A birthday is a reason to celebrate. But why? What are the reasons for many of our birthday celebrations?

The idea of celebrating the date of your birth is a pagan tradition. In fact, many Christians didn’t celebrate birthdays historically, because of that link to paganism.

Pagans thought that evil spirits lurked on days of major changes, like the day you turn a year older.

The ancient Greeks believed that each person had a spirit that attended his or her birth, and kept watch.

So why do we blow out candles?

The candles were a response to the evil spirits. They showed up to communicate with the gods. A light, in the darkness.

The Germans are credited with starting the kids birthday tradition in the 1700s. They put candles on tortes for “kinderfeste,” one for each year of life, along with some extras to signify upcoming years.

Who’s Birthday is today?

On October 22, 1936, 65 employees signed on as charter members with assets totaling $2,517, calling themselves Mutelco Oahu Employees Federal Credit Union. This was the start of what is now Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union. Today, Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union has over 50,000 members and are one of the top 5 credit unions in Hawaii with a reputation for combining personalized service with technologically advanced personal banking solutions. They attribute all this to their loyal members! Happy Birthday, Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union! 

Learn more about their broad array of services online, follow their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news and updates, or call the credit union at 832-8700 on Oahu or toll-free at (800) 272-5255 with any questions.