The meaning of your 60th birthday is significant in many cultures for many different reasons. In the western world, this is seen as a huge milestone as in many places this was and in some still is the retirement age. This is where one chapter of your life closes and the age of retirement opens to you.
This is celebrated in the same was as childhood ends and adulthood starts at the ages of 18 and 21 in western culture and is too seen as a new beginning. It has less significance in the western world.
In the eastern parts of the globe the 60th birthday is celebrated in a similar way but for a bit of a different reason. It is seen as the start of a new part of your life as you will have done 5 full cycles of the Chinese calendar and after 5 cycles, the planetary cycle comes the same, the planets are in the same place as when you were born and this is seen as a very big part in the life of an older person.
There are large celebrations in the same way as a birth is celebrated. Traditional celebrations include a party, that should be organised by the older of the children and should have all of the people that the 60 year old person known present, young and old. This really is a family event.
The food at these celebrations includes noodles, which represent long life. These are traditionally made by children for these parties as the children are the start of new life and this brings the big birthday event full circle.
There are also cakes, usually made from rice and honey, moulded into peaches which also is said to symbolise long life.
This is celebrated in the same was as childhood ends and adulthood starts at the ages of 18 and 21 in western culture and is too seen as a new beginning. It has less significance in the western world.
In the eastern parts of the globe the 60th birthday is celebrated in a similar way but for a bit of a different reason. It is seen as the start of a new part of your life as you will have done 5 full cycles of the Chinese calendar and after 5 cycles, the planetary cycle comes the same, the planets are in the same place as when you were born and this is seen as a very big part in the life of an older person.
There are large celebrations in the same way as a birth is celebrated. Traditional celebrations include a party, that should be organised by the older of the children and should have all of the people that the 60 year old person known present, young and old. This really is a family event.
The food at these celebrations includes noodles, which represent long life. These are traditionally made by children for these parties as the children are the start of new life and this brings the big birthday event full circle.
There are also cakes, usually made from rice and honey, moulded into peaches which also is said to symbolise long life.
