What will Chinese people do to celebrate birthday? What are the customs in birthday celebration in China?
Regarding the topic of celebrating birthdays, having a great meal will the most usual way Chinese people celebrate their birthdays. As a matter of fact, most Chinese customs in particular those old customs are related to having various types of food symbolizing different wishes. In particular the when the elder exceeds the age of 60, families will gather together to celebrate for the annual birthday for the him/her. Families and friends will wish good words and come to share the joy with the elder.
Longevity Peaches (Steamed Buns)
Longevity Noodles (Shou Mian in Chinese)
The food shown up in the dining table varies from place to place, but there are two dishes that are widely accepted: Longevity Peaches (Steamed Buns or ShouBao in Chinese) and Longevity Noodles (Shou Mian in Chinese). People around the table will all eat these two dishes with hope to share the longevity with the elder who is at his or her birthday. From the long existing Chinese tradition, again we can see that in the Chinese culture respecting the elders is a widely accepted social custom. In particular when one exceeds 60’s birthday, basically his or her parents would probably have already passed away. Chinese people believed that these elders should be respected and accompanied now and then. This is probably the true reason why the elders’ birthday is annually and decently celebrated. From this perspective, Chinese elders should be happier with the surrounding of the offspring from time to time.