birthday...

Definition of Birthday
Birthday is the name given to the date of the anniversary of the day of a person's birth. People in many cultures celebrate this anniversary. In some languages, the word for birthday literally translates as "anniversary". Birthdays are traditionally marked by celebrations including a birthday party or, in some particular cases, a rite of transition.



Origin
It is thought the large-scale celebration of birthdays in Europe began with the non-Christian cult of Mithras, which originated in Persia, and was spread by soldiers throughout the Roman Empire. Such celebrations were uncommon previously so practices from other contexts such as the Saturnalia were adapted for birthdays.
Because many Roman soldiers took to Mithraism, it was distributed widely and its influence was spread throughout the empire until it was supplanted by Christianity.
Opposition
The celebration of birthdays is not universal. Orthodox Christianity prefers the celebration of name days. Some Christian communities may celebrate both naming days and birthdays.

The Jewish perspective on birthday celebrations is disputed by various rabbis.In the Hebrew Bible, the one single mention of a celebration being held in commemoration of someone's day of birth is for the Pharaoh.The bar mitzvah of 13-year-old Jewish boys, or bat mitzvah for 12-year-old girls, is perhaps the only Jewish celebration undertaken in conjunction with a birthday; however, the essence of the celebration is entirely religious in origin (the attainment of religious maturity according to Jewish law) not secular, despite modern celebrations where the secular "birthday" elements predominate. With or without the "birthday" celebration, the child still automatically attains his or her bar or bat mitzvah, and its celebration may be any date following his or her 13th anniversary of birth.

Some Sunni and Shia Muslim scholars oppose birthdays, but some allow celebration of the birthday of the prophet Muhammad, although it is important to note there is no basis for this practice (i.e., no evidence in the Quran or Authentic Hadith).

Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays. They point to the birthday celebrations in the Bible for Pharaoh, and for Herod, the latter being the occasion for the beheading of John the Baptist.



Celebration
The birthday cake is traditionally highly decorated, and typically covered with lit candles when presented, the number of candles signifying the age of the celebrant. The person whose birthday it is may make a silent wish and then blow out the candles. After that, the person can open their presents. It is also common for the person celebrating their birthday to cut the initial piece of the cake as a newlywed couple might with a wedding cake.

Birthday cakes date back as far as the Middle Ages when the English would conceal symbolic items such as gold coins, rings and thimbles inside their cakes. Each item was associated with a prediction. For example, a person finding a gold coin in a birthday cake would supposedly become wealthy; a person discovering a thimble would never marry.
Sometimes special candles are substituted for the many individual candles in the shape of a numeral. For example, on the fifth birthday, there may be one candle on the cake in the shape of the numeral five, and on the fiftieth birthday there may be two candles on the cake, one in the shape of the numeral five followed by the other in the shape of the number zero.



Traditions
In addition to parties, it is common for people to receive gifts on their birthdays or surprise parties. However, sometimes it is expected of the person celebrating their birthday to treat their party guests instead; this varies depending on the local culture and may involve party gifts or other gestures.
In most English-speaking countries it is traditional to sing the song Happy Birthday to You to the honored person celebrating a birthday. Happy Birthday songs are common worldwide. Similar songs exist in other languages such as "Zhu ni sheng ri kuai le" in Mandarin Chinese, "Lang zal hij/zij leven" in Dutch, "Õnne soovime Sul" in Estonian, "Zum Geburtstag Viel Glück" in German, "Nα ζήσεις και χρόνια πολλά " in Greek, "Que los cumplas feliz" or "Feliz cumpleaños a ti" in Spanish, "Parabéns a você" in Portuguese, "Maligayang Bati" in Filipino, "Sto lat" in Polish, "Lá Bhreithe Shona Duit" in Irish, "Ja må du leva" or "Med en enkel tulipan" in Swedish, "Joyeux Anniversaire" or "Bonne Fête" in French, "Tanti Auguri a te" in Italian and "Iyi ki dogdun, Mutlu Yillar Sana" in Turkish. This song is a common greeting used on birthdays, along with greeting cards and verbal greetings with messages such as "I wish you a Happy Birthday" or "Happy Birthday." In Denmark, aside from cards and songs, the Danish flag is often raised and used as decorations at birthday parties. In Belgium, birthdays are celebrated in festivals over the course of several months.





As in my birthday card, i chose the birthday celebration of Malay culture. Ill change the 3 cupcakes to other suitable elements which depict the birthday celebration of Malay people.