All around the world, people celebrate different occasions; for some, celebrating means pulling out all the stops. Most people rent special equipment for birthdays, weddings, and other important events; others spend lots of money decorating their homes and buying delicious food to celebrate Christmas and New Year. During Valentine’s day, couples give time, effort, and money to celebrate with their special someone.
But when did the habit of celebrating start and why does it mean so much for people to pull out the best celebration party for a special day? Additionally, despite the changes brought about by the pandemic, why do people still choose to celebrate?
The History Of Celebrating Occasions
There are different kinds of occasions celebrated around the world and it is largely affected by culture and tradition. One’s culture and tradition are shaped by history and this is where we should start defining how celebrations started.
Birthdays
Forbes mentions in an article how birthday celebrations began. The website first mentions that birthdays, as we know them now, are greatly influenced by the Roman calendar which has 29 to 31 days a month. According to the site, Romans loved celebrating the beginning of things, similar to other civilizations.
For Romans, they call the beginning of things as dies natalis. Translated in English, this means birth day. Among Romans, they usually celebrate the birth of cities, temples, and people. Birthdays of people were especially celebrated because, during this period, a child living past one year is rare.
In Egypt, a pharaoh’s birthday is the time they get crowned. This is because of the belief that pharaohs have been reborn as gods at the time of their coronation. The celebration of a pharaoh’s birthday is considered the first known celebration of the occasion across the globe.
According to historians, the Greeks took this idea of the Egyptians of celebrating gods and goddesses. The ancient Greeks celebrated the goddess Artemis by offering moon-shaped cakes, as a tribute to Artemis’ beauty and radiance. China and Germany had similar birthday traditions; China especially honors a child’s first birthday; Germany, during the late 18th century, had Kinderfeste, which celebrated a kid’s birthday with cakes and candles.
We defined the history of birthday celebrations as this occasion is something celebrated across cultures. But aside from the rich history of celebrations, what is the benefit of these during modern times?
Why we celebrate
Every time there is a celebration, people feel happy. A celebration is usually equated with joy and is executed by individuals with much enthusiasm. Whether it be a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, or a festivity, people feel happiness and exuberance.
Celebration of relationships
Occasions like weddings and anniversaries are important because it is a celebration of relationships. A wedding, for instance, marks the day of the union of two loving partners. An anniversary, on the other hand, is a yearly celebration that is crucial in making people remember when and why the relationship started.
Rituals on these occasions are important, too. Customary activities such as cutting cakes during a wedding bring a sense of connection not only with one’s partner but the community they belong to. We can infer that doing these customary rites is a celebration of an individual’s connection with the community, too.
Festivals, for instance, is a celebration of one’s heritage; it makes one feel that he or she is part of society. This type of connection is also crucial for every individual.
A time to bond
Celebrating special occasions is a chance to bond with friends, partners, and family members that one may not be spending time with frequently. It is a day to pause and reignite the bonds with one another. Christmas and New Year, for instance, are a chance for family members who may not be living together to meet again and have a joyous holiday.
Creating lasting memories
As celebrations are always remarkable, there is a chance that they will make lasting impressions on the human mind. A human’s memory especially recalls events that are emotionally charged; thankfully, celebrations are almost always associated with happy memories.
Having these happy memories are essential in survival. It nourishes a person’s emotional and mental health.
It’s a chance to share gratitude
Aside from enjoying and having fun, celebration gives people a chance to share their gratitude toward another person. For birthdays, for instance, family and friends give gifts as a symbol of gratitude for having the birthday person in their lives. This is true for anniversaries, weddings, and even the holidays as well.
Because of the crucial role of celebrations in every person’s life, even during the pandemic, people have found ways to share gratitude, love, and joy with the important people in their lives. Through video conferencing apps like Zoom, people have found a way to celebrate not only these occasions but the chance to be part of each other’s lives.
Meta title: Understanding Why People Celebrate Special Occasions
Meta desc: People across cultures love celebrating special occasions like birthdays and holidays. For most people, celebrating these events is a chance to share joy, love, and gratitude with those who matter.
