How are you going to celebrate your next birthday? If the cake and candles thing isn’t inspiring you this year, take your show on the road. Birthdays are celebrated differently in every culture. Celebrate your own with international style because getting a year older is definitely cause for adventure.
Copenhagen, Denmark - In Denmark, they celebrate birthdays by flying the country's flag outside the home so that all passersby know it's your special day. Fly your own birthday flag by taking a week in Copenhagen to ride a bike and enjoy live music at the Tivoli Gardens. Take a post-meal meander along Strøget, where street performers liven up the outdoors and wave your own country’s flag, in honour of your birthday. You are your own party.
Seoul, Korea – When a baby turns 100 days old, they are feted with a big celebration involving friends, family and plenty of sweet, sticky rice cakes. Koreans calculate age by calling a baby one-year-old once they’ve hit this 100th day mark. They also count age by adding a year with every passing Lunar New Year or Sul Nal, not on their own actual date of birth. Whatever your age, and however you calculate it, you can celebrate yours with a feast in the Korean capital.
Sydney, Australia – Aussie children celebrate birthdays with “fairy bread.” It sounds magical but is in fact simply buttered white bread covered in sprinkles (don’t tell the kids). Grab a loaf and hit Bondai Beach for a picnic. You’re in Australia – have a barbecue! Maybe this will be the year that you learn how to surf. At the very least, you can bake on the beach, no skill required.
Tulum, Mexico – Everyone knows that a piñata is a hit (pun intended) with children at birthday parties but traditionally they were for festivals and holidays. There is some speculation that piñatas actually came from China, while some think it may have originated in Italy. Whatever the origin, Mexican culture has catapulted them to popularity in the rest of North America. Grab a blindfold and a stick and hang your piñata in a palm tree this year. Then have a birthday dip and retire to your cabana on the beach in Tulum. Try and time your trip to coincide with a national holiday or festival, for example, the November anniversary of Mexican independence includes a parade for children on Isla Mujeres.
India – In the Hindu tradition, the 60th birthday calls for a Sashtiabdhapoorthi. It is an extra special birthday celebration in light of the fact that the Hindu calendar follows a 60-year cycle. Family gathers to offer well wishes and the birthday sexagenarian then re-enacts their wedding vows with their spouse. It’s a sweet way to celebrate not only your birthday but many years of wedded bliss. You can celebrate your own Sashtiabdhapoorthi with a pilgrimage to a bustling metropolis in India, like Mumbai, to have your own Bollywood-style whirlwind of dance and romance.