Saturday, January 23, 2021

Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy this special day.

 I will. It's my birthday!!



And I am not the only birthday girl. I share the day with Mariska Hargitay, Chita Rivera, Gil Gerard, Nora O’Donnell, and others.

Celebrating this year may be a bit different. No lunching with the women, or dinner with the family. There will be time enough for that in the Spring. 

Here are ten happy facts about birthdays.


Where it all began
… Romans were the first people to celebrate the day of their birth. The special date was celebrated with banquets, gifts and prayers.



Children’s Birthdays
… Birthdays were mostly celebrated by adults. It wasn’t until the 19th century that celebrating children’s birthdays came into fashion. 

Milestones… In the 20th century, recognizing life rituals and birthday’s in particular helped children adapt to the changes in their body and relationships as they grew older.


Cakes and Candles… Various cultures lay claim to the origin of this ritual. In ancient Egypt candles were used in their coronations. They raised the status of the human to a god. To honor the goddess Artemis, ancient Greeks put candles on moon-shaped honey cakes. They believed the smoke from the blown-out candle lifted their prayers to the top of Mount Olympus.

Happy Birthday to You… The sisters, Mildred and Patty Hill wrote the song Good Morning to You in 1893. They were part of the progressive education movement. New lyrics Happy Birthday to You with the familiar melody appeared in 1912.

Every person has one. On the 23rd of every month I will post a list of author birthdays. I came across the list on Book Lover Gifts website. Feel free to add your favorite authors special day. Put it in the comments section, just wait for their birth month.


January Birthdays    

  • 01 Jan 1919 - J. D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye
  • 03 Jan 1892 - J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings
  • 08 Jan 1824 - Wilkie Collins, author of Woman in White
  • 14 Jan 1898 - Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland
  • 19 Jan 1809 - Edgar Allan Poe, author of The Tell Tale Heart
  • 27 Jan 1832 - Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland

January Facts:

  • This full moon this month is called the Wolf Moon. It appears wolfs howl at this moon more than others.
  • A dreaded day, Plough Monday in the fifteenth century marked the start of the agricultural season and time to go back to work after a reprise from the last harvest.
  • This month is named for the Roman god Janus, the protector of gates and doorways.
  • Folklore: A favorable January brings us a good year.

See you next month!