Did people have birthdays in medieval period?

Answer 1

Most of the medieval people did not have any idea what their birthdays were. The data we have about the births of members of the nobility often say such things as that they were born "in the end of May or the beginning of June." For many people, even important people, we have no record of the years in which they were born. The earliest person crowned king of England whose birthday is known was Henry II. Before him, we do not know even the years for the births of most kings.

Information about a person's birthday was crucial to casting that person's horoscope, so the information was kept about princes and other important people. But high born people, such as kings and emperors, who might have been exposed to the rumors that astrologers might spread about their futures would not want that information to leak out.

In the later Middle Ages in England, church registers have information about the births or baptisms of everyone in the parish. But even after them Middle Ages, the baptism was often considered more important than the birth. We know when Shakespeare was baptized, but have no record of his birthday.

There were doubtless people who did celebrate birthdays nevertheless. The Middle Ages covered a continent for a thousand years, and there was a lot of variation in custom. Also, birthdays were celebrated in some ancient cultures, so the celebrations are not purely recent.

There are a couple links below.

Answer 2

Yes - they had birthdays - and death-days too - people definitely are born and die on identifiable dates.

Whether they celebrated them is a different question. In early civilizations, where the development of a calendar made an organized reckoning of birth dates possible, the horoscopes of ruling monarchs, their successors and rivals had to be cast with care and birthday omens meticulously examined, for the prospects of the mighty would affect the prospects of the entire society. Long ago, people believed that on a birthday a person could be helped by good spirits, or hurt by evil spirits. So, when a person had a birthday, friends and relatives gathered to protect him or her. And that's how birthday parties began.

During the first few centuries A.D., Christians generally considered the celebration of birthdays to be a Pagan thing and evil. Around the 4th century, Christians changed their minds and began to celebrate the birth of Christ - possibly as a means to recruit more adherents from those already celebrating the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. This seems to have made it ok again to acknowledge birthdays as significant events. Early birthday celebrations exist for kings, high-ranking nobility, and other important people of that time period. These people seemed to have the means to throw such a celebration and were seen as important enough to be remembered in written history. Usually the common folk could not afford to celebrate a birthday in grand fashion so this is little note of that in history. These commoners may have thought they were not so important to be noted or remembered. Gradually though more people started to make a bit of a fuss about birthdays. Germany has been credited with originating birthday celebrations. Started in honor of children and known as "kinderfeste", this party was a fun time for all families of children.

The main point is that SOME people celebrated birthdays in medieval times, but it was not, by any measure, universal.

Answer 3

As you aged or when you reached medieval age, you wanna spend or celebrate your birthday mostly likey with family.

Answer 4

no because the people back then were fatties

Answer 5

i think no