German Birthday Ring Tradition

These are beautifully decorated wooden rings that usually contain ten to twelve holes one for each year of life as a child.

German birthday ring tradition.

Each year you choose a birthday ring object that is representative of something your child has learned or experienced during the year to add to your birthday ring. If you are a single female and are turning 30 your northern german friends might expect you to clean a few door handles or door knobs with a toothbrush of all things. No one will mention your birthday beforehand. Your birthday is the one day of the year where it s all about you unless you live in germany.

The birthday ring is a german birthday tradition. Wooden celebration rings with 12 16 or 24 holes. Another very odd and sort of mean birthday tradition in northern germany is having to perform a chore on your 30th birthday if you are still single that is. The ornaments can reflect the season or a child s favorite interest.

The waldorf birthday ring tradition. For birthday greetings in germany alles alles gute zum geburtstag is still probably the favorite phrase used everything everything good for your birthday but the english happy birthday is not far behind these days. And there is a more formal ich gratuliere zum geburtstag congratulations on your birthday. A wonderful part of any celebration that will be looked forward to year after year.

Originally a german tradition for celebrating a young child s birthday many waldorf inspired families are now incorporating this simple but beautiful tradition at home. The waldorf birthday ring tradition originating in germany has many variations. One of my favorite waldorf traditions is the waldorf birthday ring. A birthday ring consists of a wooden circle with holes representing each year of life.

Some families place candles in the holes of the ring corresponding to the number of years the child is turning so 3 candles for 3 years old and then fill the remaining holes with wood and other decorations symbolizing the child s interests or events of the year. Some families opt to light candles in such geburtstagskränze instead of on the cake though blowing out candles on a birthday cake is frequently observed in germany as well. You may be forced to do housekeeping chores. You ll be expected to buy your own birthday cake to share with everyone.

It is a symbolic way to celebrate the anniversary of a child s birth and show reverence for each year of their life thus far. They are fantastic additions to nature tables as well. Coloured natural white or pink the variety is endless. The birthday rings and ornaments by grimm s let you make a personalized table decoration for birthdays and other festive occasions.

How to use the grimms celebration ring as a birthday celebration ring.