family would play it at family reunions. There are a few ways of playing it. The first way is exactly how you described it but called "the egg and spoon toss" the other is the "egg toss". In that version, you stand a short distance from your partner and try to toss the egg without it breaking in their hands. Each time, all the people in one row, take one step back. Therefore the challenge gets harder until someone wins.
As a german kid, growing up in the 80-90's, you discribed my childhood. ^^ Eating at McD, kegeln, bowling, swimming at the lokal fun pool, climbing trips in the forrest and kart driving. Good times.
I always had brownies growing up (and to this day) because I hated cake. Still do actually- not pound cake and crumb cake as she was showing (can’t believe she hasn’t seen those in the US maybe they are more typical in the South idk), but iced cake. Anyways usually my parents would get cupcakes for the other kids 🤣🤣 I wanted brownies!
I don't really like cake, so I've had a lot of ice cream sandwich cakes (ice cream sandwiches, in layers with cool whip, cherries, nuts or small candies, and magic shell icing). Freeze and cut like a regular cake. So much better!!
The flavor of birthday cake really depends on what your family tradition is. In my family it's just as, to have pie for your birthday. And we always ask what kind of cake or pie you want. I will be doing a lemon meringue cheesecake for my younger sisters birthdays next week.
This was so interesting, thanks! My wife is Filipino, and their culture is also that the birthday person pays for/hosts the celebration. And for the same reason: it's *their* birthday so they're inviting you to celebrate with them also.
When I was a kid a huge annual fair was held in our village exactly at my birthday. I usually went there with my godmother and it was wonderful. Free rides all afternoon long!
The original comment doesn’t make any sense. If you consider that way, then your world view is mess up. There is a reason for that and it might be they might not see you during your birthday. Unless they have your phone number or email, how can they wish a happy birthday on your birthday? Better then not saying Happy Birthday.
Thank you for the videos, my family came here in the late 1800's, but I find it amazing that most of the customs in my family follow what you say. My Grandfather was born here in 1874. His parents emigrated from Bavaria. My father's side from Prussia.
9:20 I live in austria and my mother always acted like the cakes from the supermarket were sacrilegious. The way my family always does it is that somebody either makes the cake themselves or they go to a really fancy bakery were they get an amzing hand crafted cake.
I have always lived in the United States and I hate typical birthday cakes. I can't believe anyone who read the ingredients in frosting (which is sold in plastic jars pre-made) would ever consume it. It's full of artificial color and flavor, sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is quite heart unhealthy. Still, a cake baked at home at least shows effort, unlike a supermarket cake. If a cake is bought rather than made it should be from a high end bakery.
Cookie cakes are my birthday cake of choice, too. Just one giant, soft chocolate chip cookie with icing on top and frosting around the edges... mmmmm....
Yep... U.S. here too and we make our cakes to the preferences of each... I like unfrosted yellow cake with vanilla ice cream, the spouse loves carrot cake, one child loves a choc chip cookie cake and the other child picks something different every year... this year it was an oreo pudding cake. :)
It can be anything, and many people will have something different or have another option along with the main kind, but usually the standard that people think of when they hear "birthday cake" is what she described, and it's the type that "birthday cake flavored" things are referencing. Standard cupcakes are also just small versions of this type of cake, though of course it is possible to get any kind of flavor as a cupcake as well.
Wir singen immer : "Weil heute dein Geburtstag ist". Kann aber sein, dass das ein ostdeutsch geprägtes Geburtstagslied ist! Hier kennt das JEDER! (Thüringen/ Sachsen).
Thank you for the video on birthdays. I love hearing how different cultures do things. My mother always baked an angel food cake for my BD when I was a child which always worked for me and I still love angel food cake. I did things differently for my children. I always decorated their cakes in their favorite toy or movie. I learned that it is much easier to decorate a one layer rectangle cake so that's what I did. Now that my children are adults we started a different tradition which is to bake or buy their favorite kind of cake, like cheesecake or ice cream cake. I think traditions in the USA are always changing depending on what part of the country you live. Also depends on our heritage and mine happens to be German.
I live in Arkansas, U.S. and if you find out it's somebody's birthday, whether they're a stranger or not and IF you're going to see them again, in my experience, you have to give them something for their birthday even if it's before or after their birthday to show that you're grateful their alive. Maybe it's the Southern Hospitality.
I took German for three years in high school. I remember learning "hoch soll sie leben, hoch soll sie leben. Dreimal hoch!" ("high should she live, three times high," I think). I also learned "Zum Geburtstag viel Glueck" to the tune of the American "Happy Birthday" Also, my 21st is in 5 weeks!
@@carmen5267 😳 in 5 weeks! Dont say it so early 😜 Me too in 5 days.... please no Birthday wishes for me now 😆 exactly in 5 days 😬 (to be exactly is also a verry german thing 😅)
At birthday parties when I was a kid we often played "Zeitungsschlange", you have to rip a page of a newspaper into a snake and the longest wins. And we played "Zeitungstanz", a hard version of "Stoptanz" where you have to dance on a page of a newspaper that gets folded in half everytime the music stops😅😂
We always played "Zeitungsschlagen". One person stands in the middle with a rolled newspaper in hands while the others are sitting in a circle around it. One of the sitting children is getting called and has to call the next person before the one in the middle can hit it with the newspaper. I loved that game!
LOL I'm with you. The first time I heard it I tried to explain to Germans how freaking impossible it is to miss someone you've never met. I tried and tried. So I just tell people on their birthday, if you weren't born, I wouldn't miss you.
The best thing about it is to act the scenario out. Just start talking at random moments in your life and say something like: "What a bummer Jonathan Honeyhelicopter was never born. I miss hin so much!"
I think part of the reason why Germans are expected to bring cake or snacks to work on their birthdays is that not everyone actually wants to celebrate it or that colleagues might not know your birthday. And for inviting people out on the day I guess your explanation was pretty good. At least that's how I would explain it, too.
I remember a classmate had birthday at the same day as me. It was a little race, who congratulated sooner on that day. "Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!" - "Danke, dir auch Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!"
As an American I’ve never heard of a birthday week or month. Usually we celebrate birthdays on the closest weekend to the birthday so that most people are available to attend. We do have golden birthdays too, which is when one turns the same age as the day of month they born.
You need to do a follow up regarding how adults feel regarding significant birthdays like say 30. My daughter who turns 30 this year is in total denial. She continues to say (jokingly) that she is staying 29 forever. Love your channel.
As a 30-year-old, I too am 29 version 2.0. And in September, I will be 29 version 3.0. Being a software developer means I can get away with iterating instead of aging 😂
I think people celebrate early mostly because it’s easier to have a party on the weekend. And I feel like saying “Happy birthday” early is usually when you won’t see that person again before their birthday.
@@huawafabe - for a close friend, in the US you’d likely call or text them on their actual birthday (or mail them a card). But for an acquaintance or work colleague who casually mentions something like, “I’m going out of town this weekend to celebrate my birthday,” it’s a common response in the US to wish them a happy birthday right then. You’re not likely to have their cell number, and it would be considered kinda creepy if you tracked down their number, figured out their actual birthdate, and then texted or called on the day.
@@ebick77 yeah for a German that still sounds very wrong haha. In your example case, we'd probably rephrase it and say something like "have fun at (celebrating) your birthday" 😊
@@huawafabe if you are only acquaintances it would be weird to call or text someone happy birthday, and you probably don’t have that info anyway, but if you are connected with them on social media it is not weird to do that. If you know someone is having a birthday shortly it is polite to say happy birthday while you see them if you will not see them until their birthday is over.
I'm guessing "birthday cake" flavor is just a kind of pound cake flavor. "Birthday cake" usually just means a cake you eat for someone's birthday. It's not a specific kind of cake, although a layer cake is common.
Ehhh not really. It’s usually more of a sweet vanilla or candy ish flavor. They’re usually white or light yellow cake with little colored specks in it.
In my experience growing up in the 80s it was more common to see cakes baked at home. My older sister always baked me a strawberry cake which I loved. Now, my family is more likely to buy one. I like a not too sweet raspberry or strawberry cake but definitely prefer a strawberry cheesecake.
Agreed. Once I found out that ice cream cake was a thing, that totally became my staple birthday cake. I really don't like American cake and really like what those German cakes looked like.
Some restaurants are known for their birthday traditions. While out after an event, a friend told the server that that day was my birthday. They put a huge sombrero on my head (it was a Mexican restaurant), brought me a dessert, and sang Happy Birthday to me in English and Spanish. I felt bad for them as my birthday was nowhere near that date. I tipped heavily.
At the Japanese food restaurant I worked at for several years, we had a box of animal masks and tambourines/maracas/etc, and whichever servers/bussers/etc were available would come out with them and we would sing Happy Birthday in English and If You're Happy And You Know It in Japanese lol As a kid the best place was TGIFriday's (I think that's where it was?) bc along with coming out to sing to you, they would also tie a bunch of balloons to the ends of your hair so it stood up like crazy, which 7 year old me thought was HISTERICAL
@@catshaky6629, I was asked for ID at only one restaurant for a birthday. They gave you a percentage discount equal to your age on the entree. In most places, it's a free dessert with purchase of an entree if they have a birthday deal.
@@MichaelScheele I am talking about German restaurants. Most places here in Germany, that have a birthday special, want to see your ID for proof. :) restaurants, cinema, amusement park etc
Here in Italy is just what you would like!! We choose our favourite cake, people usually pay for the birthday person, everyone brings a gift and we absolutely DON'T celebrate or say "happy birthday" before midnight on the right day! Our important birthdays are 18 (legal age for driving, drinking and such) and the "round" ones, especially 40, which is a sort of passage because you really are older in a way, and it's the first word to change sound - from "venti" / "trenta" to "quarAnta", "cinquAnta" and so on - so we also call it "entering the ANTA". Oh, and we bring sweets to work for our own birthday, to share the joy!!
My family is fairly large and we frequently combine birthdays, sometimes with other holidays. Depending on the calendar, one might have an early birthday celebration one year or a late birthday celebration the next year. Otherwise, we would be having birthday parties every other weekend. Not that anyone would complain... 🎂🎉🤣
Same here. I guess if I grew up with the idea it was a bad omen to celebrate before my actual birth date, I would probably feel differently about it, but my sister and I were born on the same month so we often did combined birthday parties too.
I'm German but we always combined mine and my sisters birthday when celebrating with the larger family. They all lived further away and theres only 2 weeks between our birthdays, so we picked the weekend in the middle and they only had to drive once. So my sister always got birthday wishes early and she's perfectly fine 😅
Coming from mixed cultures of American Indian Kiowa and from Luxembourg 🇱🇺. I was never heard happy birthday because that meant the day you were born; I was told we celebrate the anniversary of your birth. I preferred chocolate cake with strawberry filling with butter creme white icing. The tradition I grew up with was having three candles on the cake which represented yesterday, today and tomorrow. As a child we played pin the tail on the donkey, hop scotch, ring toss.
The bad luck thing for saying “Happy Birthday” before the actual Birthday is also here in Albania. We never say that before the day and some people can get pretty angry for saying it early. Maybe it’s a thing in Europe idk
we in America don't usually celebrate early or say Happy Birthday too soon, you must have some odd friends. The only time when it is early is when some family members can only be visiting for the weekend & your Birthday is on a Monday.
I hope that's the case because that thing doesn't make any sense to me. If you make it a habit of celebrating something early - why not celebrate every birthday up to 100 early and have a blast for 2-3 months?! The weird feeling you get from reading that is exactly what Germans feel when you celebrate their birthdays too soon.
@@jellysquiddles3194 well to me everyday is a Holiday celebrate each day as a Birthday & thanksgiving. Minus the Food : ) once Nov 26 hits Bam im in Christmas Mode Big time & im Not even Christian.
I think it's much better when the friends pay for your birthday, because it's much more affordable for everyone. When you have to pay for maybe 20 people, you think about it twice, whether you should celebrate or not 😅
Thats why the most Germans have a party at home with their family and a few friends. I would cook something and afterwards we would have some drinks...
Love the timing of this video. My 50th birthday is almost here, April 10th. Love all your videos. Especially since German is part of my heritage.
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The birthday person bringing cake and snacks for the rest at the office left me surprised. I work for a german company located in México,and when I saw tbis happened,i was very surprised. I ratherhave the birthday person have a treat,due to its celebration.
When I lived in B-W I learned that "Schappsjahr" is the 22, 33, 44, usw. birthdays. These are big celebrations and sometimes your friends will use candles to make the number in front of your house so everyone in the neighborhood knows. Also, there usually are several Geburtstagtorten (usually 3 to 5) that the person having the birthday has to make or buy to serve (mit Kaffee!) when someone drops by the wish you a happy birthday (on the day!). A telephone call is expected if a friend can't come by in person.
I once was in a German café and suddenly the owner of the café told everyone to be quiet and then said that there was someone there at that day who's birthday it was. And then he asked us to sing for that person and The whole café sang happy birthday 😂
One time in a restaurant, the couple at the table next to ours were celebrating the wife's 50th birthday. Everyone at our table sang "Happy Birthday" to her upon discovering that. We were stunned when it came time for the bill; the couple had picked up the check for our table of ten. We didn't have an opportunity to thank them.
It's pretty common to get birthday songs in certain American restaurants, especially Mexican restaurants for some reason. (I mean restaurants in the United States that serve Mexican food, of course.) It happened to me when I was 13 or so and I wanted to crawl under the table.
My ex-wife used to bake me a cheesecake, which I much preferred. Here in the UK, a friend has made me a few times a pumpkin pie, even though that is a very American thing (you pretty much have to get the pumpkin puree online; it's rare to find it in a shop, although you can do it with a butternut squash).
When I was a kid in the 80's McDonald's birthday parties were a big thing. I had a few and went to a few. I've never heard of them doing that since then though.
I went to one in the late 90s ir in the year 2000. I'm not sure about the exact year, but it must have been about this timeframe. Haven't seen any hint of them later though.
According to a Light Novel I read at least in Japan it's still done, but depends on the location, not every MD does it (e.g. because you need to have the special cake etc.). Makes sense, maybe it's the same?
I live in the US, and I just wanted to point out for a lot of birthday parties, usually kids age 12-16 ish, the birthday child will invite just a few of their close friends over for a sleepover. This kind of party is really laid back and usually doesn’t have any of the party games, just pizza, cake, and staying up until 5 am playing board/card games and watching horror movies.
The egg and spoon race is also a kid's party tradition in America but is usually played today, Easter, rather than on birthdays. My birthday is May 5, or Cinco de Mayo which is a significant holiday for Mexican Americans (not so much in Mexico), so my friends usually take me to a Mexican restaurant where they make a big deal and I get a free Margarita or 3.
When I moved here, I was shocked that my coworkers expected ME to bring a birthday cake on my birthday. The values are inverted! I refused but brought some “brigadeiros” instead (which they now bug me to this day, to bring more).
Same here; when my colleagues said I had to bring a cake for my birthday, I thought they were joking, lol. 15 years later and I like the German way a lot more. No pressure on the female colleagues to remember everyone‘s birhdays!
Wow, those are some delicious-looking example cakes for German birthdays. I'm not even all that enamored with sweets, but those cakes had me salivating.
We live in California and among people of Hispanic heritage a girl’s 15 th birthday is a huge event in non COVID Times. It is called a Quincenera and it is a formal event and usually in a rented hall with everyone dressed up to the nines.
All girls have a Quincenera, whether expensive or modest. It is an actual party with everyone eating and dancing. Debutante Balls are generally for the wealthy few whose mothers and grandmothers want to keep up appearances. Very few participate in deb balls and typically, people come to VIEW the presentation. No food + No Dancing = No Fun.
@@PNL-DJ-1 I see you have not been to a debutante ball....what you’re describing is completely inaccurate. WTF would CALIFORNIA know about debutante balls? And as if ANY Southerner would have a party without delicious food 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@hah3456 - well, all the Balls I have been to are dull and typically zero food or dancing for invited guests. Generally as a guest, you sit there and observe the rituals. Parties for individual debs or several debs at a time have food and dancing, but the Balls have none of that.
Yeah, we get that. But as Germans we still wouldn't say it. We'd either call/text them on their birthday, say "Alles Gute nachträglich" after, or both. Maybe something like "have fun on your birthday", but never "happy birthday" in advance.
Usually have the significant birthdays are the big "0" birthday, which is usually 20, 30 40 etc. We also expect the birthday person to bring in a treat to the office, but if we go out for drinks or lunch, someone picks up their tab(no way do they pay).
I dunno about celebrating for a whole month, but wishing someone a happy birthday early is just a courtesy in my mind. If there’s a chance you won’t see them again until after their birthday it is more courteous to be early than late.
I'm not sure if it's just me or if it's the general reasoning why Germans in general don't do that, but to me it always seems like you're tempting fate, as if by wishing happy birthday early that person might have a big accident or even die before the actual birthday. It's obviously superstitious and not logical but still... 😅
Kevin, that's how I feel too. In fact, I think here it's more normal to wish it early or on the day, but after it's kind of like... it's not my birthday anymore. It already happened.
@@arhodsden so its strange to wish someone a belated birthday wish, after the birthday because " it already happened" but its normal to wish someone a happy birthday BEFORE it happened? that makes no sense :D you have birthday for 1 day. you get wishes on that day, if you dont see them on that day, call them, write them a message, or write them a day later with belated wishes and tell them why you couldnt wish them happy bday on their DAY :D but def. not before it happened.
@@Simmi0312 I always think of it as wishing them to have a lovely day. So yes, it does make sense to wish them positivity in their future. Chalk it up to cultural differences. Have a nice day.
Our family tradition (I thought it was a normal American one, but American in-laws had never heard of it): In the birthday cake, there are placed a ring (for the first one to marry/you will get married), a dime (you will be rich), a toothpick ( you will be a farmer)., a thimble (you will be a spinster), and a button (you will remain a bachelor).
In my experience (USA) it's only females who have "birthday weeks" or "birthday months." My male friends (and everyone in the office environment) celebrate a birthday on the actual day, if at all. After a certain age, it's often ignored (or kept secret), a day of "sorrow." If we know a male friend is having his birthday, we'll buy him a drink, toast his birthday, and then just go on with the evening normally. The 21st birthday is basically a drinking fiasco. Of course for children it was a big deal to have your Mom throw a birthday party for you and all your little friends - a cake, blow out the candles, play "pin the tail on the donkey," musical chairs, sometimes go to a movie together, play outside, etc. 🎉🎁
Exactly. The one or two people I ever heard of making their birthday celebrations stretch days have been coincidentally college aged girls. It’s for attention most likely. And college aged girls are the people this creator probably is referring to.
Yeah, in my family we always make the kind of cake that the person wants. It has been the tradition for decades now to make a strawberry shortcake for my sister's birthday because she once said that's what she wanted when she was a young kid and then it just stuck because she also doesn't like especially sweet cake.
speaking of the birthday games during teen years, not a single bday can pass without "spin the bottle" and "truth or dare" games, especially if there's a mixed boys/girls crowd
My friend has a birthday in March. We have a tradition where we celebrate their birthday at JMK Nippon, a Japanese restaurant. So we schedule ahead,, sometimes it comes before their birthday, sometimes after. It just depends on what weekend it is easier to get people together. As far who buys: At work, usually the Birthday person will take treats in to the office, but outside of the office, usually the birthday person is treated. JMK Nippon does have a birthday celebration where all of the staff come to your table and sing something in Japanese.
this "birthday week" "birthday month" stuff is just something that has started happening in the last few years. most people regard those who do it as narcissists.
I know for my friends and family, we generally celebrate birthdays the weekend before. For us, it's more important to gather together to celebrate rather than when. :)
Same here, it's rare a birthday actually falls on the weekend and most everybody works during the week, so birthdays are always celebrated either the weekend before or weekend after depending on people's plans. Say my birthday is coming up and my sister already had something planned for the weekend before, we'll celebrate my birthday the weekend after.
This cleared up my cake issue a bit. My wife’s family always wants to make a cake for someone’s birthday. Well, her dad is of direct German heritage so I assume that’s where that comes from. I on the other hand grew up where a birthday cake would come made to order from a bakery. It could be vanilla or chocolate with usually a white (and/or colored) sweet frosting and decorated with a theme of choice. Now this has morphed into purchasing a cake from the bakery section of your grocery store where you can special order a themed cake or pic up different types and sizes of cake to have quickly decorated onsite.
My US family has some German ancestry and we totally do a lot of things the German way. Waiting until midnight to wish a happy birthday, making whatever people want for their birthday cake, homemade, etc.
Having whatever cake you want for your birthday is the standard in America--she got that totally wrong. Yes, things are labeled "birthday cake flavor, " but that is not what most people have for their personal birthday cake. In fact, I don't know anyone who does. The term/concept didn't even exist until may the past 15-20years.
@@saltyfrog75 that's not true! The concept of a traditional birthday cake goes back to I think Betty Crocker marketing a birthday cake mix. It's at least 30 years old, but I think probably goes back maybe 50 or more.
@@pmberkeley I disagree. I'm 45 and "birthday cake flavor" did not come into existence until sometime after the year 2000. It's totally a marketing thing. Making a cake with a cake mix for your birthday, yes that's been around for a long time. Having to be vanilla cake with white frosting and sprinkles , definitely NO.
@@saltyfrog75 okay, I disagree right back atcha. I'm not 45 But I'm old enough to clearly remember confetti cake as THE birthday cake deep into my childhood, which was long before 2000. Just because you didn't personally notice a trend didn't mean it wasn't out there.
@@saltyfrog75 my initial guess of 30 years old was right. I was only wrong about it originating with Betty Crocker, it was Pillsbury. The "birthday cake flavor" is 32 years old, not 15-20. It came out in 1989, not 2000. (50 years may be closer to the age of the boxed cake mix, and therefore the limited birthday cake options tendency in the US). en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confetti_cake
I live in Vermont. Birthday cake is any kind of cake here. It's usually whatever the birthday person chooses that is served. As a kid, my mom would always make a cake into a fun shape. My cake this year was a German Chocolate cake, but I have also had strawberry cake, cheesecake, lemon cake. My sister's favorite cake is confetti cake with rainbow chip frosting. As a kid, we'd get a choice of one friend over to go out to dinner and sleepover, or you could have a friend party with lots of friends sleeping over and dinner was usually tacos, spaghetti, or pizza. We'd often have a piñata that we'd made from scratch (balloon covered with newspaper dipped in a flour and water mixture and let dry, then paint it). My mom would hide the cake and then there would be clues and we'd have a scavenger hunt to find the cake. At friends' birthdays, there would often be goodie bags that might be hidden or just handed out to guests when they leave. Summer birthdays usually involved swimming and playing games outside like hide-and-go-seek or sardines or ghosts in the graveyard. Winter birthdays might have sledding parties. Fall birthdays might include painting a pumpkin or carving a pumpkin. I went to a girl's birthday and her mom would make this large vat of jello filled with candies and we'd have to dig through the jello to get the candy. It was fun, we'd end up having huge jello food fights (this was done outside). On your birthday, you get to bring a treat to school (usually cupcakes) and the class celebrates you. You often get to be the special helper of the day. I didn't go to too many parties where parents really organized things, it was usually the kids deciding how they were going to spend their time, like a play date. But yep, we talk about birthday months here. My birthday was in February and my cards are still up on the wall at work :-) I should take them down, but they make me happy. During Covid, birthday parades became a thing here as well. The birthday person would sit in a lawn chair or stand on their lawn and people would drive by with cars decorated and honk and drop off cards or gifts to wish the birthday person a great year/day. As an adult, my husband usually takes me someplace nice for dinner of my choosing. He has a summer birthday and we usually grill out for that.
Oh we also have what is called a Golden Birthday. It is when you turn the age of the day you were born on. So 24 on the 24th, or 13 on the 13th. It's a special birthday. I also think turning 1, 5, 10, 13, 16, 18, and 21 are big deals, and the decade birthdays.
The only time I've heard of celebrating early is when you want to get together with people who would not be available on the actual day and the actual day is in the beginning of the week. Like it's on Tuesday and people can only gather on the weekends. The prior weekend would be closer to the actual day than the weekend after.
I have never known a person who celebrated his birthday on any other day than his actual birthday. I only went to birthday parties as a child. An important tradition was for the birthday boy or girl to make a wish and then blow out the candles on the cake. Games included pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, musical chairs etc. If the party was out doors a three legged race or a sack race was typical. An odd tradition in some families was that the birthday boy or girl got spanked!!! My 18th birthday was of minor significance, I graduated from high school about the same time and was given more freedom, e.g. my father told me that I no longer had to attend church with the family, and it being summer in Southern California, I went body surfing instead, especially if the surf was up. When I was young one was a minor until the age of 21, so that age had more significance than it does today. My 21st birthday signaled my complete independence, and that I could now drink in bars. I had been drinking beer on occasion since I turned 18 e.g. in Mexico, and at "keg" parties with friends, my 21st birthday did not mean a radical change. After childhood I never held or went to a birthday party, and my birthday was a day I might celebrate by going out to eat, or doing something I especially liked. An after thought, Denny's Restaurants, which are all up and down the west coast, will give you a free menu item on your birthday. I usually take advantage of that.
Im Austria (at least in my huge family) we also celebrate the "Schnappszahl". This is a birthday where both of the numbers are the same, like 11, 22, 33, 44... and for the birthday kid it is used to drink a little glass of "Schnaps" (the 11 y o one drinks from the little glass just a special juce)
When me and my siblings were kids my brother used to have 2 birthdays, he was born on 25 December. So that he could have a birthday party my parents made the day he chistened/baptised as his Special Day and was used for him to celebrate with his friends
My family does the "birthweeks" as well, but it's less a celebration of a birthday then it is that the person who's birthday is coming up gets special privilege's. Like they don't have to do as many chores around the house and you can't be mean to them. I normally don't care about the "birthweek" thing, but my mom and sister insist upon it. Sometimes birthdays are celebrated early, but that's normally if there is a scheduling conflict. When it comes to the birthday cake flavor, that's true, there is a fairly standard birthday cake flavor, but I personally haven't had that at least since I was a child. Most of the time I might get like a cheesecake, a dairy queen ice cream cake, or my mom might make a chocolate cake at home. All the German games were familiar except the chocolate, pot, and flour ones.
"Bello Bello wo ist dein Knochen" 1. the kids have to sit down in a circle and one kid has to go out of the room. 2. Then the kids decide who will hide the candy behind her/his back. 3. The kid that has been in another room comes in and is now a dog and called Bello (a typical name for dogs) 4. "Bello" has to find the candy🍬
Unfortunately, I know someone who had something planned every weekend until their birthday. They planned a vacation for their birthday, so they called it their birthday month.
Many tears ago one of my wife's girlfriends invited us to Chuck E Cheese's to celebrate her daughter's sixth birthday. There were several other parents with their children there also. All was going fine until someone dressed in a Chuck E Cheese costume came to wish the birthday girl a happy sixth birthday. She let out a very loud scream, started crying, ran and hid behind her mother and stayed there until this giant six foot (about 183 cm) tall mouse went away. I guess he was too much for the kid and she couldn't quite understand what was going on. But everyone else loved seeing Chuck E Cheese and playing thge games and going on the rides.
Haha. Yeah that reminds me of my younger brother. He was always scared of the costumed people at Sea World dressed up as dolphins and whales. He would hide behind our mom. We would often have to stay far away from them for his sake. But I would walk right up to them, LOL. He was always the scaredy cat.
Ok, i know you probably meant to write "many years ago", but what you actually wrote is too funny to leave unnoticed! 😅 It fits so well with the rest of the story too! If you did that on purpose then kudos to you! If not, then your autocorrect gave me a good laugh! Either way, thanks! 👍🏻😅
@@katjahuskinson3428 Yes it was intentional as I tear up with laughter every time I think of this and I don't use autocorrect. BTW when the girl was 8 she wanted her ears pierced and she was taken to get it done. They had a girl on each ear, they went 1, 2, 3 and did both at the same time. About two minutes later she began to cry not from the piercing but the noise the piercing guns made (delayed hearing?) and demanded ice cream which she got. Now married with a son.
@@patrickchambers5999 well, then nicely done and thanks again for the laugh, can't have too many of those these days! And children, they just do and say the darndest things sometimes 😅
I haven't celebrated my birthday in years so on my 51st I threw myself a birthday party. We went to a local bar, had a few drinks and played pool. Everyone said it was the best birthday party they ever went to.
In Germany, it's common for children's birthday parties to end with a goodie bag full of sweets or something you made together at the party. In my family, we jokingly call it a "Glad you were there and now you're leaving"-gift.
Das ist aber auch eine schreckliche Unart. Kindergeburtstage kosten mittlerweile richtig Geld. Allein schon für alle Kinder im Kindergarten oder Schulklasse einen gesunden Kuchen oder Obstspiesse mitbringen
Growing up in the 90s, we always had homemade cakes - you got to pick the cake, frosting, and ice cream flavors you wanted. One year I really wanted an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen and I got it, but it wasn’t typical to buy a cake. Store bought cakes (from grocery stores) are generally considered to be low quality, and not as good as homemade. “Funfetti” cake (white/yellow cake with colored sprinkles cooked in it) was popular in the 90s and commonly found at birthday parties, so I guess that’s why it’s been adopted as “birthday cake flavor.”
*How do YOU GUYS celebrate your birthdays?* 😊 Let me know in the comments below! 👇 I wanna know about games that are played at kid's parties, cake preferences, when to say happy birthday, etc.!
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Cake review!!!
Cake review!!!
Celebrating your birthday for the whole month or even the whole week of your birthday is news to me! Usually people call me the day of my birthday or 1-2 days in advance the most to wish me a happy birthday because they might be too busy otherwise. I don't even start receiving cards until the week of my birthday, so what you are talking about must be some new trend.
I'm a simple man. Celebrating with a beer or two is sufficient.
Felii What a lighthearted topic. Birthdays..
Since you did Germany I won't repeat it, I'll just say that hearing you speak of this reminded me of my time living there. Bithdays were just like you described them. When it come to the US I too DON'T understand the reasoning behind the "Birthday Month" situation or the wishing "Happy Birthday" way ahead of time. Is it really that necessary?? 🤔 (I don't think so, I don't like it)
And to answer your Q's I'll tell you what I recall from Bdays in Argentina:
1. Games kids play (pretty much the same ones played in Germany), like:
> Eirlaufen ( la carrera de los huevos)
> Sackhüpfen ( la carrera de los sacos)
> Mehlschneiden (don't remember in Spanish, sorry)
> Piñata
> Topfschlagen (don't remember in Spanish, sorry)
> Reise nach Jerusalem (el juego de las sillas)
> Freeze
> Charades (digalo con mimica)
>Telephone
2. Cake preferences: Any cake if bake for a birthday is a Birthday Cake in Argentina. (at least that's how I remember it) In general, when it was a kids birthday party they would have a home-made cake. However, I have heard, that nowadays most kids have store-bought cakes.
for me it used to be one of my favorite. Having home-made cake of any kind as a Birthday cake. I loved it when my grandma or mom baked mine. As a kid I liked chocolate or vanilla. Now I go for a cake with fruits. Especially berries, my favorite. hahaha
3. So wishing people happy birthday, in the US you said it. In Argentina, kids mostly on the day of (like in Germany. Personally for me is the way to go. But some people in their 20's opt for "birthday month style" others just like kids and if someone forgot the "belated wish."
4. Who pays for things at a Birthday Celebration in Argentina: It toally depends on the group of people the birthday person is with. Sometimes there is a split bill situation/ others the Birthday person pays, or If the invitees pay.
I had birthday where I paid for the whole table (german-style) and others where one of my friends paid. -honestly I like the second option better 😂
5. Birthday Songs: In Argentina at kids parties Happy Birthday in Spanish is sang "Que los Cumplas Feliz" (Argentinian) or "Las Mañanitas" (it´s from Spain) and sometimes in English as well.
In my case, I had my "happy birthday" sang in all three languages: English, Spanish and German in different points in my life growing up. 😂
6. Significant Birthdays in Argentina (from what I recall and been told):
> Us Girls:
- 15th Birthday ( La Fiesta de los Quince 15) pretty similar to Sweet Sixteen in the US.
- 18th Birthday ( you're Legally an Adult, can go to Jail, Drink and Drive)
> Guys :
- 18th Birthday ( you're Legally an Adult, can go to Jail, Drink and Drive.)
My husband is first generation American of German parents. His mom used to call him and wish him a happy birthday (on his birthday, of course). To him it sounded like she was saying, "happy burst day," which kind of made sense to him. It was the day he burst into the world.
HAHAHA.. Thats a good one
Lol
My Parents would call me early in the morning and sing Happy Birthday to me too. I do the same to my kids.
In my family it's quite common to hear "Burzeltag" (I think you could translate that to... tumbleday?) for pretty much the same reason.
@@stechuskaktus8318 Here it's still Purzeltag (not really used but existant), not with B
You didn't mention this, but it's definitely "a thing" in American birthdays . . . the "SURPRISE" birthday party. This usually takes careful planning, where one designated friend will go "out" with the birthday person, usually under the excuse that they are celebrating their birthday. Then, while they are out, a bunch of other friends sneak into the birthday person's house (usually with the help of relatives or family, they don't just break into their home LOL), and wait for them to arrive back at the house. Once they enter, everyone jumps up from behind the couch or something and yells "SURPRISE!!!!". The birthday person has a mild heart-attack, and then it's just a giant party. I've had this done to me, and I can't express how thoughtful it is. Even if you didn't want it in the first place, you can't really be mad about it because of how much effort it takes. It's actually very embarrassing but also humbling and a sweet feeling to know that many people cared to coordinate such an event without you knowing it.
I planned a surprise party for a friend once, under the ruse that I was having a small group of six over for dinner. She arrived and met the people who were supposed to be there. But 30 other friends were hiding in the kitchen. I came off great. And I had another friend plan her own surprise party, thinking she was planning it for someone else.
@@kenhammond3810 So much creativity can go into planning a surprise birthday party. XD
I wonder if this is regional in America.
I live in Texas, and I've never known anyone who's tried to throw anyone a surprise party.
I always kind of thought it was just something from the movies. :-)
@@wesgray5832 Really?! That's so bizzare. I'm from SoCal, and I've always understood it to be a natural thing; like, one way to choose to celebrate someone's birthday is to plan a surprise party for them. XD
@@wesgray5832 it happens from time to time here in Canada, but people need to really... Really like you ;)
In my experience as an American, we generally say Happy Birthday early to someone we likely won't see again before the actual day of their birthday.
We had an older aunt in her 80's who had quite a sense of humor. We deliberately made her a very small cake, meaning the 85 or so candles had to cover the entire top and sides like a porcupine. She was thrilled.
I will be requesting this in 55 years. Thank you for the suggestion.
Felichen!! How about doing a video contrasting the Similarities an Differences between Typical American and German WEDDINGS?? If you are not too familiar with the details of American Style weddings, just ask some of your American friends!! I think this would be a good topic for another video from you!
One thing I know they do in German wedding receptions is saw a log. Seriously.
The bride and groom will each grab one end of one of those two-man saws they use to cut down trees, and work together to saw a log in half. It symbolizes the need for coordination and cooperation to overcome obstacles in the years ahead.
@@TBustah Thank You! That was interesting! I hope Feli makes a video about German weddings and mentions that!!
@Jim Allen Yeah..learning about the typical German Office atmosphere would be interesting.
@@TBustah Some will, most not. It’s more a thing in rural areas where they know how to saw a log 😉
The differences start already with the engagement ring. The American gemstone one can often be used to drive paving stones into the earth. For the german gemstone you need often a magnifying glass or there is actually no "bling bling" stone.
We never say "birthday child" in English; it's always "birthday boy" or "birthday girl," which you can even jokingly use for adults. But in German, one always hears "Geburtstagkind." Never thought of this on a conscious level until now.
yes. but this was like that forever. it is no weird lunatic genderdumbness.
@@neinzukorruption9321 yeah, chairs and tables have gender, but not children. ;-)
@@Rocketsong sure they have.
Lol
@@Rocketsong That's wrong. Even the cold has a gender, because "das" is also a gender. Its neutral, but a gender.
Benjamin Blümchen Torte ist der beste Geburtstagskuchen ever haha
Mist, vergessen zu erwähnen!
Es geht doch nichts über Käsekuchen. Jede Sorte Käsekuchen, die ich gegessen habe, ist einfach wunderbar.
@@FelifromGermany Nächstes Video dann bitte ausschließlich über Benjamin Blümchen :0
Oh ja, ich bin mittlerweile Mitte 20 und ich wünsch mir die immer noch, wenn ich an meinem Geburtstag bei meinen Eltern bin 😍
Ich habe die nie gegessen, aber nur weil meine Mutter generell nie fertige Torten und so gekauft hat und selbst toll backt. Das werde ich bei meiner Tochter aber auch so fortführen😅
Aber ich lese öfter mal davon. Aber es ist doch eigentlich nur eine fertige Sahnetorte mit Spielzeug, oder?😅
Felicia, the “birthday cake” flavored cakes, ice cream, cookies and other goodies is something relatively new. Most parents generally make the flavor of the cake that the person desires. More and more people are buying the cake at the store.
Personally, I usually desire a cheesecake… any cake will suffice for a birthday cake in the USA.
As an adult, I prefer doing shots of Apfelkorn or Jaegermeister. I was born in the USA, but my grandparents were born in Germany.
The white "birthday cake" is usually for kids. Adults or kids with family that are good at baking usually get homemade cakes with all the variety like the ones you said. There's also a lot of regional cakes desserts common for birthdays. Like St. Louis butter cake, sopapilla cheesecake, Texas sheet cake etc.
We used to play „Stoptanz“ (stop dance), where everyone is dancing and then suddenly the music stops and everyone has to freeze in whatever pose they’re in while dancing, without moving or falling over or you get disqualified. Whoever sticks around the longest wins.
And also „Mord im Dunkeln“ (murder in the dark) which I don’t quite remember the rules of anymore but I remember it being very popularity at birthdays
10:33 In Switzerland it’s quite common to sing the Happy Birthday Song in different languages. In my family we usually sing first the Swiss German “Zum Geburtstag viil Glück”, followed by the English “Happy Birthday to you” and the Italian “Tanti auguri a te”. I know others who also sing the French “Joyeux anniversaire”.
And a funny difference between Swiss and Germans: In Switzerland it’s often “Happy Börfday” instead of the German “Happy Börsday”.
Warning: buying a whole cake in a bakery in Germany is HUGELY expensive.
But daaaaamn, it's worth the price!👍
I innocently went into the bakery to ask about buying a whole cake for my kid's birthday and everyone there looked at me like I'd sawed both my arms off!
Swiss.... hold my drink. About $ 200 for a bakery special order
Because it's a of course handmade
@@Ilka605 What cake in a bakery isn't handmade?
Omg the birthday week/month thing is only for a few people I promise it’s not a common thing in the U.S 😂😂😂
I know haha but I've met people like that before 😂
Sometimes in normal conversation, we'll just say "My birthday is in November." I think that's different than what you're talking about.
Yea I don't know anyone who celebrates anymore than just 1 day for their birthday. I have a twin sister and my wife all born on the same day, so we celebrate with my family all together with everyone. I don't usually do anything special for my birthday other than maybe eat at a special restaurant.
The way I look at it, in the U.S. we wish someone a happy birthday the same way we wish someone merry Christmas or happy holidays. We wish them well as they approach the celebration day (whatever that special day is).
Oh...speak for yourself, the “ birthday month” is a great way to get more free drinks..and desserts when you go out with friends! 😊
We also played “Dreibeinlauf” (three leg run) where your leg gets tied to another persons leg and you’re racing against two other people. Also “Schnitzeljagd” was a big thing! Benjamintorte has a big part in our birthday traditions too :)
Hello Feli, greetings from Germany I work for a church backed charity and we had a birthday "kid" this month our team leader (a nearly 80 years old woman) called for the song "Viel Glück und viel Segen auf all Deinen Wegen, Gesundheit und Frohsinn sei auch mit dabei" a song that I have had almost forgotten since I had not sung it for decades. But I noticed that every one of my colleges did know it.
Yeah, I missed that song in Felis video, but I guess it is sung more for older people or at the workplace in a more official context.
If you work for any church this song will be sung instead of Happy Birthday most of the time.
@@claudiakarl2702 Ich arbeite für unsere örtliche Tafel die wiederum von der Caritas getragen wird und daher bin ich seit meinem beruflichen Einstieg ein Angestellter der Caritas. Und ja in Christlichen Einrichtungen ist es tatsächlich noch sehr populär.
Kann sein das sie das tatsächlich nicht kennt wenn sie, wie sie in einem anderen Video, nicht-christlich aufgewachsen ist.
Ich bin in keinster Weise christlich aufgewachsen, aber habe dieses Lied Jahr für Jahr gehört und für andere gesungen! Also zumindest in meinem Bekanntenkreis gehört das definitiv dazu und hat nichts mit dem Alter zu tun :)
I prefer the idea of bringing your own birthday cake because a) it leaves the decision to myself to celebrate with my colleagues or not, b) everybody, who wants to celebrate their birthday, can do it, no matter if the others like him/her or not. Imagine, everybody else gets a birthday cake from the buddies at the office, and you are the only one who doesn't.
Birthday cake flavor is a generic cake flavor but my family will have the individual persons favorite cake that they prefer.
This is the first time I ever heard anyone say “birthday cake” is a flavor, or type of cake. And I live in the same state as her. 🤔
Generic U.S., birthday cakes have become more popular in the past 25 years due to the popularity of buying the finished cakes from the supermarket. Families who make their own cakes usually still let the birthday person pick their favorite type of cake or other baked dessert, similar to Germany. Sadly, a lot of U.S. Americans have little experience with the high quality cakes and baked desserts of Europe, so kids especially will still pick their favorite cake-mix cake. Also it is easier to have a stereotypical cake for a big party.
My family it's the same way birthday person requests favorite cake/dessert and it gets homemade and delicious. Like one of my favorites is Strawberry Vanilla Cheesecake. Also my family generally we combine the birthdays from that month in one family gathering and each chooses their favorite meal and dessert.
@@enfynet I'm not american but i bake a lot of stuff with american recipes - as far as i understand it the "birthday cake flavor" is some sort of slightly almond and vanilla flavored cake with lots of sprinkles :) but without the almond and sprinkles it's not birthday cake ☝🏼😅 but that's only what I've seen from baking blogs online
I think she just doesn’t understand the US traditions that well in this instance. I too have always had it be that family will get the preferred cake of that person (whether it is carrot cake, red velvet etc). Then there is generic birthday cake which is a white cake with sprinkles (and that is what they use as a ‘flavor’ for other items I suppose).
I turned 40 while working in Schwäbisch Gmünd. I thought I'd just gotten older but then some German friends explained that I'd reached my Schwabenalter. I was finally wise. Probably my most memorable birthday.
That is nice and makes me feel better about turning 40 earlier this month.
Sorry, but the popular rhyme goes "A Schwob wird erscht mit 40 gscheit, an andrer net in Ewigkeit." (A Swabian will get wise only with 40 years of age, others never in eternity...)
We always had whatever kind of cake we wanted for our birthdays. So does everyone I know. Often we would get Mom to make us a red velvet cake, which is just chocolate with red food coloring in it, with cream cheese frosting. The flavor “birthday cake” is just used for things like ice cream, candy bars, etc. Birthday cake can be any kind of cake you want.
I think to play „Zeitungstanzen“ (newspaper dance) was great… You are dance with a other person on a news paper and when the music stops you must fold the newspaper in the middle… Which team touch the floor fist is out…
At 10:36- The song "Happy Birthday To You" was written by 2 sisters who cared for children in early 20th Century Louisville KY, just down I-71 from where you are in Cincy. It was originally called "Good Morning To You", then the lyrics were changed to celebrate birthdays. Thanks for posting!
We had to sing "good morning to you" to our English teacher at the beginning of every English class. We hated it.
@@kleinelexie Forced good wishes are no good wishes at all. Sorry.
Felicia Ich bin Amerikanerin österreichischer Abstammung. Meine Familie wanderte in den 1840er Jahren nach Maine aus. Gott, du bist wunderschön und ich liebe deinen Geist.
Here in Norway the legal age for most alcohol is 18, but anything with 22% or more require you to be 20.
Grocery stores can only sell alcohol up to 4.7%, and that sale usually ends around 8pm.
For anything stronger you have to go to a special liquor store.
Gas stations and similar stores do not sell alcohol.
Would not be surprised if piñatas and Topfschlagen have the same origin... piñatas originated as a game to smash a clay pot while blindfolded and the treats and hanging it up were added later.
We do have eierlaufen! We don't exclusively play this at birthday parties. It's most often played at outdoor gatherings in warm weather. My family would play it at family reunions. There are a few ways of playing it. The first way is exactly how you described it but called "the egg and spoon toss" the other is the "egg toss". In that version, you stand a short distance from your partner and try to toss the egg without it breaking in their hands. Each time, all the people in one row, take one step back. Therefore the challenge gets harder until someone wins.
As a german kid, growing up in the 80-90's, you discribed my childhood. ^^
Eating at McD, kegeln, bowling, swimming at the lokal fun pool, climbing trips in the forrest and kart driving. Good times.
The reason why the b'day person is paying for at least one round of drinks, is indeed to show their gratitude for the presents.
People in U.S. DEFINITELY personalize birthday cakes. This year (I'm 74 now) I had a birthday PIE
that sounds awesome.
Birthday pie! My favorite.
I always had brownies growing up (and to this day) because I hated cake. Still do actually- not pound cake and crumb cake as she was showing (can’t believe she hasn’t seen those in the US maybe they are more typical in the South idk), but iced cake. Anyways usually my parents would get cupcakes for the other kids 🤣🤣 I wanted brownies!
I have seen many birthday pies too. It is whatever the birthday person wants.
I don't really like cake, so I've had a lot of ice cream sandwich cakes (ice cream sandwiches, in layers with cool whip, cherries, nuts or small candies, and magic shell icing). Freeze and cut like a regular cake. So much better!!
The flavor of birthday cake really depends on what your family tradition is. In my family it's just as, to have pie for your birthday. And we always ask what kind of cake or pie you want. I will be doing a lemon meringue cheesecake for my younger sisters birthdays next week.
This was so interesting, thanks! My wife is Filipino, and their culture is also that the birthday person pays for/hosts the celebration. And for the same reason: it's *their* birthday so they're inviting you to celebrate with them also.
Yeah and the guests get to take home the left overs from the party. Some guests dont even bring gifts to the birthday celebrant.
When I was a kid a huge annual fair was held in our village exactly at my birthday. I usually went there with my godmother and it was wonderful. Free rides all afternoon long!
Wow, "happy birthday" early is the nicest way of telling someone off.
how so?
The original comment doesn’t make any sense. If you consider that way, then your world view is mess up. There is a reason for that and it might be they might not see you during your birthday. Unless they have your phone number or email, how can they wish a happy birthday on your birthday? Better then not saying Happy Birthday.
What ? If I see ypu on Friday a day before your birthday I will say it. Better to say Happy Birthday then say it late.
@@Negativespace95 No it's not like that in Germany. Waay better to say it afterwards
Thank you for the videos, my family came here in the late 1800's, but I find it amazing that most of the customs in my family follow what you say. My Grandfather was born here in 1874. His parents emigrated from Bavaria. My father's side from Prussia.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch nachträglich 🍀 für mich ist eine Schnitzeljagd noch etwas, was zu einem Kindergeburtstag gehört.
9:20 I live in austria and my mother always acted like the cakes from the supermarket were sacrilegious. The way my family always does it is that somebody either makes the cake themselves or they go to a really fancy bakery were they get an amzing hand crafted cake.
Same. Store-brought cakes are just a no-go
I have always lived in the United States and I hate typical birthday cakes. I can't believe anyone who read the ingredients in frosting (which is sold in plastic jars pre-made) would ever consume it. It's full of artificial color and flavor, sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is quite heart unhealthy. Still, a cake baked at home at least shows effort, unlike a supermarket cake. If a cake is bought rather than made it should be from a high end bakery.
@@steve3131good grief how many slices of birthday cake a year do you eat that any of those unhealthier ingredients are an issue?
"birthday cake " can be anything here in the US too. Last year I made my father chocolate chip cookies for his because cake isn't his thing.
Cookie cakes are my birthday cake of choice, too. Just one giant, soft chocolate chip cookie with icing on top and frosting around the edges... mmmmm....
Yep... U.S. here too and we make our cakes to the preferences of each... I like unfrosted yellow cake with vanilla ice cream, the spouse loves carrot cake, one child loves a choc chip cookie cake and the other child picks something different every year... this year it was an oreo pudding cake. :)
It can be anything, and many people will have something different or have another option along with the main kind, but usually the standard that people think of when they hear "birthday cake" is what she described, and it's the type that "birthday cake flavored" things are referencing. Standard cupcakes are also just small versions of this type of cake, though of course it is possible to get any kind of flavor as a cupcake as well.
Wir singen immer : "Weil heute dein Geburtstag ist". Kann aber sein, dass das ein ostdeutsch geprägtes Geburtstagslied ist! Hier kennt das JEDER! (Thüringen/ Sachsen).
Thank you for the video on birthdays. I love hearing how different cultures do things. My mother always baked an angel food cake for my BD when I was a child which always worked for me and I still love angel food cake. I did things differently for my children. I always decorated their cakes in their favorite toy or movie. I learned that it is much easier to decorate a one layer rectangle cake so that's what I did. Now that my children are adults we started a different tradition which is to bake or buy their favorite kind of cake, like cheesecake or ice cream cake. I think traditions in the USA are always changing depending on what part of the country you live. Also depends on our heritage and mine happens to be German.
I live in Arkansas, U.S. and if you find out it's somebody's birthday, whether they're a stranger or not and IF you're going to see them again, in my experience, you have to give them something for their birthday even if it's before or after their birthday to show that you're grateful their alive. Maybe it's the Southern Hospitality.
I took German for three years in high school. I remember learning "hoch soll sie leben, hoch soll sie leben. Dreimal hoch!" ("high should she live, three times high," I think). I also learned "Zum Geburtstag viel Glueck" to the tune of the American "Happy Birthday"
Also, my 21st is in 5 weeks!
Happy Birthday 🎂
@@carmen5267 😳 in 5 weeks! Dont say it so early 😜
Me too in 5 days.... please no Birthday wishes for me now 😆 exactly in 5 days 😬 (to be exactly is also a verry german thing 😅)
At birthday parties when I was a kid we often played "Zeitungsschlange", you have to rip a page of a newspaper into a snake and the longest wins. And we played "Zeitungstanz", a hard version of "Stoptanz" where you have to dance on a page of a newspaper that gets folded in half everytime the music stops😅😂
We always played "Zeitungsschlagen". One person stands in the middle with a rolled newspaper in hands while the others are sitting in a circle around it. One of the sitting children is getting called and has to call the next person before the one in the middle can hit it with the newspaper. I loved that game!
„Wie schön dass du geboren bist“ will always be the most irritating and confusing birthday song ever. 😂
LOL I'm with you. The first time I heard it I tried to explain to Germans how freaking impossible it is to miss someone you've never met. I tried and tried. So I just tell people on their birthday, if you weren't born, I wouldn't miss you.
This was written for children. It is just a sweet way to say „we love you so much“.
The best thing about it is to act the scenario out. Just start talking at random moments in your life and say something like: "What a bummer Jonathan Honeyhelicopter was never born. I miss hin so much!"
I am German, born in the 80s, and haven't even heard of this song.😅
@@LythaWausW yea well, that exactly is the joke about it
I think part of the reason why Germans are expected to bring cake or snacks to work on their birthdays is that not everyone actually wants to celebrate it or that colleagues might not know your birthday. And for inviting people out on the day I guess your explanation was pretty good. At least that's how I would explain it, too.
I remember a classmate had birthday at the same day as me. It was a little race, who congratulated sooner on that day.
"Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!" - "Danke, dir auch Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!"
Ha! Same :D
As an American I’ve never heard of a birthday week or month.
Usually we celebrate birthdays on the closest weekend to the birthday so that most people are available to attend.
We do have golden birthdays too, which is when one turns the same age as the day of month they born.
PIF, yeah, I've never heard of a "birthday week" or "month" either. That's waaay to "Me Me Me -oriented."
It’s a thing the obnoxious self-centered rich bitch character on sitcoms does, no one does that in real life.
You need to do a follow up regarding how adults feel regarding significant birthdays like say 30. My daughter who turns 30 this year is in total denial. She continues to say (jokingly) that she is staying 29 forever. Love your channel.
A: "How old are you?"
B: "29"
A: "And how many years of experience do you have in it?"
;-)
30 was a fantastic birthday year for me. I'm now 34. Tell your daughter to enjoy it. 30s are great!
As a 30-year-old, I too am 29 version 2.0. And in September, I will be 29 version 3.0. Being a software developer means I can get away with iterating instead of aging 😂
My aunt stayed “39” for decades.
Naaahhh, 30 is a perfect age, still looking good with many opportunities in life but already experienced and way less naiv or dumb as in your 20´s.
I think people celebrate early mostly because it’s easier to have a party on the weekend. And I feel like saying “Happy birthday” early is usually when you won’t see that person again before their birthday.
Just celebrate the weekend after, and wish them happy birthday by phone or text if you don't see them :)
@@huawafabe - for a close friend, in the US you’d likely call or text them on their actual birthday (or mail them a card). But for an acquaintance or work colleague who casually mentions something like, “I’m going out of town this weekend to celebrate my birthday,” it’s a common response in the US to wish them a happy birthday right then. You’re not likely to have their cell number, and it would be considered kinda creepy if you tracked down their number, figured out their actual birthdate, and then texted or called on the day.
@@ebick77 yeah for a German that still sounds very wrong haha. In your example case, we'd probably rephrase it and say something like "have fun at (celebrating) your birthday" 😊
@@huawafabe Yes my region of the US we would usually say “let me wish you a happy early birthday since I won’t be seeing you”
@@huawafabe if you are only acquaintances it would be weird to call or text someone happy birthday, and you probably don’t have that info anyway, but if you are connected with them on social media it is not weird to do that.
If you know someone is having a birthday shortly it is polite to say happy birthday while you see them if you will not see them until their birthday is over.
I'm guessing "birthday cake" flavor is just a kind of pound cake flavor. "Birthday cake" usually just means a cake you eat for someone's birthday. It's not a specific kind of cake, although a layer cake is common.
Ehhh not really. It’s usually more of a sweet vanilla or candy ish flavor. They’re usually white or light yellow cake with little colored specks in it.
In my experience growing up in the 80s it was more common to see cakes baked at home. My older sister always baked me a strawberry cake which I loved. Now, my family is more likely to buy one. I like a not too sweet raspberry or strawberry cake but definitely prefer a strawberry cheesecake.
Agreed. Once I found out that ice cream cake was a thing, that totally became my staple birthday cake. I really don't like American cake and really like what those German cakes looked like.
Some restaurants are known for their birthday traditions. While out after an event, a friend told the server that that day was my birthday. They put a huge sombrero on my head (it was a Mexican restaurant), brought me a dessert, and sang Happy Birthday to me in English and Spanish. I felt bad for them as my birthday was nowhere near that date. I tipped heavily.
At the Japanese food restaurant I worked at for several years, we had a box of animal masks and tambourines/maracas/etc, and whichever servers/bussers/etc were available would come out with them and we would sing Happy Birthday in English and If You're Happy And You Know It in Japanese lol
As a kid the best place was TGIFriday's (I think that's where it was?) bc along with coming out to sing to you, they would also tie a bunch of balloons to the ends of your hair so it stood up like crazy, which 7 year old me thought was HISTERICAL
In Germany they would make an id control to prove that it’s really your birthday 😂😂
@@catshaky6629, I was asked for ID at only one restaurant for a birthday. They gave you a percentage discount equal to your age on the entree.
In most places, it's a free dessert with purchase of an entree if they have a birthday deal.
@@MichaelScheele I am talking about German restaurants. Most places here in Germany, that have a birthday special, want to see your ID for proof. :) restaurants, cinema, amusement park etc
@@catshaky6629, of course, everything must be in Ordnung.
When I turned 21, my family took me to our local Mexican restaurant and they gave me a free piña colada. Free never tasted so good!
Also, birthday pies/cheesecakes are better than birthday cakes
In Europe the difficulty is to sneak into your parents house drunk on your 16th
in germany my parents did the same thing on my 13th birthday hahahahha ;)
Here in Italy is just what you would like!! We choose our favourite cake, people usually pay for the birthday person, everyone brings a gift and we absolutely DON'T celebrate or say "happy birthday" before midnight on the right day! Our important birthdays are 18 (legal age for driving, drinking and such) and the "round" ones, especially 40, which is a sort of passage because you really are older in a way, and it's the first word to change sound - from "venti" / "trenta" to "quarAnta", "cinquAnta" and so on - so we also call it "entering the ANTA".
Oh, and we bring sweets to work for our own birthday, to share the joy!!
My family is fairly large and we frequently combine birthdays, sometimes with other holidays. Depending on the calendar, one might have an early birthday celebration one year or a late birthday celebration the next year. Otherwise, we would be having birthday parties every other weekend. Not that anyone would complain... 🎂🎉🤣
Same here. I guess if I grew up with the idea it was a bad omen to celebrate before my actual birth date, I would probably feel differently about it, but my sister and I were born on the same month so we often did combined birthday parties too.
I'm German but we always combined mine and my sisters birthday when celebrating with the larger family. They all lived further away and theres only 2 weeks between our birthdays, so we picked the weekend in the middle and they only had to drive once. So my sister always got birthday wishes early and she's perfectly fine 😅
Coming from mixed cultures of American Indian Kiowa and from Luxembourg 🇱🇺. I was never heard happy birthday because that meant the day you were born; I was told we celebrate the anniversary of your birth. I preferred chocolate cake with strawberry filling with butter creme white icing. The tradition I grew up with was having three candles on the cake which represented yesterday, today and tomorrow. As a child we played pin the tail on the donkey, hop scotch, ring toss.
"chocolate cake with strawberry filling with butter creme white icing." Damn, that sounds amazing.
The bad luck thing for saying “Happy Birthday” before the actual Birthday is also here in Albania. We never say that before the day and some people can get pretty angry for saying it early. Maybe it’s a thing in Europe idk
Yeah I don't think that's anywhere on the Americas
@@JonahNelson7 yeah. I know. I was implying that maybe all of Europe has the Birthday superstition.
@@aldihamzaraj4795 Definitely not all Europe. In Poland it's common to wish it before or even throw a birthday party at weekend before actual birthday
@@osmiornica-prawdziwyraryta159 Oh. Thanks for the info 😊
@@aldihamzaraj4795 No problem
we in America don't usually celebrate early or say Happy Birthday too soon, you must have some odd friends.
The only time when it is early is when some family members can only be visiting for the weekend & your Birthday is on a Monday.
I hope that's the case because that thing doesn't make any sense to me. If you make it a habit of celebrating something early - why not celebrate every birthday up to 100 early and have a blast for 2-3 months?! The weird feeling you get from reading that is exactly what Germans feel when you celebrate their birthdays too soon.
@@jellysquiddles3194 well to me everyday is a Holiday celebrate each day as a Birthday & thanksgiving. Minus the Food : ) once Nov 26 hits Bam im in Christmas Mode Big time & im Not even Christian.
I think it's much better when the friends pay for your birthday, because it's much more affordable for everyone. When you have to pay for maybe 20 people, you think about it twice, whether you should celebrate or not 😅
I don't think I know 20 people... And If I did, I can assure you I sure as shit wouldn't like most of them.
@@mystic_tacos na, I don't know 20 people either. It was just a number. Even if they were 3 people, it would be very expensive bill for one person.
Thats why the most Germans have a party at home with their family and a few friends. I would cook something and afterwards we would have some drinks...
Love the timing of this video. My 50th birthday is almost here, April 10th. Love all your videos. Especially since German is part of my heritage.
The birthday person bringing cake and snacks for the rest at the office left me surprised. I work for a german company located in México,and when I saw tbis happened,i was very surprised. I ratherhave the birthday person have a treat,due to its celebration.
They wish you well and you get gifts on this day.
You kind of say " thank you that you think of me and celebrate my special day" with your cake 😁🎂
When I lived in B-W I learned that "Schappsjahr" is the 22, 33, 44, usw. birthdays. These are big celebrations and sometimes your friends will use candles to make the number in front of your house so everyone in the neighborhood knows. Also, there usually are several Geburtstagtorten (usually 3 to 5) that the person having the birthday has to make or buy to serve (mit Kaffee!) when someone drops by the wish you a happy birthday (on the day!). A telephone call is expected if a friend can't come by in person.
I once was in a German café and suddenly the owner of the café told everyone to be quiet and then said that there was someone there at that day who's birthday it was. And then he asked us to sing for that person and The whole café sang happy birthday 😂
Sounds like a very funny situation 😂
My Oma called and sang Happy Birthday to me every year until She passed away.
One time in a restaurant, the couple at the table next to ours were celebrating the wife's 50th birthday. Everyone at our table sang "Happy Birthday" to her upon discovering that. We were stunned when it came time for the bill; the couple had picked up the check for our table of ten. We didn't have an opportunity to thank them.
@@bigfel3240 Aww that's so sweet
It's pretty common to get birthday songs in certain American restaurants, especially Mexican restaurants for some reason. (I mean restaurants in the United States that serve Mexican food, of course.) It happened to me when I was 13 or so and I wanted to crawl under the table.
My ex-wife used to bake me a cheesecake, which I much preferred. Here in the UK, a friend has made me a few times a pumpkin pie, even though that is a very American thing (you pretty much have to get the pumpkin puree online; it's rare to find it in a shop, although you can do it with a butternut squash).
When I was a kid in the 80's McDonald's birthday parties were a big thing. I had a few and went to a few. I've never heard of them doing that since then though.
I went to one in the late 90s ir in the year 2000. I'm not sure about the exact year, but it must have been about this timeframe. Haven't seen any hint of them later though.
According to a Light Novel I read at least in Japan it's still done, but depends on the location, not every MD does it (e.g. because you need to have the special cake etc.). Makes sense, maybe it's the same?
Staph infections from the ball pit ended that.
@@catholicdad covid?
@@southerncharity7928 ?
I live in the US, and I just wanted to point out for a lot of birthday parties, usually kids age 12-16 ish, the birthday child will invite just a few of their close friends over for a sleepover. This kind of party is really laid back and usually doesn’t have any of the party games, just pizza, cake, and staying up until 5 am playing board/card games and watching horror movies.
"What is American birthday cake?" SUGARRRRRRRRRRRRR :D
Sugar is good...
A mountain of sugar and a block of butter
The egg and spoon race is also a kid's party tradition in America but is usually played today, Easter, rather than on birthdays. My birthday is May 5, or Cinco de Mayo which is a significant holiday for Mexican Americans (not so much in Mexico), so my friends usually take me to a Mexican restaurant where they make a big deal and I get a free Margarita or 3.
When I moved here, I was shocked that my coworkers expected ME to bring a birthday cake on my birthday. The values are inverted! I refused but brought some “brigadeiros” instead (which they now bug me to this day, to bring more).
Same here; when my colleagues said I had to bring a cake for my birthday, I thought they were joking, lol. 15 years later and I like the German way a lot more. No pressure on the female colleagues to remember everyone‘s birhdays!
Wow, those are some delicious-looking example cakes for German birthdays. I'm not even all that enamored with sweets, but those cakes had me salivating.
German cakes are life.
We live in California and among people of Hispanic heritage a girl’s 15 th birthday is a huge event in non COVID Times. It is called a Quincenera and it is a formal event and usually in a rented hall with everyone dressed up to the nines.
The South also has Debutante balls for around the same age
What is so special about the 15th birthday? And why just for girls?
All girls have a Quincenera, whether expensive or modest. It is an actual party with everyone eating and dancing. Debutante Balls are generally for the wealthy few whose mothers and grandmothers want to keep up appearances. Very few participate in deb balls and typically, people come to VIEW the presentation. No food + No Dancing = No Fun.
@@PNL-DJ-1 I see you have not been to a debutante ball....what you’re describing is completely inaccurate. WTF would CALIFORNIA know about debutante balls? And as if ANY Southerner would have a party without delicious food 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@hah3456 - well, all the Balls I have been to are dull and typically zero food or dancing for invited guests. Generally as a guest, you sit there and observe the rituals. Parties for individual debs or several debs at a time have food and dancing, but the Balls have none of that.
The egg game and the sack race are things we do outside when large groups get together. A company picnic or something like that.
Usually the early birthday thing is if you don’t expect to see them until after their birthday.
Yeah, we get that. But as Germans we still wouldn't say it. We'd either call/text them on their birthday, say "Alles Gute nachträglich" after, or both. Maybe something like "have fun on your birthday", but never "happy birthday" in advance.
Usually have the significant birthdays are the big "0" birthday, which is usually 20, 30 40 etc. We also expect the birthday person to bring in a treat to the office, but if we go out for drinks or lunch, someone picks up their tab(no way do they pay).
I dunno about celebrating for a whole month, but wishing someone a happy birthday early is just a courtesy in my mind. If there’s a chance you won’t see them again until after their birthday it is more courteous to be early than late.
I'm not sure if it's just me or if it's the general reasoning why Germans in general don't do that, but to me it always seems like you're tempting fate, as if by wishing happy birthday early that person might have a big accident or even die before the actual birthday. It's obviously superstitious and not logical but still... 😅
Kevin, that's how I feel too. In fact, I think here it's more normal to wish it early or on the day, but after it's kind of like... it's not my birthday anymore. It already happened.
@@arhodsden so its strange to wish someone a belated birthday wish, after the birthday because " it already happened" but its normal to wish someone a happy birthday BEFORE it happened? that makes no sense :D you have birthday for 1 day. you get wishes on that day, if you dont see them on that day, call them, write them a message, or write them a day later with belated wishes and tell them why you couldnt wish them happy bday on their DAY :D but def. not before it happened.
@@Simmi0312 I always think of it as wishing them to have a lovely day. So yes, it does make sense to wish them positivity in their future. Chalk it up to cultural differences. Have a nice day.
Our family tradition (I thought it was a normal American one, but American in-laws had never heard of it): In the birthday cake, there are placed a ring (for the first one to marry/you will get married), a dime (you will be rich), a toothpick ( you will be a farmer)., a thimble (you will be a spinster), and a button (you will remain a bachelor).
In my experience (USA) it's only females who have "birthday weeks" or "birthday months." My male friends (and everyone in the office environment) celebrate a birthday on the actual day, if at all. After a certain age, it's often ignored (or kept secret), a day of "sorrow." If we know a male friend is having his birthday, we'll buy him a drink, toast his birthday, and then just go on with the evening normally. The 21st birthday is basically a drinking fiasco. Of course for children it was a big deal to have your Mom throw a birthday party for you and all your little friends - a cake, blow out the candles, play "pin the tail on the donkey," musical chairs, sometimes go to a movie together, play outside, etc. 🎉🎁
Exactly. The one or two people I ever heard of making their birthday celebrations stretch days have been coincidentally college aged girls. It’s for attention most likely. And college aged girls are the people this creator probably is referring to.
@@seandelevan yeah that's probably most of her experience with Americans, dare I say unfortunately lol
I'm 49 years old. It seems celebrating a birthday month or week is a newer thing.
Yeah, in my family we always make the kind of cake that the person wants. It has been the tradition for decades now to make a strawberry shortcake for my sister's birthday because she once said that's what she wanted when she was a young kid and then it just stuck because she also doesn't like especially sweet cake.
speaking of the birthday games during teen years, not a single bday can pass without "spin the bottle" and "truth or dare" games, especially if there's a mixed boys/girls crowd
My friend has a birthday in March. We have a tradition where we celebrate their birthday at JMK Nippon, a Japanese restaurant. So we schedule ahead,, sometimes it comes before their birthday, sometimes after. It just depends on what weekend it is easier to get people together. As far who buys: At work, usually the Birthday person will take treats in to the office, but outside of the office, usually the birthday person is treated. JMK Nippon does have a birthday celebration where all of the staff come to your table and sing something in Japanese.
this "birthday week" "birthday month" stuff is just something that has started happening in the last few years. most people regard those who do it as narcissists.
When I lived in Germany, my host mom would always make Mandarinenkuchen for all the family birthdays 😋
She said "now-a-days". LOL I'm also from the midwest. Forgot about golden birthdays.
A birthday cake can be anything. Cake..pie.. cupcake etc
I know for my friends and family, we generally celebrate birthdays the weekend before. For us, it's more important to gather together to celebrate rather than when. :)
Same here, it's rare a birthday actually falls on the weekend and most everybody works during the week, so birthdays are always celebrated either the weekend before or weekend after depending on people's plans. Say my birthday is coming up and my sister already had something planned for the weekend before, we'll celebrate my birthday the weekend after.
Well, in this case we would celebrate it the weekend after your birthday in Germany.
This cleared up my cake issue a bit. My wife’s family always wants to make a cake for someone’s birthday. Well, her dad is of direct German heritage so I assume that’s where that comes from. I on the other hand grew up where a birthday cake would come made to order from a bakery. It could be vanilla or chocolate with usually a white (and/or colored) sweet frosting and decorated with a theme of choice. Now this has morphed into purchasing a cake from the bakery section of your grocery store where you can special order a themed cake or pic up different types and sizes of cake to have quickly decorated onsite.
My US family has some German ancestry and we totally do a lot of things the German way. Waiting until midnight to wish a happy birthday, making whatever people want for their birthday cake, homemade, etc.
Having whatever cake you want for your birthday is the standard in America--she got that totally wrong. Yes, things are labeled "birthday cake flavor, " but that is not what most people have for their personal birthday cake. In fact, I don't know anyone who does. The term/concept didn't even exist until may the past 15-20years.
@@saltyfrog75 that's not true! The concept of a traditional birthday cake goes back to I think Betty Crocker marketing a birthday cake mix. It's at least 30 years old, but I think probably goes back maybe 50 or more.
@@pmberkeley I disagree. I'm 45 and "birthday cake flavor" did not come into existence until sometime after the year 2000. It's totally a marketing thing. Making a cake with a cake mix for your birthday, yes that's been around for a long time. Having to be vanilla cake with white frosting and sprinkles , definitely NO.
@@saltyfrog75 okay, I disagree right back atcha. I'm not 45 But I'm old enough to clearly remember confetti cake as THE birthday cake deep into my childhood, which was long before 2000.
Just because you didn't personally notice a trend didn't mean it wasn't out there.
@@saltyfrog75 my initial guess of 30 years old was right. I was only wrong about it originating with Betty Crocker, it was Pillsbury. The "birthday cake flavor" is 32 years old, not 15-20. It came out in 1989, not 2000. (50 years may be closer to the age of the boxed cake mix, and therefore the limited birthday cake options tendency in the US).
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confetti_cake
I live in Vermont. Birthday cake is any kind of cake here. It's usually whatever the birthday person chooses that is served. As a kid, my mom would always make a cake into a fun shape. My cake this year was a German Chocolate cake, but I have also had strawberry cake, cheesecake, lemon cake. My sister's favorite cake is confetti cake with rainbow chip frosting. As a kid, we'd get a choice of one friend over to go out to dinner and sleepover, or you could have a friend party with lots of friends sleeping over and dinner was usually tacos, spaghetti, or pizza. We'd often have a piñata that we'd made from scratch (balloon covered with newspaper dipped in a flour and water mixture and let dry, then paint it). My mom would hide the cake and then there would be clues and we'd have a scavenger hunt to find the cake. At friends' birthdays, there would often be goodie bags that might be hidden or just handed out to guests when they leave. Summer birthdays usually involved swimming and playing games outside like hide-and-go-seek or sardines or ghosts in the graveyard. Winter birthdays might have sledding parties. Fall birthdays might include painting a pumpkin or carving a pumpkin. I went to a girl's birthday and her mom would make this large vat of jello filled with candies and we'd have to dig through the jello to get the candy. It was fun, we'd end up having huge jello food fights (this was done outside). On your birthday, you get to bring a treat to school (usually cupcakes) and the class celebrates you. You often get to be the special helper of the day. I didn't go to too many parties where parents really organized things, it was usually the kids deciding how they were going to spend their time, like a play date. But yep, we talk about birthday months here. My birthday was in February and my cards are still up on the wall at work :-) I should take them down, but they make me happy. During Covid, birthday parades became a thing here as well. The birthday person would sit in a lawn chair or stand on their lawn and people would drive by with cars decorated and honk and drop off cards or gifts to wish the birthday person a great year/day. As an adult, my husband usually takes me someplace nice for dinner of my choosing. He has a summer birthday and we usually grill out for that.
Oh we also have what is called a Golden Birthday. It is when you turn the age of the day you were born on. So 24 on the 24th, or 13 on the 13th. It's a special birthday. I also think turning 1, 5, 10, 13, 16, 18, and 21 are big deals, and the decade birthdays.
The only time I've heard of celebrating early is when you want to get together with people who would not be available on the actual day and the actual day is in the beginning of the week. Like it's on Tuesday and people can only gather on the weekends. The prior weekend would be closer to the actual day than the weekend after.
Yeah exactly, it's basically which weekend is closer and only really done out of necessity
11:00 Where I live in germany it's also common to sing "viel Glück und viel Segen", but it's a very old song too
I have never known a person who celebrated his birthday on any other day than his actual birthday. I only went to birthday parties as a child. An important tradition was for the birthday boy or girl to make a wish and then blow out the candles on the cake. Games included pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, musical chairs etc. If the party was out doors a three legged race or a sack race was typical. An odd tradition in some families was that the birthday boy or girl got spanked!!! My 18th birthday was of minor significance, I graduated from high school about the same time and was given more freedom, e.g. my father told me that I no longer had to attend church with the family, and it being summer in Southern California, I went body surfing instead, especially if the surf was up. When I was young one was a minor until the age of 21, so that age had more significance than it does today. My 21st birthday signaled my complete independence, and that I could now drink in bars. I had been drinking beer on occasion since I turned 18 e.g. in Mexico, and at "keg" parties with friends, my 21st birthday did not mean a radical change. After childhood I never held or went to a birthday party, and my birthday was a day I might celebrate by going out to eat, or doing something I especially liked. An after thought, Denny's Restaurants, which are all up and down the west coast, will give you a free menu item on your birthday. I usually take advantage of that.
And I know the pin or stick ... to .... many versions from many children Films or Cartoons that you can play in every children themes Birthday Party.
In our family, especially for adults, we celebrate when it is convenient for everyone to gather and our work schedules. Usually the following weekend.
@@b.w.9244 Yes, also there's more time for kids to play and to have adults to shepherd so many children
Im Austria (at least in my huge family) we also celebrate the "Schnappszahl". This is a birthday where both of the numbers are the same, like 11, 22, 33, 44... and for the birthday kid it is used to drink a little glass of "Schnaps" (the 11 y o one drinks from the little glass just a special juce)
„Reise nach Jerusalem“ scared the shit out of me when I was a kid because of that creepy melody to sing along while playing.
Welche Melodie? Kenne es nur ohne Musik
Wir haben immer das Radio an oder aus gemacht, egal welche Musik lief, ich bin auch ein wenig verwirrt :D
When me and my siblings were kids my brother used to have 2 birthdays, he was born on 25 December. So that he could have a birthday party my parents made the day he chistened/baptised as his Special Day and was used for him to celebrate with his friends
My family does the "birthweeks" as well, but it's less a celebration of a birthday then it is that the person who's birthday is coming up gets special privilege's. Like they don't have to do as many chores around the house and you can't be mean to them. I normally don't care about the "birthweek" thing, but my mom and sister insist upon it. Sometimes birthdays are celebrated early, but that's normally if there is a scheduling conflict. When it comes to the birthday cake flavor, that's true, there is a fairly standard birthday cake flavor, but I personally haven't had that at least since I was a child. Most of the time I might get like a cheesecake, a dairy queen ice cream cake, or my mom might make a chocolate cake at home. All the German games were familiar except the chocolate, pot, and flour ones.
"Bello Bello wo ist dein Knochen"
1. the kids have to sit down in a circle and one kid has to go out of the room.
2. Then the kids decide who will hide the candy behind her/his back.
3. The kid that has been in another room comes in and is now a dog and called Bello (a typical name for dogs)
4. "Bello" has to find the candy🍬
I know people that say Birthday Month as a joke but never known anyone that actually celebrated more then 1 day
Unfortunately, I know someone who had something planned every weekend until their birthday. They planned a vacation for their birthday, so they called it their birthday month.
In our family we pretty much always sing "Viel Glück und viel Segen" in a time-delayed way (dt. "im Kanon").
Many tears ago one of my wife's girlfriends invited us to Chuck E Cheese's to celebrate her daughter's sixth birthday. There were several other parents with their children there also. All was going fine until someone dressed in a Chuck E Cheese costume came to wish the birthday girl a happy sixth birthday. She let out a very loud scream, started crying, ran and hid behind her mother and stayed there until this giant six foot (about 183 cm) tall mouse went away. I guess he was too much for the kid and she couldn't quite understand what was going on. But everyone else loved seeing Chuck E Cheese and playing thge games and going on the rides.
Haha. Yeah that reminds me of my younger brother. He was always scared of the costumed people at Sea World dressed up as dolphins and whales. He would hide behind our mom. We would often have to stay far away from them for his sake. But I would walk right up to them, LOL. He was always the scaredy cat.
Ok, i know you probably meant to write "many years ago", but what you actually wrote is too funny to leave unnoticed! 😅 It fits so well with the rest of the story too! If you did that on purpose then kudos to you! If not, then your autocorrect gave me a good laugh! Either way, thanks! 👍🏻😅
@@katjahuskinson3428 Yes it was intentional as I tear up with laughter every time I think of this and I don't use autocorrect. BTW when the girl was 8 she wanted her ears pierced and she was taken to get it done. They had a girl on each ear, they went 1, 2, 3 and did both at the same time. About two minutes later she began to cry not from the piercing but the noise the piercing guns made (delayed hearing?) and demanded ice cream which she got. Now married with a son.
@@patrickchambers5999 well, then nicely done and thanks again for the laugh, can't have too many of those these days! And children, they just do and say the darndest things sometimes 😅
@@katjahuskinson3428 When my brother was in kindergarten he didn't want to go one day because his hair hurt.
I haven't celebrated my birthday in years so on my 51st I threw myself a birthday party. We went to a local bar, had a few drinks and played pool. Everyone said it was the best birthday party they ever went to.
In Germany, it's common for children's birthday parties to end with a goodie bag full of sweets or something you made together at the party. In my family, we jokingly call it a "Glad you were there and now you're leaving"-gift.
Great name 😂
Das ist aber auch eine schreckliche Unart. Kindergeburtstage kosten mittlerweile richtig Geld. Allein schon für alle Kinder im Kindergarten oder Schulklasse einen gesunden Kuchen oder Obstspiesse mitbringen
In the US too.
A treat bag! It’s common here too
Growing up in the 90s, we always had homemade cakes - you got to pick the cake, frosting, and ice cream flavors you wanted. One year I really wanted an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen and I got it, but it wasn’t typical to buy a cake. Store bought cakes (from grocery stores) are generally considered to be low quality, and not as good as homemade. “Funfetti” cake (white/yellow cake with colored sprinkles cooked in it) was popular in the 90s and commonly found at birthday parties, so I guess that’s why it’s been adopted as “birthday cake flavor.”