Birthday Celebrations from Canada

In Canada at birthday parties they serve homemade birthday cakes decorated with colored sugar sprinkles. Between the layers of the cake a wrapped coin might be found. Whomever finds it is the first to get a turn at all the party games. At the parties children receive colorful party favors called crackers. These are tubes wrapped in crepe paper. They pop when you pull a paper strip. Inside there is a small prize, your fortune or a hat.

The official language in most parts is English, but, in Quebec the language is French.

In Atlantic Canada such as Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, the birthday child is ambushed and their nose is greased for good luck. The greased nose makes the child too slippery for bad luck to catch them. This tradition is reputed to be of Scottish decent.

In Canada the sweet sixteen party is held for the girls. The symbol for the sweet sixteen party is sugar.

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