One of the questions you might ask your parents or grandparents is "Was your birthday celebrated?"
Perhaps not.
It's not unusual for me to see death certificates that reflect that the maiden name of a woman is unknown by her child. It's not unusual to see a variety of ages reported on documents, sometimes with such a wide range you question if it is the same person. This makes me wonder if perhaps the person themselves did not know their birthdate. (Be aware that on census, including the 1940, information could be taken from a neighbor or landlord or someone other than the family. Look at the bottom of the page for notes.)
Perhaps certain ethnicities, cultures, families, "never made a fuss." If you aren't counting birthdays, how do you determine if someone is marriageable? Don't apply today's standards about at what age a child leaves childhood behind. Fourteen was not considered too young to marry in many places.) In some places in Europe, people celebrated name days instead and name days often coordinated with the local parish's saints name calendar. Imagine a day when everyone named Mary or John celebrated!***
Maybe there is a lot of pain involved though when a family chooses not to recognize a member on their special day.
I met a man whose family has abandoned him. We were talking and he revealed it was his birthday.
He said that when relatives came into the city he lives in, they never contacted him.
He claimed he never celebrated his birthday anyway, but I could feel his pain.
What had he done, if anything, that he would be shunned?
Acknowledging the day a person was born is acknowledging their personhood.
Actually, he'd had some bad luck. A car accident that left a hip fractured, a long period of healing, a question of disability and pain pills that were addictive. This scenario is repeated every day - someone who was vital and working forced to stop in order to heal. Apparently his family is one that only appreciates and celebrates "human doings" and not human beings. They are generally quite wealthy but they are not sharing. No one took him in so he could heal. Now he's dependent on the government. He already knows he will not be able to return to work that's physical. So he's studying to be an ESL teacher.
The reason I'm posting this is to make you aware, if you're not, that remembering a person's birthday is an important part of growing and keeping a relationship.
C 2021 Ancestry Worship Genealogy
*** note added February 2 2021 In some countries they still do celebrate name days.
