В каких странах с днем рождения не поздравляют и почему: путешествие по календарю без именин

Представьте себе мир, где никто не поёт «Happy Birthday to You», не задувает свечи на торте и не получает подарков в свой день рождения. Для большинства из нас это звучит как абсурд. День рождения — это личный праздник, день, когда ты в центре внимания. Но для миллионов людей на планете эта традиция либо отсутствует, либо выглядит совершенно иначе. В одних культурах день рождения не празднуют по религиозным соображениям, в других — из-за коллективистского мышления, в третьих — просто потому, что никто не ведёт счёт годам. Давайте отправимся в кругосветное путешествие по странам и народам, где именины — не событие, а исключение.

Бутан: страна, где все становятся старше в Новый год

В Гималайском королевстве Бутан, которое измеряет свой успех не валовым внутренним продуктом, а индексом национального счастья, индивидуальные дни рождения не принято отмечать в принципе. Многие бутанцы вообще не знают точной даты своего рождения. Это связано с тем, что страна живёт по собственному календарю, который не совпадает с григорианским, но главное — в бутанской культуре личные годовщины не считаются значимыми. Вместо этого все жители страны официально прибавляют себе один год 1 января. Such a collective approach to age even surprises customs officers: when a whole delegation from Bhutan indicates the same date of birth, it looks at least unusual. The young generation is already beginning to be interested in their real dates, but the tradition remains strong. Bhutanese celebrate their "common birthday" on New Year's Day, and January 2 is even an official holiday.

Вьетнам: все дни рождения — в один день

Во Вьетнаме, как и в Бутане, индивидуальные дни рождения практически не отмечаются. Вместо этого каждый житель страны становится на год старше во время Тета — вьетнамского лунного Нового года. Since the date of Tet changes every year, the "birthday" of each Vietnamese also "floats". During this festival, which lasts for a week, there are magnificent family banquets and public festivities. Interestingly, in Vietnam, age is counted differently: a child is considered one year old at birth, so Vietnamese of the same biological age are always a year older than in other countries. There is no personal festive atmosphere associated with the day of your birth in Vietnam.

Япония: подарки только для родителей и почётных старцев

Япония — ещё одна страна, где день рождения не является личным праздником в привычном для нас смысле. In Japanese tradition, birthday greetings are not given to the child, but to the parents — for the "heroic" act of giving birth. For children, there is a unified festival "Shichi-Go-San", which is celebrated for all three-, five-, and seven-year-old children on a strictly specified day, which may not coincide with their actual date of birth. Gifts in Japan are given only to those who have reached a dignified age: 60, 70, 79, 88, and 99 years old. Women can hold a celebration at 19 and 33 years old, and men at 25 and 42 years old. So if you are Japanese and you are, say, 30 years old, do not expect congratulations.

Северная Корея: запретные даты и культ вождей

В Северной Корее отношение к дням рождения — это вопрос идеологии. Личные дни рождения здесь не отмечаются. Вместо этого вся страна празднует дни рождения национальных лидеров — Ким Ир Сена и Ким Чен Ира. Moreover, there are dates when it is strictly forbidden to celebrate birthdays. These are July 8 and December 17 — the days of death of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, respectively. People born on these days are forced to officially change their date of birth. This is due to the fact that in the country, loyalty to the state is cultivated, which is considered to be above any individual festivals.

Исламские страны: день рождения как грех

В странах, где исповедуют ислам, день рождения часто не считается праздником. Люди, чтущие Коран, не видят смысла в том, чтобы отмечать день своего появления на свет. According to the doctrine, celebrating this day is a sin. In North Africa, where the majority of the population are Muslims, birthdays are celebrated only twice in a lifetime: on the day of birth and at 52 years old — the age of the Prophet Muhammad. In some Arab countries, this tradition is strictly observed, and any celebration is considered a violation of religious norms.

Африканские племена: возраст не имеет значения

В большинстве африканских племён нет традиции ежегодно праздновать дни рождения. In many of them, calendars are not used, and seasons almost do not change, so the concept of "year" does not exist. For example, the Galla tribe celebrates birthdays once every eight years — this is related to the rite of initiation. And in the Kukuju tribe, the ceremony is even less frequent — once every thirteen years, when the age of majority is reached. On this day, the birthday person must plant a fig tree. In some Indian and African tribes, instead of birthdays, "siding" and "hoding" are celebrated — the days when a child began to sit or walk. And the Surma tribe from South Sudan does not consider age important and focuses on ceremonies of transition to adulthood.

Религиозные группы: Свидетели Иеговы и иудаизм

Свидетели Иеговы не празднуют дни рождения по религиозным причинам. They believe that such celebrations have pagan roots and are not pleasing to God. Although there is no direct prohibition in the Bible, they draw attention to the fact that mentions of birthdays in the Sacred Scripture are always associated with negative events. Early Christians also did not celebrate birthdays, considering them a pagan custom. In Orthodox Judaism, birthdays are also not considered a festival. It is believed that this is a kind of "cult" of man, while worship should be directed only to God. Jews celebrate only Bar Mitzvah — the day when a boy turns 13 and begins to fulfill the commandments of the Torah. In ancient times, Jews avoided celebrating birthdays because "numbers were ominous and attracted evil eye."

Россия: от именин к дням рождения

Interestingly, in Russia, the tradition of celebrating birthdays appeared relatively late. Until the 19th century, birthdays were not celebrated in Russia. Instead, from the 17th century, namesdays were celebrated — the day of the saint in whose honor the person was named. It was on the namesdays that guests were invited and pies were baked. After the 1917 revolution, there was an ideological struggle with namesdays: in the 1920s, censorship even banned "Muhu-Zokotуха" by Kornei Chukovsky for "propaganda of namesdays." Only gradually did the birthday replace the namesday, becoming the main personal festival.

Почему же не празднуют: общие причины

If we summarize all these examples, we can identify several main reasons why birthdays are not celebrated in different cultures.

The first is religious. In Islam and among the Jehovah's Witnesses, celebrating birthdays is considered a sin or displeasing to God. The second is collectivist. In Bhutan, Vietnam, and Japan, the individual is not as important as the common. Age is not a reason for an individual celebration, but a part of the general flow of life. The third is practical. In many African tribes, there is no calendar and a system of chronology, so it is physically impossible to celebrate birthdays annually. The fourth is ideological. In North Korea, the individual is subordinated to the state, and any personal festival is perceived as a threat to the cult of leaders.

Заключение

What for us is a self-evident thing — a cake, candles, gifts, and the song "Happy Birthday" — for many peoples of the world either does not exist or looks completely different. In some cultures, birthdays are considered a sin, in others — a day of gratitude to parents, in others — just another day of the year. And this reminds us of how diverse our world is. What we consider a universal tradition is actually just one of many possible models. And perhaps in this diversity lies the main wisdom: there is no single correct way to celebrate (or not celebrate) your birthday. There are only culture, traditions, and respect for them.

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