What is the first thing that clicks your mind when you hear the word ‘birthday’? Cake, party (and a little booze), right? That's how we have been celebrating birthdays all these years and might do the same for the rest of the year. Birthdays were a big deal as we were growing up (still are, at least for me). For one day, the world seemed to revolve around me. The best part of birthday eve was celebrating it with cake and candles, inviting all your school friends, and playing the whole evening away. That pretty much summed up a birthday. If that reminded you how badly you miss a cake, get a cake delivery right now.

But have you ever wondered about different countries and their birthday celebrating traditions? I don't think so. You know, not every country has the same birthday celebration idea. Different cultures have traditional ways to celebrate a birthday. I have made a list of some cool birthday rituals around the world. Now, obviously, this does not include every single family of that country, as it's an individual's choice, but at least if you see any men doing any of the following, you will know what they are up to.

Canada

Canadian people usually make their ways on every list. Their traditional ways of celebrating a birthday include surprisingly attacking and smearing butter on birthday boy’s or birthday girl’s nose. Though I have heard that butter is good for the skin and it needs no further justification, but the real reason for this act is to render you so slippery that any kind of bad luck or negativity slips off.

Ireland

In Ireland, birthday traditions are taken to a whole new level. The ritual is to hold up the birthday person upside down and bang his head on the deck, once for each year of the person's age and one extra for good luck. I wonder what would they do to a person in their seventies or eighties.

People making this tradition must be very high on toxicants.

Norway

Norway has its own Norwegian birthday song that is completely different from our birthday song version. It even includes a dance. The song starts with “Hurra for Deg”. They also eat chocolate cake on birthdays as a tradition. Well, that is something even you can do. Get a chocolate cake delivery at your doorstep and Celebrate birthday the Norwegian way.

Vietnam

People of Vietnam love to do things their way. Unlike other countries, everyone in Vietnam celebrates their birthdays on one day irrespective of the day they were actually born. Yes, that’s true. That day is called ‘Tet’ and it marks as the new year’s beginning. Wow, now that is something big because you get to celebrate your birthday with the whole nation. Kids even receive a red envelope by their parents containing ‘luck money’ as a birthday gift.

Jamaica

You’ll love this tradition. Jamaicans throw flour at birthday girl or boy as a part of the tradition. Irrespective of the age, people coat or lightly dust the birthday person at the birthday party of by a surprise attack. Sounds fun, right? Unless the birthday person was going for an interview.

Also, in Jamaica, it is considered bad luck to marry on a birthday for both bride and groom.

Mexico

Mexicans surely know how to celebrate a birthday. The traditions begin with hanging a pinata ( a paper mache figure filled with candies and toys), then the birthday boy or girl is blindfolded and asked to hit the pinata with a broomstick till it burst open and spills out all the candies. Its a fun tradition for kids (and adults like me). Don't know about you, but I’m sure feeling ten again. 

Switzerland

Have you heard about a stalking bozo? Well, you will now. Switzerland has the weirdest birthday tradition I've come across, oh! and scariest too. In this, parents hire a scary looking clown who will go on to stalk and torment their kid everywhere possible and then finally occurring before them only to smash a cake on kid’s face. This can start weeks before the birthday and clown can go on to torture with texts and calls too. This can easily scare the shit out of anybody, but Surprisingly, kids love it. Would you swap your birthday cake with a tradition like this?

You just learned some new traditions from around the world. The variety is endless. Why don't you give the party a skip this time on your birthday and try one of these traditions? 

But that surely does not mean that you can skip the cake eating part, so get a birthday cake online in Mumbai because cakes are mandatory. Oh, and happy birthday to you.