Brazilians value their birthdays very much

Oi gente!! Tudo bem?

     I am Atsuko Hoshi Natalia, a Board Member of the Japan–Brazil Central Association, a Brazilian dentist, and the owner and instructor of H&A Consulting and its Portuguese language school.

     Born and raised in Santos, Brazil, I am a second-generation Japanese Brazilian and currently reside in Japan.

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I had a birthday the other day. When I opened the email or looked at the mailbox, there were more "Happy Birthday" message cards from shops than messages from friends 😅😅 It's that age 😅 Well, even if it's for business, I'm grateful that they took the time out of their busy schedule to send me the message card on my birthday💕

When I jokingly told a friend in Brazil that it would be difficult to extinguish the candles on the cake at this age, and he said, "You'll need a fire extinguisher to put out the candles 😅". What a humorous person (laughs).

But I'm grateful that I became this age, and I want to be a smiling "tia" (aunt) without worrying about wrinkles💕. Even though I am immature now, I would be happy if I could be of help to someone.

As you can see from the title of this blog, today's theme is "Brazilians value their birthdays very much."

When I was in elementary and junior high school, many birthday parties were held at home. When I was in high school, we often went out to eat pizza together, and when I was in college, I attended my cute nieces' birthday parties. Birthdays are not celebrated alone, and not only when you are a student, but even when you become an adult you also have a celebration, like cutting a cake or sing a birthday song at your office.

It's fun and makes me happy. I don't feel bad even when I grow up (I'm little bit embarrassed though) 💕. On the other hand, I get the impression that birthday parties are not that exciting moments in Japan. When my children were little, we used to have birthday parties at kindergarten, but when they grow up, it's no longer a special day. But if you are in Brazil, please say "Parabéns!!" on your friend's birthday 😊 even at your office. I'm sure they will be happy 💕

In Brazil, 1st and 15th birthday parties are big events. Nowadays, "classe média" (middle class) and "classe média alta" (upper middle class) families are likely to hold big birthday parties. They are like an entertainment.

At the party venue, you can see attractions like a small amusement park, luxurious food like a hotel restaurant course, smoke and music when children enter with their parents, just like a celebrity. I can't say everyone do this, but it's not unique.

Although Brazil is a socially disparate society, celebrations are indispensable even for families with financial difficulties. In addition to cake, they invite friends from the neighborhood to celebrate simply with sandwiches and fried foods.

During my stay in Brazil, I participated in a friend's daughter's 7th birthday party. The venue was reserved 6 months in advance. The number of invited guests was around 100 including the parents of the children. They prepared "lemrancinha" (return gift), cooking menu, children's playground (mini Ferris wheel, ball pool, etc.), etc. It must be a hard work.

But I was so delighted to see that my friend showed strong love to her daughter when they cut the cake😍. My friend must be tired from preparations and meetings, but on the day of the event, she seemed to forget her fatigue and enjoy herself with her daughter.

A week later, I was overwhelmed by the splendor of the 15th birthday party for my college friend's daughter. I enjoyed cloths changing, ballet presentation and her friends' dance presentation. There might be more than 100 people at the party as well. In Brazil, there is a tradition of presenting a daughter to society on her fifteenth birthday, and many people celebrate it in a grand manner.

Some people, however, choose “travel” as a gift instead of such a party. My niece went to the Caribbean and another friend's child went to France. My children's 15th birthday were quite Japanese style😅. There was nothing in particular 😅

But I always make my children's favorite dishes on their birthdays and buy a requested cake. Even when my children have grown up, it still continues... That's one of the joys of being a parent💕

Thank you for reading!!

Obrigada!!!

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