Birthday Traditions in Argentina- thoughts?

[Rease]

This is my second birthday in Argentina (today!) and I am still getting used to certain traditions. When I was here in 2006 I remember finding out that instead of spankings here, they tug on your ear for the amount of years you are turning. That is similar enough.

However, now that I work in an office I was totally surprised to find out that the birthday person is expected to bring in facturas or a baked good for everyone! I thought that was crazy that the birthday person does the buying!

Has anyone heard about any other birthday traditions here or have any birthday stories?

 

[Roxana]

Here you are not expected to send thank you cards to anyone!!! A nice comment or phone call is enough.

 

[nikad]

Bringing something ( usually sweet such as facturas or a small cake ) is expected at most offices that is true, kids are expected to take a small cake or candy to school to share with their classmates.

The spanking is done but really only among young teenager boys. The ear thing is done with everybody no matter how old they are ( there has to be a certain level of friendship or relationship though ).

Something that you might see is that when they cut the birthday cake they do a circle in the middle of the cake and then slice the rest: that round center bit is for the birthday person.

You do not wish anybody happy birthday in advance as it is believed to bring bad luck, same goes with anticipated birthday gifts...I cannot think of anything else, but will update if I do

 

[Rease]

Yeah I have also heard of the bad luck to wish in advance..which I totally screwed up by celebrating my birthday all weekend because I didn't want to wait a whole week afterwards!

 

[PhilipDT]

Spankings???????????? wtf....?

 

[fifs2]

Nikad's comments beautifully sum up what I have come to take for granted re the ear and cake thing...one custom I found odd was buying intimate items for people you work with. By intimate I dont mean underwear, but rather familiar .ie one year one guy in the office was given a pair of shoes as a gift..that's strangely intimate for someone you work with..but as birthdays are really valued here as are all anniversaries I have come to love it and hope the people buying my gifts include some girlfriends who know me and not the HR guy who got me a horrific orange shirt that would have fit two of me!

 

[angelskywalker]

When you turn 15, your classmates and/or friends will wait for you after school and throw eggs, flour, polenta and so on on your head. It's supposed to be a big celebration...... (I never liked it myself.... some people think it's funny!) And the same will happen when you get your degree from college.
When you are a kid, if you wear new shoes, everybody will step on them, so that they don't look new anymore....
We're not into sending X-mas cards to family or friends.
In an office I used to work, I made the celebration of birthdays, a tradition. I used to ring the birthday boy (I was the only woman there) and asked him which cake he wanted from an internet site. Then, before leaving, we all got together to sing happy birthday, share the cake, have a laugh and so on. That's better than expecting someone to bring their own cake, which I think is sad!