Childrens Birthday Cakes

Childrens birthday cakes are so familiar, so much a part of our upbringing, that few of us have likely ever thought to ask where they come from. In fact, when I was a kid - and even now - where mine came from wasn't nearly as important as where it was going...into my mouth!

But actually, the history of children's birthday cakes is very interesting (yes, I said "history"). Don't worry, this is fun history.

Recently I came across an article about this wonderful piece of yearly joy. According to the blog "Raising and Caring", childrens birthday cakes date back all the way to the Greeks, where they were an offering to the Greek goddess Artemis. And those candles? They were on the cake so the smoke would carry the prayers of the folks up to Mount Olympus. Neat, huh?

Here a snippet of the article:

"Birthday cakes are said to have been discovered by the Greeks as a form of offering during the feast day of the goddess Artemis (goddess of the hunt and the moon). But children's birthday cakes, as some scholars perceive, were started by the Germans during the Middle Ages. Medieval Germans formed sweetened bread dough in the shape of the infant Christ wrapped in cloth."

Interesting, huh? Childrens birthday cakes are not only rich, but have a rich tradition.

So the next time you attend a birthday party, take a second and thank the Greeks (or the Germans) for an awesome tradition. And though you might not offer prayers up to Mount Olympus, you can amaze all your friends with the history of childrens birthday cakes.

Here's a link to the complete article.

I'd love to hear what you think.

Alyse