Abstract
Background.The tradition of celebrating the day of birth of an individual is thought to have existed since the ancient times. Depending on the culture, religious beliefs, and the geographic location, occasions for ritual performance differ greatly. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate how students in Lithuania evaluate the importance of their birthday.Materials and methods.An “Invitation to Remember Your Birthday” questionnaire was created by the authors to collect the responses for evaluation. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions divided into four parts. It assessed how and what the respondents felt on their annual birthday, about the organization of the celebration, gift-receiving, and the value of the ritual.Results.A total of 309 medical students of Vilnius University completed the survey (n = 146 year 4, n = 163 year 5). The results suggested that the birthday is an important individual occasion, which students tend to celebrate annually. The respondents tend to feel better and more loved on the day of their birthday.Conclusions.Birthday is seen as an opportunity to spend time with friends and family, have a break from daily responsibilities, and receive attention from people around them. Birthday celebration of medical students is affected by their social and cultural context. The findings of this study may be relevant for future studies when searching for age- and culture-appropriate ways to use birthday celebration as possible means of improving mental health. The current data can be used for longitudinal and cross-cultural comparisons.
Highlights
The tradition of celebrating the day of birth of an indi vidual is thought to have existed since the ancient times
It is believed that such life-course celebrations as birthdays help to understand the cyclicity of natural pro cesses and are essential celebrations of pas sage in society (2)
The study showed that 10.4% of respondents could not fully enjoy their birthday celebration because it coincided with winter or spring examinations
Summary
The tradition of celebrating the day of birth of an indi vidual is thought to have existed since the ancient times. Religious beliefs, and the geographic location, occasions for ritual performance differ greatly The aim of this pilot study was to investigate how students in Lithuania evaluate the importance of their birthday. The tradition of celebrating an individual’s day of birth is thought to have existed from the ancient times (1). It is believed that such life-course celebrations as birthdays help to understand the cyclicity of natural pro cesses and are essential celebrations of pas sage in society (2). Religious beliefs, and the geographic location, occasions for a ritual performance differ greatly. The aim of this study was to investigate how students in Lithuania perceive the importance of their birthday
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
