Isn’t it kind of strange that one of the most important days of your life — the day you were born — is nothing but a blur to you? You don’t remember any of it! Of course, that’s to be expected, since you were so new to the world and didn’t even know how to talk, walk, or read yet!
Ever since that day, you’ve probably celebrated the anniversary of that day once each year. What are we talking about? Your birthday! You know, that day when you get cake, ice cream, and all those presents?
Would you believe that some people actually celebrate TWICE each year? Not only do they celebrate the anniversary of the day they were born, they also celebrate six months later on their half birthday!
Before we get to the reasons, let’s take a look at how half birthdays are calculated. Yes, some math is involved, so put on your thinking caps.
There are a couple of ways to calculate half birthdays. The first — and easiest — is simply to keep the same number of the birth date and add six months to it. For example, if your birthday is January 13, then your half birthday would be on July 13.
If you want to be really precise, you need to add half the number of days in a year to your birth date. In a normal year, this means adding 182.5 days. In a leap year, you would add 183 days. If this sounds too complicated, don’t worry. There are plenty of websites that will do the work for you!
So what about those good reasons for celebrating half birthdays? For starters, consider kids. As they grow, six months can mean huge milestones. It can be a special time to celebrate with them as they grow up, because they grow up all too fast!
Half birthday celebrations can also be great for those people whose regular birthday might be overshadowed by a nearby holiday, such as Christmas. Likewise, kids whose birthdays fall in the summer might enjoy celebrating their half birthdays, so that they can share their joy with their friends at school.
Half birthdays aren’t the only special “birthdays” that some people celebrate, though. Adopted children sometimes celebrate both their actual birthday (the day they were actually born) and the day they were adopted. Do you have any other special “birthdays” that you and your family celebrate?