"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years" Abraham Lincoln

A birthday is the date on which a person is born. It is customary in many cultures to celebrate the anniversary of one's birthday, usually by having a birthday party with family and friends. Gifts are often given to the person celebrating the birthday. It is also customary to treat the birthday person in a special manner, allowing their birthday to be a celebrated occasion.

In most English speaking countries it is traditional to sing Happy Birthday to You, which is a song that honours the person celebrating their birthday. The Happy Birthday melody is thought to be the most frequently sung melody in the world, traditionally sung at birthday parties while someone brings a lit birthday cake into the (often darkened) room.

- The birthday cake is traditionally highly decorated, and typically covered with lit candles when presented; the number of candles often equals the age of the person. The person whose birthday it is makes a silent wish and then blows out the candles; if done in one breath, the wish is supposed to come true, but only if the person keeps the wish to themselves. It is also common for the "birthday boy" or "birthday girl" to cut the initial piece of the cake. Birthday cakes have been a tradition dating back as far as the Middle Ages when the English would conceal symbolic items such as gold coins, rings and thimbles inside their cakes.

- Typical birthday party decorations include balloons, streamers, and confetti.

Special birthday's are celebrated quite differently to that of the normal birthday, marking a significant point in one's life. For a special birthday one might choose to have a large party with many guests, usually people will spend more money on gifts for this occasion. Special birthdays may include:

- When the most significant digit changes, for example one's 1st, 10th, 30th, 40th 50th, or 100th birthdays, as well as significant years such as the 18th and 21st birthday which in many countries means the legal adult age.

- One's golden birthday, also called a champagne birthday, is the day when the age someone turns is the same as the day in the month they was born. (e.g. someone turning 25 on March 25th celebrates their golden birthday).

- In most legal systems, one becomes a legal adult on a particular birthday, and at different ages gain different rights and responsibilities, for example: voting, certain drug use (e.g. alcohol, purchasing cigarettes), eligibility for military draft or voluntary enlistment, driving, purchasing lottery tickets/betting.

A birthstone is a gift of a precious material like jewelry, but mainly gemstones; that symbolizes the month of birth (in the Gregorian Calendar). It is often referred to as the birthday stone.

There have been many different sets of birthstones used throughout history and in different cultures. In 1912, in an effort to standardize them, the American national association of jewelers, Jewelers of America, officially adopted the following list; it is currently the most widely used list in the United States and many other locations, including Australia and Thailand. Some alternatives have been adopted as a less expensive substitute for a cut stone.

The birthstone seems to originate from Biblical times. The Breastplate of Aaron, referred to in Exodus 39:10-14:

The precise list of birthstones however can be found in Revelation 21:19-20 where the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem are listed, in the order of the Roman calendar:

19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

An astrological version of the birthstones exists using the twelve zodiac signs instead of the twelve calendar months. Listed below are the dates for the tropical sun signs and their associated birthstone.

Just as there are alternatives with birthstones, there are also alternatives with birth flowers. For example, October is often listed as Calendula (Marigold), but is also occasional noted as being rose or camellia.

Having trouble finding the right birthday present? Here are a few suggestions if your stuck for ideas.

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