By: Natasha Archary

From slurping noodles or having a birthday song sung by your loved ones, birthday traditions are unique and add to the celebrations.
Birthdays are a special way to celebrate someone’s life and show appreciation for what they add to yours by making it memorable.
When it comes to birthdays, however, the focus is usually on making someone else’s birthday a day to remember and many tend to avoid planning something for their own celebrations.
Not the Drive 959 team however, who except for Kgomotso Meso, don’t care to celebrate their birthdays.
Solo birthdays are what appeals to most people as they grow older and they no longer want the fuss, or “admin” of dealing with people.
Glen Lewis mentioned that he would rather make a big deal about someone else’s birthday than his own.
The conversation inspired many to start a new birthday tradition for yourself.
Take inspiration from some of the most popular birthday traditions from around the world:
- Egypt – Flowers and fruit are seen as a symbol of life and growth
- Kenya – Boys must complete 3 rites of passage between their 14 and 16 birthdays as this is seen as the age they enter manhood
- Ghana – People wake up with ‘oto’ a fried sweet potato patty
- Mexico – Celebrations include a Piñatas, a hanging ornament usually made of paper-mâché that is filled with sweets and broken as part of the celebration
- China – Traditions include a bowl of long life noodles – long noodles that the person slurps into their mouth. A long slurp equals a long life. The Chinese say Zhu ni sheng ri kuai le, which means “happy birthday to you.”
Listen to the conversation on Drive 959:
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