Is cake a socially awkward person’s reward for having made it through the birthday celebration ritual? Well, not exactly. And actually celebrating the anniversary of one’s birth has not always been the done thing either. What if I told you that having your birthday celebrated is the closest you are getting to be a god(dess)? The first “birthday” celebration goes back to the Egyptians who, each year, would rejoice on the anniversary of the pharaoh’s coronation day. The reason being that you were ...

Is cake a socially awkward person’s reward for having made it through the birthday celebration ritual? Well, not exactly. And actually celebrating the anniversary of one’s birth has not always been the done thing either.

What if I told you that having your birthday celebrated is the closest you are getting to be a god(dess)? The first “birthday” celebration goes back to the Egyptians who, each year, would rejoice on the anniversary of the pharaoh’s coronation day. The reason being that you were not really born until you were made into a pharaoh, i.e., after you were transformed into a God. From there, the Greeks contributed to bringing a moon-shaped cake and candles to celebrate the lunar goddess, Artemis, to represent the radiance of the moon and her beauty. But still, what about the cake?

We have to thank the Germans for introducing the contemporary birthday celebrations, which included a cake. They started the ‘kinderfeste’, where children were honoured with a celebration on their birthday, especially when it came to the first birthday. Kids also had candles on their cake; one for each year they had been alive, plus one, symbolising the chance of making it through the coming year.

Fortunately, we now live at a time where birthday cakes come in various shapes, colours and flavours to please different preferences and dietary requirements, as it is very difficult to imagine a birthday party without a sweet and yummy, treat. Conversely, cake eating is less and less reserved to birthdays only, and personally I really like being able to enjoy a piece of cake whenever I feel like it outside birthday parties. Still, there is something even more special about a birthday cake; it is also about sharing special moments with loved ones.

Which best serves as the title for the passage?