Birthday: A Butterfly Effect

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A butterfly effect triggered me to write a blog. It is about the birthday. 

Now a days, it is more or less like a traditional among non-English-speakers, to wish someone their birthday with a phrase or say a song "Happy Birthday to You." A birthday reminds me the moment someone is wishing me that phrase. Which may or not be followed be another phrase, "Many many happy returns of the day." Now it is not a surprise someone writing "HBD" on someone's virtual profile on social media.

It is wished that the birthday person recalls the happy moment he was born and enjoy a long life. Depending on the culture and westernization taking place over cultural diversity and norms, views towards the birthday celebration has already changed a lot.

A person may be asked to make a secret wish then is supposed to blow out the candles in a single blow. Once the candles have been blown out, people may applaud, after which the cake may be served, often with the first piece being served to the person whose birthday it is.

There are lots of traditional variations after the birthday celebration. Let me be focused what made me write all this today.

One of my student, a boy, had a birthday today. He asked whether he can celebrate in the class. A celebration is usually termed as a group wish, loud and spontaneously rhymed;  same birthday song, followed by sweets distribution. 

I remember being the classmate to someone in the similar circumstances and me screaming the song "Happy birthday ...." This was the classic part in the High School. Glory in someone's face would be not for wishing someone that hearty but in a joy of getting free sweets which certainly did not happen often. At least I felt so. A crazy feeling it was.

Dear disclaimers! my past at that moment is not an endorsement. The tricky part is, I got to see an extra footage – one of the students, a girl, asked the birthday boy how old did he turns today. He was turning thirteen. Then she started counting followed by the clap up to the current age of the boy. This was soon joined by all the students inside the class longing the degree of pollution for more thirteen seconds. :) Applause.

I stood speechless.