As I celebrated my birthday yesterday, the first thing I did when I woke up is look at my feet.

I'm going to pause here for effect. I know that it's strange and you have absolutely no context or idea as to where this is going to go, and I just want to enjoy that for a minute before I explain, because, dear reader, it's really freakin' silly.

When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me to look at my feet when I woke up on my birthday because now that I was a year older, I must have grown overnight! And CLEARLY my feet were the best indicator that that had happened. I mean, yeah, I've known for a while now that that's not the case (my feet, in fact, have gotten smaller the past few years but I digress), and truthfully it doesn't matter. I've done it for so many years now that it just feels right.

So while I was staring at my nicely pedicured toes, I couldn't help but wonder about if there were any weird or spooky birthday customs out there I didn't know about. I was secretly crossing my fingers to come across something on the creepy side (see "Icelandic Christmas legends" for what I had in mind), but most of what I did discover was more just unique.

Here were some of my favorites:

I'm a big fan of astrology, though I certainly wouldn't say I'm knowledgeable on the subject beyond checking my Co-Star app or reading memes about my big three. That being said, when I came across an article about how the day of the week on which you were born dictates traits of your personality, it got my laser focus.

Apparently, this notion stems from a poem called Monday's Child, which is... well, I'll just let you read it for yourself-

*Image from* *https://victoriantradingco.wordpress.com/*

I'd like to think it's right and that I'm loving and giving, but I'm a little concerned for those Wednesday and Thursday babies. Yikes. I've got to say, I don't put a lot of stock into this poem. I know a lot of you don't put stock into astrology, and we can debate the merits of that ad nauseum, but we'll save that for another time.

Speaking of birthday timing, in a lot of cultures around the world, celebrating your birthday early is bad luck. So you shouldn't send wish someone a happy birthday or send them gifts or schedule their parties before the actual date. I wonder how that works for those of us who like to consider the whole month our birthday... have we been jinxing ourselves this whole time?

You should also avoid getting married on your birthday. Partly because some believe this is a bad omen for your marriage, and partly because sharing your special day is the worst and you should avoid it at all costs. Oh, did I mention I share a birthday with my stepbrother, his daughter, one of my exes, and several former classmates and coworkers? I'm not really one for attention but I definitely want all the presents and favorite foods that come along with birthday celebrations to be centered SOLELY on me, on MY day. Just sayin'.

Sharing a birthday is just the way it is in countries like Vietnam and Bhutan. In these countries, traditionally there is one day of the year that is the day everyone's birthday is celebrated. For example, in Vietnam, Tet is not only considered the start of the new year, but it is the day when the Vietnamese celebrate their collective birthdays. Granted, in several cultures where this was traditionally the norm, times have changed and the younger generations are starting to recognize their own individual birthdays instead.

One of my absolute favorite customs that I came across is that in some countries, with Japan being the example I came across most, once you reach a certain age, you get to start your "second childhood" and (symbolically at least) pass your adult responsibilities on to the next generation. It's similar to celebrating retirement, where you get to start fresh and pursue your hobbies and interests and enjoy life beyond just working and caring for your family. I may or may not be counting down the days til it's my turn...

Lastly, there was one more "milestone" birthday tradition that I came across, this time from Germany. Apparently in parts of the country there's something called "domtreppenfegen", where when a man turns thirty and is unmarried, his friends get him drunk, dress him in costume, and make him sweep the steps of a cathedral until he is kissed by a virgin. They also toss things on the steps (generally bottlecaps) to give him something to sweep.

For German women, their friends do something similar ("klinkenputzen"), except they smear sticky things like toothpaste or jam on door handles and the birthday gal has to clean it with something small like a toothbrush until a virgin kisses her. While these are *clearly* a bit problematic, I have to admit the Virgo (now with bonus OCD) in me is super down with having a hazing ritual where I have to clean something meticulously and repetitively for an extended period of time. We can unpack that another day.

*Klinkenputzen image from* *https://hi-sorsum.de/2019/09/30/maren-blank-feiert-30-geburtstag/*

Overall, there were dozens of traditions that I came across out there, most of which are familiar to most of us, if not in practice then at least in pop culture. While my birthday for this year has come and gone, I think I might have to try some of these out in years to come.

Before I sign off, what are your personal birthday traditions? Have you participated in any of the ones I've mentioned above? Do you have any weird superstitions that come along with your birthday or getting older? Let me know in the comments, or better yet come on over to Discord and let's chat about it!

Until next time, pals...

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