The Origin of Birthday Cake

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In the 15th century, the bakeries in Germany conceived the idea of marketing cakes for customers’ birthdays, as well as for their weddings. They were mostly used for the birthdays to childrens and thus these celebrations were referred to as Kinderfest. It was during this time period that cakes began to be layered and laden with new ingredients in order to render them sweeter and less bread-like. These kinds of cakes were called Geburtstagorten by the Germans.

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The tradition of placing candles on cakes can be attributed to the Ancient Greeks, who baked cakes to honor Artemis, the goddess of the moon. The theory behind the practice was that the light from the candles made the cake itself glow like the moon. It is also believed that the smoke from the candles carried their prayers to the Gods. This tradition has survived to a certain extent today. We may not say a prayer or “doa” when we blow out birthday candles, but most of us do still make a wish.

Source: Google

The earliest reference to the tradition of blowing out birthday candles was documented Switzerland in 1881. Researchers for the Folk-Lore Journal recorded various “superstitions” amongst the Swiss middle class. The following statement was recorded, ““A birthday-cake must have lighted candles arranged around it, one candle for each year of life. Before the cake is eaten the person whose birthday it is should blow out the candles one after another.”

Source: Google