Why do we blow candles on birthdays?
Every year we celebrate our birthday and add one more candle to blow on our cake. It is a tradition that has accompanied us since we have memory, and today we will try to analyze its origin, although there are different sources that claim to have a different origin.
There is a current that defends that the origin of blowing the candles is in Ancient Greece, where it was customary to offer round sweets to Artemis, the goddess of the Moon, representing the lunar cycle. On these sweets, lighted candles were placed so that the adepts would extinguish them and that the smoke would reach the sky and thus be able to contact the goddess. Also, they asked for a wish so that the smoke would transport it to him and he would get it to Artemisa.
Also, other legends tell that a circle of candles was part of a ritual to protect oneself from evil spirits for a year: fire and light represented life and, therefore, having candles on the birthday cake symbolizes a call to the continuation of life.
When Christianity spread, the birthday and its celebrations were considered pagan celebrations since the Christian custom was to celebrate the days of the death of the saints and not their birth. But this prohibition was diminished with the celebration of Christmas, and people resumed the tradition of both celebrating birthdays and blowing the candles.
And you, what desires do you ask when you blow the candles?
Reference:
PrimerasNoticias
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