The particular way in which an individual’s birthday is celebrated in India can depend on which amongst the nation’s distinct cultures he or she belongs to.
However, below are some common practices you will find there which are conducted to commemorate a person’s birthday.
Birthday Celebration in India
The observance of an actual birthday celebration is more popular amongst children than it is among adults, with the acknowledgement of the first anniversary of a child’s life being extra important. The birthdays of children are perhaps most notably marked by religious observances. For instance, the child may visit a shrine or temple with the parents. This is done so to pray and typically ask for blessings for the child. Some blessings, such as Akshata, can also be performed at home, and likewise many adults conduct such rituals under their own accord.
About 80% of Indians practices Hinduism, and pervasive traditions such as the aforementioned are founded in time-honored spiritual rituals. However, there is also a strong influence of norms from the outside, such as the globally-popular act of presenting the person with a beautifully-glazed birthday cake. And again both children and adults can be beneficiaries of such affection.
But as for children in particular, they are often gifted new clothes after performing ritualistic reverence. The outfit may also be complemented with fresh accessories, such as a sparkling new bracelet or necklace. What makes this extra special is, since it is indeed the child’s birthday, he or she will be able to wear the outfit to school as opposed to his/her traditional uniform. It is also common to receive gifts on their birthdays. These presents can be something educational but of course includes what children love the most, which are toys.
Indian birthday celebrators of all ages may decide to ring-in their new age with a special dinner and/or party. The extravagance of such occasions is dependent upon how many resources are available to organize such events. However, no expense is spared, and birthday celebrations can transform into grand events, including featuring fireworks or the hiring of professional organizers. So accordingly, the birthday parties of really prominent or rich individuals sometimes make national headlines.
Adults in India may choose an exclusively grown-up way of celebrating their birthdays by going to a bar and hanging out with friends. This may not seem noteworthy in and of itself, except that the bartender will prepare a special drink just for the birthday boy or girl.
In some parts of India, individuals are privileged with the cultural opportunity to celebrate two birthdays within a single year. This is because one is observed on the actual mainstream calendar day in which they were born and the other on an astronomical date based on the movement of the moon as opposed to more-conventional methods.
Funny Birthday Wishes for Indian Friends
- Happy birthday, and may all of the mothers in the neighborhood come to bless you on this special day.
- May your birthday be filled with more singing and dancing than a Bollywood movie festival.
- May your birthday cake be so tall that people can see it from Mumbai.
- I wanted to take you to McDonald’s for your birthday, but knowing you’re from India that might cause some beef.
- May your birthday party attract more well-wishers than the Kumbh Mela festival.
- Sorry there isn’t a cricket pitch nearby, but we will still find a way to thoroughly enjoy your birthday!
- May your birthday party be so wild that we have to call in monkey handlers to chase away the guests.
- You, my friend, are more unique than a white tiger. So it is my pleasure to be the first to wish you a happy birthday!
- Please accept my birthday greetings and my wishes that you have a long life filled with joy, prosperity and enough children to break a Guinness World Record!
- I actually ordered you a really expensive birthday cake, but it seems it got lost in that Mumbai-ish traffic.
- I don’t mean to hawk, but I have to admit that you are aging beautifully. I guess all of that curry really does do the body good!
- I wish you a happy birthday and prosperous life, or as you would say in India ‘Buddha bless you’.
- Even though you are from another part of the world, I am going to celebrate your birthday just like that of any one of my friends. In other words, somebody breakout the buddha!
- I asked my mom where I should take you for your birthday, and she said we should go down to the new deli.
- I wanted to get you a computer for your birthday, but you can probably build one from thin air anyway.
- I wanted to get you a giant birthday cake that a stripper pops out of, but she couldn’t fit inside while wearing a turban.
- Happy birthday to my dearest bud from the subcontinent, and may your mustache grow thicker than that of a police chief.
- I wanted to take this time to wish you a wonderful birthday and a life full of more fortune than the guy from Slumdog Millionaire.
- I invited my mom to your birthday party, but she says she hasn’t done any synchronized dancing since the Electric Slide.
- I hope you have the type of birthday celebration this year that would make even Buddha blush.
- I wanted to wish you a birthday as phat as a herd of elephants, but that sounds too much like a pun-jab.
- In recognition of your Indian culture, I decided to celebrate your birthday by cocking my head back and forth and writing a computer program.
- The shrines that we have in this country to celebrate birthdays are called drinking bars, and it is our tradition that we visit at least five of them on your special day!
- I don’t know whether today is your normal or astronomical birthday, so hopefully this gift will be able to cover them both.
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