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Birthday Celebrations
#2
Yes Donny,

Many of the symbols that we associate with birthdays had their roots hundreds of years ago. There are a few explanations as to why we have birthday cakes. Some say it is because the Greeks used to take cakes to the temple of the goddess of the moon and hunting, Artemis. They took her round cakes to represent the full moon. Worshippers would place honey cakes on the altars of her temple on the sixth day of every month. It was believed that the candles had the power to grant a wish and ensure a happy year. The wish had to remain secret and would come true only if all the candles were blown out with one puff. The candles lost their magical power if the wish was uttered aloud. The Greek people who took their cakes to Artemis placed candles on the cake because it made the cake look as if it was glowing like the moon (Gibbons, 1986).

This pagan source for blowing out birthday candles with one's mouth is mentioned in the teachings of the Ari"zal as brought down by the Ben Ish Chai.

The Germans were known as good candle makers and started to make small candles for their cakes. Some people say that the candles were put on for religious reasons. Some Germans placed a big candle in the center of the cake to symbolize the "light of life" (Corwin, 1986). Others believed that the smoke from fires would take their wishes up to heaven.

Today many people make silent wishes as they blow out the candles on their birthday cake. If they believe that blowing out all the candles in one breath will bring "good luck," and that by this they will get what they are wishing for, then this is attributing power to something other than G-d. (This imagined power is called a "shituf" in Hebrew). Since this is 1) a false idea, 2) just a step removed from an idolatrous idea, and 3) a custom which arose from an idolatrous ceremony, many families omit the "birthday candles" from their birthday celebrations.
Rabbi Yitz
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Messages In This Thread
Birthday Celebrations - by Donny - 07-19-2007, 01:03 PM
RE: Birthday Celebrations - by rabbiyitz - 07-29-2007, 05:46 AM
RE: Birthday Celebrations - by Director Michael - 07-29-2007, 02:43 PM
RE: Birthday Celebrations - by Director Michael - 01-09-2011, 07:50 PM

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