Pre-Birthday Wishes: Cultural Superstitions Across Borders

German custom: Do not wish someone a happy birthday before the actual day!

Why? In Germany, there’s a belief that if you express absolute certainty that something will succeed, it’s bound to fail. This sentiment is captured in the saying “Verschrei es nicht!” which is used when people are overly confident that something will work out. Another expression is “Du sollst den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben,” meaning “Don’t praise the day before the evening,” illustrating the German tendency to refrain from premature celebration. The origin of this belief is unclear, but it’s a cultural habit. It’s worth noting that not all Germans adhere to this belief, but it’s widely acknowledged.

By wishing someone a happy birthday in advance, it implies a certainty that the person will definitely live until that day. Following the aforementioned logic, this could inadvertently increase the likelihood of the person not reaching their birthday. Because of this superstition, it’s customary in Germany not to wish someone a happy birthday in advance.

Not only in Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and many Latin American countries, it’s customary not to wish someone a happy birthday before the actual day!

What about in your country? open for discussion!

德國習俗：不要提前祝別人生日快樂！

為什麼呢？在德國，有一種說法，如果你篤定某件事會成功，那麼它就必定會失敗。這種觀點體現在一句諺語中：“別這樣講！（Verschrei es nicht!）”，這句話用來形容人們對某事過於自信，認為它一定會成功。另一個相關的諺語是：“不要在傍晚之前誇讚這一天（Du sollst den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben）”， 這句話反映了德國人避免過早慶祝的習慣。這種迷信的起源尚不清楚，但已成為一種文化習俗。 雖然並非所有德國人都信奉這種說法，但它仍然被廣泛認可。

提前祝別人生日快樂，就表示你確信他們一定會活到那一天。按照上述邏輯，這可能會無意中增加他們無法迎來生日的可能性。出於這種迷信，德國習慣上不會事先祝別人生日快樂。

不僅在德國，在奧地利、瑞士、義大利和大多數拉丁美洲國家，也不要在生日前祝福他們生日快樂！

在你的國家如何？歡迎談論。