Blowing out the candles on a birthday cake is a long tradition that has taken root in many countries. I don't want to ruin your holiday, but this millennium-old tradition is actually quite dangerous as it promotes a lot of bacteria on the surface of your birthday cake. According to a new study by scientists from Clemson University in South Carolina, blowing out candles on a birthday cake can actually increase the amount of bacteria that settle on its glaze by 1400 percent. 
What is dangerous birthday cake
In their rather succinctly titled study Bacteria Spread Associated with Blowing Out Birthday Cake Candles, which was published in Food Research, the scientists made a mock-up of styrofoam wrapped in tin foil with candles on top. 
Participants in the study first had to eat a slice of hot pizza to simulate a birthday party where the birthday person eats some food before the birthday cake was placed in front of them. Any food stimulates the salivary glands and leads to the spread of bacteria in the mouth. The participants then blew out the candles. 
The researchers then collected samples from the foil and placed them in a bacteria-friendly environment. The experiment was repeated three times on separate days. It turned out that on average, this tradition increases the number of bacteria on the cake by 15 times. 
It all depends on the birthday
However, it turned out that some people who blow out candles contribute to the spread of bacteria more than others. As everyday experience suggests, some people produce more saliva than others. For example, one of the participants in the experiment contributed to an increase in the number of bacteria by 120 times. 
“Some people can blow out the candles on the cake and still not tolerate any bacteria. But there are also people who, for some reason, actually carry a lot of bacteria,” said Professor Paul Dawson, who was the lead author of this study. 
Should we abandon tradition?
While this is all disgusting, don't worry too much if you've already been invited to a birthday party where candles are to be blown out by the birthday boy. As the authors of the study note, bacteria are part of everyday life. 
It is true that a few potentially harmful germs, such as streptococcus or staphylococcus aureus, may be on a birthday cake, but not in numbers that can harm you. After all, people have probably been doing this for thousands of years, and "birthday cake death" is very rare on death certificates.
"It's not too much of a health risk," Dawson added. “In fact, even if you blow the candles 100,000 times, the chance of getting sick will still be minimal.” 
As you can see, blowing out candles will not have fatal consequences, but if you are looking for a reason to deny yourself sweets, you can use this one.
Why did the cake become a symbol of birthday celebrations? Why are candles put into the cake? And why do the candles on the cake need to be blown out? This question is now difficult to answer. Cakes in our culture appeared relatively recently. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers most likely did not hear anything about cakes. They baked loaves and pies for the holidays.
Translated from Italian and Latin, torta means round bread. But round bread was most likely originally, since the circle is a simpler form for baking. If you knead the dough and just put it in the oven, it will bake in the form of a circle. Rectangular shapes appeared to save energy during baking and ease of storage and transportation. This happened most likely when the growth of cities began. It required saving space and ease of transportation and storage. So from the name it is not clear where the cake came from.
Loaf is also round bread. Traditional bread of the Slavs, which was baked for the wedding. It is made from rich dough and skillfully decorated with elements from the same dough. Perhaps he is the progenitor of the cake. It was decorated with fruits. In winter, fruits were replaced with multi-colored cream. In the desire to surprise and make the loaf more delicious, they began to decorate it with multi-colored cream and add it inside. Perhaps that was the case.
Candles on the cake
Now about the candles on the cake. Fire has always played a special role in human life. In ancient times, with its help, they attracted the attention of the gods. The fire warmed the dwelling and cooked food on it. Candles, as the cradle of fire, appeared shortly after its taming by man. And in one form or another have survived to this day.
The burning candles on the cake symbolize the energy of the universe; warmth and comfort; communication with the higher worlds. While the candles are burning, you make a wish. This is considered the most opportune moment for your request to be recorded in the universe. The probability of fulfillment of desire depends on the strength of intention. It is necessary to think about desire with positive emotions, blow out the candles and leave the fulfillment of desire to the will of fate.
The number of candles, which increases with age, symbolizes the difficulty of achieving desires with age. The reason for this may be clogging of consciousness and weakness of intention.
Several classic theories about the origin of birthday candles
Celebrating a birthday with a big delicious cake has been customary since ancient times. So, the Romans, gathering together for a holiday, were treated to pastries prepared for this special occasion. But have you ever wondered who was the first person who had the idea to light a fire on a cake?
Some believe that the tradition of putting candles on birthdays originated in ancient Greece, when people brought cakes decorated with lit candles to the temple of Artemis. The flickering of a candle was associated by the Greeks with the light of the moon, a symbol of the goddess of the hunt.
It was also a popular belief in many ancient cultures that smoke lifted prayers to heaven. The modern tradition of making a wish before blowing out the candles may be related to similar beliefs.
Others believe that the custom of putting candles on a birthday cake is a ritual of a later origin and was founded by the Germans. So, in 1746, Count Ludwig von Sisindorf celebrated his birthday with an extravagant festival. Of course, at the celebration there was a cake so huge that it would not fit in any oven, and candles - according to the number of years of the birthday.
It is also worth mentioning that in the 18th century the Germans used candles in holding children's parties. On a child's birthday, a single candle was placed in the center of the cake, representing the light of life.
A common tradition associated with celebrating a birthday? Even a child will immediately answer that on this holiday, the celebrant is served a festive cake decorated with beautiful, lit candles in an amount equal to the birthday of the birthday person. Next, a person must make a wish and blow out all the candles on the first attempt, while the desire is kept in strict secrecy, it is believed that it is precisely when all these rules are observed that the desire will surely come true.
All this interesting action takes place under the songs, clapping, chocolate fountains, the launch of Chinese lanterns and the joy of those gathered to congratulate the celebrating his birthday. For an adult audience, when the cake simply cannot accommodate the required number of candles, another option can be offered: arrange the required number of candles in a circle, and inside this circle, perform a belly dance with candles. Believe me, there will be even more delight than in childhood! The tradition of lighting candles on a birthday cake exists in many countries, both in Europe and in Australia and America. But where did this tradition come from, what is it connected with? There are several versions of the origin of the tradition of placing and lighting candles on a birthday cake.
Lighting candles on a birthday cake is a long tradition that exists in many countries and is the most common. A cake with lit candles according to the number of years of the birthday person is, as a rule, the culminating part of the holiday, which completes the series of congratulations and wishes from relatives and friends. And now it's hard to imagine a birthday without the song "Happy Birthday to you!", making a wish and blowing out the candles. But hardly any of us know where this tradition came from and why candles are lit on the cake on birthdays. There are many versions and legends, but there is no documentary evidence.
The first takes us to ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks baked pies, yellow, and brought them to the temple, as a gift to the goddess of the moon - Artemis. In this case, the cake symbolized the moon, and the candle lit on it symbolized its light.
Another legend tells that the custom of decorating a cake with burning candles came from Ancient Persia. In those distant times, the inhabitants of the East had a custom to present a freshly baked cake with a burning candle as a gift to revered guests, thus expressing sincerity and warmth of feelings.
According to the third version, the tradition first appeared in medieval England. Various "secret" items were hidden in the cake that was baked for the birthday, usually these were coins or small jewelry. At the laid festive table, the cake was solemnly cut and treats were distributed to all the guests present. Everyone present anxiously expected that the treasured ring or coin would be in his piece of cake, because. it promised wealth and prosperity.
The fourth says that the tradition of lighting and blowing out candles on a cake, while making a cherished wish, appeared in Germany. It was believed that the smoke from extinguished candles takes the wish made straight to heaven and contributes to its speedy fulfillment. In Germany, even in the Middle Ages, they knew how to make beautiful wax candles. On birthdays, candles were placed in the center of the cake, symbolizing the light of life. It was believed that when the birthday boy blows them out, his breath takes the desire straight to heaven. In the XIII century, a cake with candles was an indispensable attribute of a children's birthday in the villages of Germany.
The birthday boy was awakened at dawn with songs and brought him a cake with burning candles. However, he was not allowed to blow out the candles and start eating the confectionery. The cake had to stand in this form until dinner: the candles that burned out were changed to new ones. And only at dinner the birthday boy got the right to blow out the candles and make a wish. As now, the wish had to be kept secret in order to come true, and the candles had to be blown out at once. But candles were lit not as much as the age of the child, but one more. AT
In Germany, there was even a special folklore character "birthday gnome" who brings birthday presents - just like Santa Claus brings them on New Year's Eve. In our time, there are no such gnomes, but the tradition of blowing out candles has remained.
The fifth legend tells about the origin of the tradition in Russia, even at a time when paganism was the main religion. It was believed that on his birthday, the birthday boy should be surrounded exclusively by friends and relatives. The candle on the cake was supposed to protect the birthday man from the thoughts and actions of enemies and ill-wishers.
Like sacrificial fires, burning candles have long had a mystical meaning, and there was a belief that a candle lit on a birthday was a guarantee of the fulfillment of a wish. However, the desire (which must remain secret) will only come true if the candles are blown out. Candles lose their magical power if the desire is spoken out loud. "
It was believed that on the day of the name day next to the person there is always his guardian angel (after all, this is his holiday). If you make a wish and blow out the candles, then your message has been received by the angel, and it will certainly be fulfilled. One important feature of this ritual is that the wish made by the birthday man will certainly come true if he succeeds in extinguishing all the candles on the cake with one exhalation.
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Holiday traditions, as a rule, originate from ancient rituals. A striking example is the custom of blowing out candles on a birthday cake and making a wish. This is done by people of different cultures and in different parts of the world. But how many of them have thought about why they do it?
Where did the tradition of blowing out candles come from?
In the 18th century, it was customary in Germany to light candles for every child's birthday. On this day, a cake with candles was placed in a prominent place. There were always one more than the number of years that the child was executing, since one additional candle symbolized the future. The candles remained lit throughout the day and were replaced if they went out. In the evening, the child blew out the candles and made a wish. According to beliefs, the rising smoke was supposed to convey the desire directly to God.
By the way, the ancient Greeks had something similar: at celebrations in honor of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and the moon, they also used pies with lit candles. The ancient Greeks left them in temples, bringing them as a gift to the goddess. A round cake symbolized the moon, and lit candles meant moonlight. Just as in the case of the German custom, it was believed that the smoke conveyed the prayers of people to the gods.
You briefly mention in the video on the site that you can't blow out the candles on the cake.
Why?
V.A. Shemshuk:
Dear Ekaterina!
I wrote about the inadmissibility of blowing out candles on a cake during a birthday in the book “Noobiocenosis - Touching Svarog”. There is a theory of reference points of time, events in which lead to success or failure. In general, this book analyzes all the Catholic rites that are common today, which are passed off as Russian. I repeat. If you light a candle at the moment of your birth, and then blow it out, it means establishing a connection with your birth and the extinguished candle. In Nature, as in any organism, unfortunately, and sometimes fortunately (for those who know), there are conditioned reflexes that establish connections between different phenomena occurring at the same time. In this case, you are setting up a death reflex because you link the birth of a person to the blowing out of a candle (stopping combustion, which is an oxidative reaction inherent in life). After several such "successful" birthdays, the birthday boy ends his life with a sudden death, which happens even among young people.
