The History of Candles on Birthday Cakes

It's pitch black. All you can see are brightly lit candles. Then, you hear cheers of, "Happy Birthday." You blow the candles and make a wish. Placing candles on cakes is not a recent phenomenon -- in fact, it dates back to the Greeks.

Greeks

The Greeks used to make cakes which they offered to Artemis, the Goddess of Moon. According to the Greeks, a candle lit on a round birthday cake resembled the moon, and by placing a candle in the centre of a cake, signified the light of life.

The Europeans

The Europeans sometimes left candles burning all day on a birthday cake for celebrations and to let evil spirits go away.

The Germans, in particular, were skilled candle makers and started making candles for their cakes. Some Germans put a candle in the middle of the cake.

Scholars say that the act of placing candles began because some people thought that Gods lived in the skies -- and felt that burning candles was a more effective way of communicating with Gods.

Modern Significance of Candles

Even today, a lot of superstitious beliefs revolve around burning candles. Some believe that if a person blows out all the candles in one breath, a wish comes true and the person enjoys luck in the following year. While others think that the wish should not be shared, otherwise it will be doomed.

References

• Tokenz: History of Birthday Candles
• Parteaz: The History of Birthday Candles
• TeacherLink: Birthday
• IReallyLikeFood: Sweet Birthday Wishes: Discussing the Tradition and Definition of Birthday Cake