7/ In South Africa, when you celebrate your 21st birthday, you receive a key as a gift
South African parents give a key to their children when they turn 21, which is a symbol for responsibility and the future that is opening up before them.
8/ In Nepal, coloured yoghurt is applied to the forehead
The Nepalese are literally good enough to eat on the day of their birthdays!
9/ In Ghana, the birthday cake consists of eggs and onions
The ‘”oto” is the traditional birthday breakfast in Ghana.
10/ In Germany, on your 16th birthday, you have your flour thrown on your head
In Germany, for your 16th birthday, you have flour thrown over your head (like in Jamaica). For your 18th, it’s an egg!
11/ On Minicoy Island, when babies reach 20 days old, the parents shave the baby’s hair and sell it
When they reach 20 days old, infants on Minicoy Island have their heads shaved by their parents. The fine hairs are weighed and the equivalent of this weight in silver is donated to a charitable organisation.
12/ In China, for a baby’s first birthday, they put objects in front of them to determine their future
On the day of a baby’s first birthday, they are placed in front of a number of objects (books, CDs, toys, money, the television, etc.) and the parents observe which item they reach for. This gives them an indication of what the child’s future will be like.
