九年级英语下册 Module 7 Eating together Something about Birthday文章背景材料 外研版.doc

something about birthdaya birthday is the date on which a person is born, marking the day a life outside the womb begins. it is customary in many cultures to celebrate the anniversary of ones birthday, for example by having a birthday party with family and/or friends. gifts are often given to the person celebrating the birthday. it is also customary to treat people specially on their birthday, either generally acceding to their wishes, or subjecting them to a rite of transition.western private birthday traditionshistory of celebration of birthdays in the westit is thought that the large-scale celebration of birthdays in europe began with the cult of mithras, which originated in persia but was spread by soldiers troughout the roman empire. before this, such celebrations were not common; and, hence, practices from other contexts such as the saturnalia were adapted for birthdays. because many roman soldiers took up mithraism, it had a wide distribution and influence throughout the empire until it was supplanted by christianity.birthday celebrations were rare during the middle ages but saw a resurgence with the advent of the reformation. during this period, they were seen as a good way to transfer customs from the saints days to other dates not linked to the newly repudiated veneration of saints.even today, the celebration of birthdays is not universal in the west; in addition to those people preferring name day celebrations, jehovahs witnesses do not celebrate either, considering them to be pagan festivals along with christmas and easter.festivebirthday cakein most english-speaking countries it is traditional to sing the song happy birthday to you to the honored person celebrating his birthday. similar songs exist in other languages such as lang zal hij/zij leven in dutch, zum geburstag viel glck in german, cumpleaos feliz in spanish, or sto lat in polish. this happens traditionally at a birthday party while someone brings a 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. it is also common for the birthday boy or birthday girl to cut the initial piece of the cake like as a newlywed couple might with a wedding cake. typical birthday party decorations include balloons, streamers and confetti.for special birthdays and for when the number of candles might be considered impractical or a fire hazard, special candles might be substituted for the many individual candles. these candles are in the shape of a numeral; for example, on the fifth birthday there may be one candle on the cake in the shape of the numeral 5, and on the fiftieth birthday there may be two candles on the cake, one in the shape of the numeral 5 followed by the other in the shape of the numeral 0.a birthday is considered a special day for the person, and so the person will often get special treatment from friends and family. this is especially true for children who cannot wait for their own special day. in addition to parties, people often get gifts on their birthday. birthday parties for children often include fun games like pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, and hitting piatas. there are also traditions of surprise parties. not all traditions are equally generous. in certain circles the birthday boy or girl is expected to treat the fellows, often by shouting one or more round of drinks. another tradition enjoyed by girls that was popularized in the 1950s and 60s: receiving a special corsage (or several) that was decorated with candy or another inexpensive item that corresponded to age. the items were priced within reach of the peer group, and all were light enough so they could fasten easily to curly ribbons and be worn throughout the school day without problem. 10th birthday - lollipops 11th birthday - gum drops 12th birthday - tootsie rolls 13th birthday - bubble gum 14th birthday - dog biscuits 15th birthday - life savers 16th birthday - sugar cubes 17th birthday - lemon drops 18th birthday - cigarettes testingsince every year of age can be seen as a minor transition, this can be accompanied by some traditional initiation rite such as a birthday spanking, after which the honoree may in some traditions receive a pinch to grow an inch. it is also traditional in schools in some areas of britain to bump people on their birthday. this involves them being hoisted face up by arms and legs and allowed to fall; pulling on the limbs restrains the fall so that the victim does not quite hit the ground. this is repeated for the number of times equal to their birthday age. on one last hoist the celebrant is often allowed to fall to the ground with a bump. a less painful way is to be lifted in the air while sitting on a chair. then the last lift is usually made higher than the others.a similar tradition in schools are birthday beats or birthday bashings in which the birthday child receives a number of punches on his arm that equals his age (e.g. 14 punches on the arm for a 14-year-old). usually it is followed with a one for luck punch which tends to be harder than the rest. birthday beats are not often malicious but sometimes can be considered bullying and may ruin a childs special day.special birthdaysnotable birthdays can include:when the most significant digit changes, for example ones 1st, 10th, 30th, 50th, or 100th birthdays. ones golden birthday, also called a champagne birthday, is the day when the age one turns and the date of birth coincide (e.g. someone turning 20 on september 20th celebrates his golden birthday). in most legal systems, one becomes a legal adult on a particular birthday, and at different ages gain different rights and responsibilities voting, certain drug use (e.g. alcohol, tobacco), eligibility for military draft or voluntary enlistment, driving etc. most cultures have one or more coming of age birthdays: jewish boys have a bar mitzvah on or around their 13th birthday. in reform and conservative judaism, jewish girls observe a bat mitzvah on or around their 12th or 13th birthday while in orthodox judaism, girls observe it on or around their 12th birthday. in some christian traditions, generally catholic and anglican, confirmation is the ritual by which a young person becomes an official member of the church. this sometimes includes the bestowal of a confirmation name, generally the n