(Information for this article was supplied by several former residents of China)

          We didn’t celebrate birthdays every year as is done in the West when I was growing up in China.  The traditional way to count age was different, too.  We’d take the first day of the Chinese New Year from the lunar calendar as a starting point.  No matter in which month a child was born, he’d be one year old, and then one more year was added to his age as soon as he entered the New Year. 

          That was very puzzling to Westerners as a child in China could be two years old when he was actually two days or two hours old.  That would have been possible if the child had been born on the last day or hour of the past year.

          Most families in China didn’t calculate the age of their infants that way; they thought of them as being X days old.

          Some families had a small celebration on the infant’s third day of life, but it was very important to celebrate the end of the first month.  In  Buddhist or Taoist families, on the morning of the baby’s 30^th day, sacrifices were offered to the gods so that the baby would be protected during its life.  Ancestors were informed of the arrival of the new member in the family, and relatives and friends received gifts from the child’s parents. 

          The type of gift varied from place to place, but eggs dyed red were commonly used.  Red eggs were chosen because they symbolized the changing process of life, and their round shape was a symbol of a harmonious and happy life.  They were red as that is a sign of happiness in Chinese culture.  In addition to eggs, food-like cakes, chicken, and ham were often used as gifts, and, as observed during the Spring Festival, gifts were given only in even numbers.

            During the celebration, relatives and friends of the family returned some of the presents that the child might need, i.e. food and gold and silver.  The commonest gift received was always money wrapped in red paper although grandparents might gave their grandchild gold or silver to show their deep love.  It was usually in the form of jewelry on a chain.  The jewelry, called suo pian, was in the form of a lock so that the infant would have a firm hold on life.  In the evening, the child’s parents provided a feast either at home or at a nearby restaurant.

          Similar celebrations were held on the infant’s 100^th day.

          Traditionally, Chinese people did not pay a lot of attention to birthdays until the sixtieth year and every 10 years thereafter.  To make the occasion grand, other relatives and friends were invited to the celebration.  In the Chinese culture today, 60 years completes the cycle of life and 61 is regarded as the beginning of a new life cycle. When one is 60 years old, he is expected to have a big family filled with children and grandchildren. It is an age to be proud of. That's why elderly people start to celebrate their birthdays then.  

          It used to be that the first of the 10-year celebrations was held on the 50^th birthday, as many people didn’t live much longer than that, but today there are many more aged people.

          As the homophone for the character “nine” means “a long time”, many families celebrated the 60^th birthday on the fifty-ninth, and followed that pattern every 10 years.  The size of the celebration would continue to increase as the person aged.   

          It was often the grownup sons and daughters who celebrated their elderly parents' birthdays.  That is because they wanted to show their respect and express their appreciation for what had been done for them.  There is still a custom of expressing filial devotion by kneeling in front of the parent whose birthday is being observed.

          In accordance with traditional customs, the parents are offered foods with happy symbolic implications. On the birthday morning the father or mother eats a bowl of long "long-life noodles” as they symbolize long life.  Great care is exercised in their preparation to avoid cutting them, as that would have a bad implication.  Eggs are also among the favorite choices of food eaten at that time.  

         “Peaches of immortality”, sometimes called “longevity peaches” are served at the birthday dinner.  Those names come from Taoist mythology that tells us that the Emperor Jade provided them for the Queen Mother of the West on her birthday.  They came from a magical peach tree in the royal orchard of heaven.  That tree produced fruit every 1000 years and granted immortality to those who ate the fruit.  The longevity peach is therefore a very special treat for it gives you the hope of living 1000 years.

          It is interesting to note that the peaches are not real.  They are steamed buns with sweet fillings such as lotus paste.  They’re called peaches as they’re made in that shape. 

          Typical birthday presents are usually two or four eggs, long noodles, artificial peaches, tonics, wine, and money in red paper.

          Wealthy Chinese people feel free to have birthday celebrations for members of their families as often as they wish.  Many guests are invited, and they can be so lavish that each course completely fills the vehicle in which it is delivered.  When that course has been consumed, another vehicle arrives, and before the evening is over, as many as 10 vehicles may have been used.

          Guests at such sumptuous affairs are happy to arrive with gifts of as much as  $100 a person, as it is hoped that by solidifying the relationship benefits will be received in the future.  Less wealthy families have such celebrations less often and the gifts are considerably less.  Poorer families invite only their extended families and the gifts are very modest. 

          Nowadays, a birthday cake is used for most birthdays, and the Western “Happy Birthday to You” is sung.  Traditional music is still important, however.  It varies in different parts of China, but the tunes are played with instruments such as the transverse flute, vertical flute, mouth organ, short lute, three-stringed long lute, and the two-stringed fiddle.  One of the popular songs for the older people is called Wan shou wu jiang.  It expressed the wish that they will attain boundless longevity.

          Here’s a longevity peach (shou tao) that has been opened to show the  lotus paste inside.   Sometimes they’re called “pan tao” – peach of heaven.