From: mmcneal@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Michele L McNeal)
Subject: Re: Pagan birthday celebration
Date: 30 Jul 1993 13:52:37 GMT

Mr Brendon Hatcher writes:
> Main question (probably only question at the moment): Do pagans (in
> particular Wiccans) celebrate birthdays and, if so, how.

My pagan friends certainly feel no compunction about celebrating
birthdays...  One woman prefers to celebrate the day she changed her
legal name to her pagan name...

We just do regular birthday types of things: have a party, cake
(usually decorated with some appropriate symbols, etc.), friends (both
pagan and non-) over for a cookout.

On a more personal level, I do some intense self examination before my
birthdays to try and figure out where I've been (especially for the
past year) and where I'm going... this usually includes some form of
divination (tarot, scrying, etc.)

For big birthdays (decades) we are looking at doing a sort of "life
change" ritual, but this is still in the talking stage.

Hope this helps!

Michele

From: blchapma@eos.ncsu.edu (BEKKI LYN)
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 18:44:46 GMT

cn573@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Ray Henry) writes:
> As for how I celebrate my birthday, I've found a glass of wine
> and an evening meditation sufficient.
> I, too, would be interested to know how other pagan celebrate birthdays.

My parents get me my favorite kind of ice cream cake.  Chocolate mint
chip with fudge from Baskin Robbins.  Needless to say, I have a true
feast on that day.

I also have lots of activities I can go to as my birthday is on New
Year's Eve, but I usually spend it pretty quietly.  Since I met my
boyfriend, we celebrate together since his is on New Year's Day.  --

Bekki Lyn

From: ceci@lysator.liu.se (Cecilia Henningsson)
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1993 02:36:59 GMT

Well, figuring that having a good time is the main thing here, I
usually invite a few good friends, make a cake, fire up the electric
kettle and then everyone eats cakes and drinks tea, and we chat and we
debate vehemently and everyone has a generally good time. Now that's a
real birthday party! Some of my best friends are Christians, so I
don't do anything overtly Pagan at the celebration.

As a contrast, I like to start up a background job that considers my
life so far. Actually, last year I found out that one way of seeing my
past, is that I've been trying to remedy all the problems I
accumulated during my childhood at least since I moved to Linkoeping
in -85. I remember doing a tarot reading, too, but I haven't looked at
it since. Hm, wonder where the notes are.

Anyroad, the main thing is to have fun and do something that feels
important to you. One last thing: Make the cake big enough for all the
candles, and don't be ashamed over their number.  
Pinball blessings,
--Ceci