Chinese Birthday Celebrations!

Well, it's my birthday soon, so I want to talk about Chinese birthdays. Let's start from the beginning. Now the birds and the bees. Well, in Chinese culture, a baby is considered to start aging when he or she is conceived. So by the time they are born and live for 30 days, they are considered one year old by the lunar calendar. That's why Chinese people always add a base of one year to our age. The 30-day mark is very significant for newborns, since in the olden days, infant mortality rate was quite high. This is called 满月 or 满月 in Cantonese. On the 30th day, a 满月 party or 满月酒, sometimes known as a red egg and ginger party, is thrown. And it's kind of a big deal. First of all, the baby survived. So that's a big deal. Second, the baby's name is officially given and shared with the world. So that too is a big deal. Thirdly, the baby is introduced to the extended family and friends for the first time. So yeah, a big deal. Fourthly, the mother is reintroduced to society as Chinese mothers are homebound for a month after giving birth to recuperate her body and avoid any sickness from the outside world. So for 30 days, she cannot leave the house and usually doesn't even leave her bed. Mom's first day of freedom, uber big deal. Red eggs and ginger are significant to this day as eggs symbolize fertility and the renewal of life. The red color for Chinese people is prosperous and celebratory. For example, traditional wedding dresses are red and not white. Ginger has its significance symbolizing strength of life and because it's known to be a food that defends the body from dampness and cold. A year flies by and the first birthday party is thrown to observe the tradition of Zhuazhou or Zhaozhou, which dates back to the Song dynasty. Zhuazhou is when items are placed in front of the baby to see which one he or she will grab first. The one that's chosen represents what kind of life the baby can expect. Hands indicate a scholarly future. Money indicates a future businessman. And good fortune. A stamp indicates work as an official. Getting a toy indicates the child will grow to enjoy the pleasures in life. This reminds me of a story of when I was a kid, my parents were trying to enroll me into a prestigious kindergarten in Asia and during the interview, keeping in mind I was probably like, what, two or three, I kept staring at a bowl of candy. So from that, they concluded that I lacked concentration, so they didn't accept me. I guess I'm always supposed to be a foodie. In the past, people usually celebrate their lunar calendar birthdays but as Chinese are being more westernized, more and more people celebrate their birthday according to the Gregorian calendar. So you technically have two birthdays every year. But birthdays aren't actually when you grow a year older either. In Chinese culture, everyone officially adds a year to their age after Chinese New Year is celebrated. In Chinese, that's called Birthdays are not celebrated on a normal basis either, but when they are, it's a special occasion and are centered around seeing your friends and family and eating, of course. Noodles are the birthday food of choice as they represent a long life. They absolutely, positively cannot be cut as they would symbolize your life getting cut short. Peaches or buns shaped like peaches, shòu bāo, sòu bāo, are popular as well as they also represent longevity. According to Confucius, 20, which is considered when you become an adult, 30, when you should have your family and career established, 40 is when you gain stability and clarity on your life, 50, when you understand the greater things in life and have wisdom. 60 is a big year that is celebrated because in ancient times, it was quite a feat to grow to this old age. And usually by this time, one has a lot to celebrate by way of life achievements as well as children and grandchildren. Nowadays, 60 isn't considered old at all, but it's still treated as a very special occasion with subsequent decades especially celebrated as well. Well, those are some interesting facts on Chinese birthdays. So if you happen to know of a birthday that's coming up and want to give that friend a special something something, remember delicious noodles, sweet peaches, and usually in lieu of gifts, people are given hóng bāo or lèi sī or red pocket money. Got it? Great. Guys, thanks for watching this video. We have new RMVs every Thursday, so if you liked it, please click the subscribe button and if you find it interesting, please share with your friends and family. Now, you may be wondering what's the actual date of my birthday and it's October 21st and I'm actually going to be in LA and Las Vegas in that period of time. So if you follow me on Twitter, which is CarmenOTGW, I'll be tweeting my whereabouts at certain times. Also, I've got myself some Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra tickets on the 19th. You know, a self-birthday present. So I hope to see you guys there too. Thanks for watching. See you later.