Birthday Traditions from Russia

1. Instead of a birthday cake, many Russian child receive a birthday pie with a birthday greeting carved into the crust.

2. Children are given gifts by their teachers. (flowers and pencils are common)

3.Children usually play a game that features a clothesline and each guest gets to cut down a prize to take home.

4. The birthday celebration is usually a lavish dinner with many dishes. It is a custom for the birthday person to provide the feast, and this includes paying for dinner if the celebration takes place in a restaurant. The celebration can sometimes go on for more than one day.

5. A playful form of congratulations to the birthday person, is to pull their ears for the number of years they are! It is a playful joke, but it means that we wish them a long and happy life.

6. Children’s birthdays are celebrated with small gifts, a party of friends, and an afternoon of games.

7. It is bad luck to celebrate or wish someone happy birthday before their actual birthdate. If your birthday falls during the week you have to celebrate it the following weekend and not before.
http://www.send-great-flowers.com/birthday-traditions.html#russia

http://www.russian-language-for-lovers.com/russian-traditions.html

http://www.birthdaycelebrations.net/russianbirthdays.htm

On a side note of birthdays… I found this fun fact while researching. Not sure how true it is, but kind of fun!
Happy Birthday Song History

Happy Birthday Song… In 1893, Kentucky schoolteachers Patty Hill and Mildred Hill wrote a song called “Good Morning To You” for their students.

Over time, the catchy tune evolved into “Happy Birthday To You.”

The song has been translated into many languages and adopted nearly worldwide as the birthday song.