Birth daze!

Example of a birthday cake with candles

Jewish tradition of chair lifting on birthdays.

Birthdays are celebrated in different ways all around the world.  Some of the most interesting traditions I have heard are lifting the birthday person in a chair, spraying the person with flour and lifting the birthday child is upside down and bumping them to the floor for good luck. In Vietnam, everyone’s birthday is celebrated on New Year’s Day.  Not only is the beginning of a new year, it is also everyone's birthday. The Vietnamese do not know or acknowledge the exact day they were born.

In America, birthdays are usually celebrated by singing the birthday song, eating cake and ice cream and usually having a birthday party or some special event. It is also customary for friends and family to give gifts to the person celebrating the birthday. Some children may also like to give birthday taps or punches to birthday person.

Skydiving

Skydiving on my birthday

My birthday is coming up in a few days and I am a bit undecided about how I should celebrate it. I usually like to mark my birthday milestone by completing one item from my bucket list. So far I have gone skydiving, gotten a tattoo, seen a Broadway play, become a vegetarian, amongst many other things. My father thinks that I have gotten too old for extravagant birthday celebrations and need to just relax on my birthday. But I doubt I will listen to him. This year I am contemplating going on a helicopter ride through New York City. I am a bit of a thrill seeker and I would also like to finally purchase my own motorcycle this year.

 Vocabulary

1. acknowledge- (verb)-to say that you accept or do not deny the truth or existence of (something)
2. skydiving-(noun)-the sport of jumping from an airplane and falling through the sky before opening a parachute.
3. extravagant-(adjective)-very fancy
4. thrill seeker ( noun)-a person who enjoys taking part in extreme sports and other activities involving physical risk
5. motorcycle (noun)-a motor vehicle resembling a bicycle but larger and heavier; engine powered.
6. tattoo-(noun)- A design made on the skin with a temporary dye such as henna or ink.

Vocabulary Exercise
In one paragraph, explain how birthdays are celebrated where you are from. Also include your favorite birthday memory.

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Grammatical Point

 A bucket list a  list of things that you would like to complete before you die. It is usually a list of special achievements or aspirations that you hope to accomplish in your lifetime. Some people like to learn a foreign language, skydive, or visit exotic countries. It is taken from the English idiom "kick the bucket". meaning to die or pass away. The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes idioms as " an expression that cannot be understood from the meaning of it separate words, but has a meaning of its own." Can you name any idioms form where you are from? What do they mean?