A Tahitian Birthday Tradition…One Extra Candle
By Ann LeFlore
@poehere (15123)
French Polynesia
November 1, 2015 2:38pm CST
I left a comment on a post for another person and said that leaving 1 orange on a tree was the same as leaving 1 unlit candle on a birthday cake. I had a few people saying they never heard of this before. So here is the Tahitian tradition for birthdays.
This tradition has been celebrated for years here on the islands. Each year when your birthday comes another member of your family bakes you a cake and decorates it for you. They add on the number of candles for your age and then off in one corner or in the center of the cake they add 1 extra candle.
This candle is never lit and it symbolizes that you’ll have a wonderful year and be here to celebrate your next birthday. Many families keep this candle and use it on the cake next year. This time the candle is lit and a new one takes its place.
Children love this tradition and the thought behind this one candle. It shows the love of your family and how they are celebrating a new year in your life and want to keep celebrating. That’s why they hold onto the unlit candle to use next year. It’s the way we show love here on the islands and the family unit of bonding.
Image - pixabay.com
19 people like this
19 responses
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
2 Nov 15
@poehere You might, but that doesn't work out to whole numbers, does it? I did give you a clue when I said "significant ages". Does it help if I say that my age next birthday will be an exact multiple of the difference between our ages? [Please show your working]
2 people like this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
2 Nov 15
@owlwings OH man I have to show how I came about this. This is one thing I totally bombed out in school was showing my work. When it came to math all I had to do was looks at the problems and I knew the answer. So now you want one of those X problems and I have to show my work.
Would it help if I told you that when I was 8 and my dad had to take a refresher course in Trig that he use to call me to find his errors. I could look at his work and show him where he went wrong.
OK so let me try this one -
Exact multiple hum it can't be 1x1 nah
2x2 nah
3x3 nah
Wait I got it I know you answer it has to be 7x7 to make you 49 again. Wow now that wasn't so hard.
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
1 Nov 15
Yes I do agree. I left a comment about this one post it was funny I just added this as sort of a symbol and why the orange wasn't taken. It left a lot of people questioning me about this comment. They were curious why we did this So I decided to tell them why. Here families are so very close and this 1 extra candle means so much to everyone here on the islands.
4 people like this
@Missmwngi (12915)
• Nairobi, Kenya
1 Nov 15
It is like you get exposed to the whole world and you can learn the different things that goes on.
2 people like this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
1 Nov 15
@Missmwngi Yes this is correct. Each culture especially island cultures have their own special traditions and this is one of them.
2 people like this
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
1 Nov 15
This is a lovely tradition, one I have never known.
I love it too as it does show immense good will and love for the person.
4 people like this
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
1 Nov 15
@poehere Whoever thought of it was certainly ahead of the pack.
3 people like this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
1 Nov 15
Thank you so much. I guess it was sort of an accident how or why I posted this. I just made a comment and a lot of people asked me why or said they never heard of it before. I decided to explain it and show a few people about an island Tradition that has been celebrated for so long here on the islands. Nobody really knows when this started and they continue this tradition year after year. So hopefully it will be around for many years to come. I had never seen or heard of this one before coming here. It seems this is only done by the Tahitian people on the islands and the French people here are slowly adopting this tradition in their homes.
3 people like this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
1 Nov 15
@TiarasOceanView Yes I guess you're right on this one. I was happy to learn of this tradition and what a deep meaning it had to the people here. I really never thought to share this with others. But when the 2 grand kids are here they have always celebrated this tradition and love it Both of them have birthdays when they visit here and it is so fun and they love it.
2 people like this
@Missmwngi (12915)
• Nairobi, Kenya
1 Nov 15
I have never heard of it before either. I will try it one day with my sister lol
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
1 Nov 15
I didn't either until I moved to the islands. It was the first year I was here and the family I lived with a member had a birthday. I saw all the candles lit but one and asked. Wow what a heart warming tradition and so much love is taken in doing this.
4 people like this
@Missmwngi (12915)
• Nairobi, Kenya
1 Nov 15
Souns like a cool thing to try,i will also give it a shot
3 people like this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
1 Nov 15
No you just tell them that this candle represent love and is celebrating the year ahead and when next year comes it will be lit to say how happy you are to see them again and then add 1 candle to the cake so you will see them again. Might want to try this it is a lovely tradition and everyone looks forward to the 1 extra candle on their cake each year.
2 people like this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
1 Nov 15
@Missmwngi It is a nice tradition here on the islands and all Tahitian families do this.
3 people like this
@akshat007 (156)
• New Delhi, India
1 Nov 15
Love the tradition. It has everything. Family,love, patience, faith and celebration of the great year we had and a great year up ahead :)
@allknowing (137781)
• India
2 Nov 15
Traditions do keep relationships alive although these days many do not follow them.
2 people like this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
2 Nov 15
You are right but here we still follow this. Every year on every cake there is an extra candle no matter what. But I do agree many people forget and go on and don't continue on with traditions or make new ones when they get married.
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
2 Nov 15
I loved reading this. Thanks for sharing this wonderful tradition with us.
In Indian context, we do not have cakes or the candles, but today, the cakes and candles have become an important part of the birthday for many. I remember, my nephew collected all the candles (of course, they were lit) for the next year when he was 5. Though he never did that again, but it was something strange from him back then.
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
2 Nov 15
Wow what a great story. Yes I guess the first time a child sees a cake with candles on it that represent his exact age it can be strange to see this. Thank you and I am so happy you enjoyed this story and left me with such a great story of your own.
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
2 Nov 15
@thesids It is everyone. When our parents or grand parents are older normally we just have 2 candles for them. One we lite and one we don't. We don't add all the candles to the cake after a person passes his or her 21st birthday normally we just have one in the middle to light for the celebration and one to keep for next year.
1 person likes this
@slund2041 (3314)
• United States
2 Nov 15
I had never heard of this tradition. We always put the number of candles on the cake of how old the person is, but not the one in the middle.
1 person likes this
@slund2041 (3314)
• United States
3 Nov 15
@poehere How interesting! I am amazed the different ways people celebrate or observe certain days. I enjoy learning of other traditions and such. I wonder why they choose to do square cakes different than the round cakes? I mean both cakes have a center.
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
2 Nov 15
If we make a square cake the candle is in the corner but if we make a round cake it is in the middle. I saw this the first year I came to the islands. Each time I was invited to a friends to celebrate their birthday I saw this too. Here it is tradition and I love it and think it is so special to see this.
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
3 Nov 15
@slund2041 I am not really sure. I think they just do this so that the candle is not lit by mistake or it is just placed off to the side and the child knows this is for them for next year. I most of the time group the candles in the center of the cake and just put the extra one off to the site.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40320)
• Laguna Woods, California
2 Nov 15
I love that tradition! How wonderful!!
2 people like this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
2 Nov 15
Thank you so much. I thought it was special the first time I saw it.
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
23 Nov 15
Thank you so much. We love it here on the islands and ll the children look for that unlit candle on their cake each year. This gives us something to look forward to and a lot of love and blessing for the year to come.
@marguicha (223795)
• Chile
3 Nov 15
Ut is a beautifyl tradition and a wonderful story. I think I´ll sugest it for my next birthday
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
3 Nov 15
What a wonderful idea and I am sure someone will ask you about that extra candle and why you didn't light it. I did the first time I saw this.
@kevin1877uk (36988)
•
3 Nov 15
Love it, it wonderful, never heard of it before, thanks for sharing.
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
2 Nov 15
I never knew this tradition.It is indeed a beautiful tradition.
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
2 Nov 15
I don't think many people know of this and not many people I know of use this tradition. Only here on the islands do the Tahitian families do this. I love it and think it is one of the best gifts for a birthday that anyone could ever give. Just a simple candle that they hold onto until you turn a year older again.
1 person likes this
@Freelanzer (10743)
• Canada
3 Nov 15
That is different and has a good meaning attached to it. We bake the cake, decorate it, put candles on but after a certain age, because the cake can't hold all the candles. we just put a random number on.
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
3 Nov 15
Normally here after 21 we just add 1 or 2 candles plus 1 unlit and call it quits too. I think it is a nice tradition and a few people told me they never heard of it before so I decided to write it up so everyone could understand this. I liked it the first time I saw it here on the islands and we do this all the time.
1 person likes this
