How Are Birthdays Celebrated in Egypt?

When it comes to birthdays, everyone celebrates in their own way, but what makes Egyptian celebrations different from any other?

Cakes

Egyptian birthday cakes are a little different than American cakes. You won't find buttercream and whipped icing cakes, but more traditional cakes. Fondant is becoming more popular and you will find that bakers combine creativity with humor, just like in America. Birthday cakes in Egypt do spell out "Happy Birthday" with the name and often the age the person is turning.

Parties

Like in America, parties can be small with close friends and family or be a huge celebration. You will find both in Egypt. As long as you have the people that matter the most, usually friends and family, it will feel like a party back home. Middle Eastern families are usually very tight-knit and the celebration of any event is spent with family and friends.

Music

Songs are sung at Egyptian birthday parties, but it is more so for children. You can search the internet for birthday songs and perhaps you could play some at the party. Arabic is a very difficult language and having your guests learn a song in Arabic may be difficult. There is nothing wrong with singing the traditional "Happy Birthday" song at all.

As you can see, Middle Eastern birthdays are not very different than in America. Of course, this varies based on the country and even region. While many of these suggestions are based on experiences in Egyptian culture, they are not necessarily uniform traditions throughout the culture.