In the modern world, a cake decorated with candles is the most famous tradition associated with celebrating a birthday. The birthday man must mentally make a wish and blow out all the candles on the holiday cake with one breath - if he succeeds, the desire will certainly come true. But where did this tradition come from - decorating the cake with candles?
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Ancient history
At the expense of decorating the cake with candles, there are several opinions that intersect with ancient history. According to one of these theories, the ancient Greeks presented the round cakes with candles to Artemis - the goddess of the moon. The rounded shape of these pies and the burning lights of candles symbolized the moon illuminating the darkness of night. Another theory says that a cake with candles first appeared in medieval England, where it was customary to bake a birthday cake on a birthday, in which various objects were hidden - coins, a bell, rings and other small souvenirs.
A person who found any of these items in his piece of the holiday pie could predict his future from it.
People who lived many years ago were convinced that blowing out lighted candles on the cake while making a wish guaranteed them the fulfillment of this desire. It was believed that an angel who heard a mental request would take it to heaven with God along with smoke from a puffed candle. However, this desire could not be voiced to anyone, because then his magical power was irretrievably lost.