When did Half-Birthdays become a thing?

I’ve know a few older people (over 75) do it - makes sense doesn’t it…?

My granddaughter told me recently it was her eight and three quarters birthday. I thought it cute, it will help her understand how long a year is.

Half birthdays ????
What the heck !

My friend's birthday is on Christmas Eve so I always send her a "half" birthday card in June so that she can really appreciate it.

The birthday of my younger Gdd is on 6th January, so I’ll be giving her a little half-birthday present when it’s her big brother’s birthday next week.
I will also be giving a little something to elder Gdd (April birthday) - can’t very well do one without the other at their ages.

Never heard of it ... no doubt will have cards eventually out to celebrate !!! If they do another waste of money, no I won't buy any !

My daughter and one son both have January birthdays.

To enable us to have outdoorsy type birthday parties, we used to celebrate their half-birthdays in the summer. It also meant that they didn't have a lot of additional presents just after Christmas.

They don't do half-birthdays now though (both in their 30s). That stopped when they were about 11 or 12 and wanted just a few select friends to go to the cinema or bowling, and have a burger afterwards.

Celebrating half-birthdays in later years just seems odd!

I suspect HG it’s a question of not tempting fate…?

Never heard of it, how odd!

When I was a young girl I would say I was
‘13 and 1/2’ or even ‘3/4’, as I so much wanted to be older!

I knew a little boy whose birthday was Christmas Day and he always had a party with his school friends for his half birthday in June.

I suppose once you start getting old maybe you have a half birthday in case you don't make it to the next one!

Never heard of it either and it ll go back where it came from back of the queue utter nonsense

Quarters, halves and three-quarters of the year matter to the very young and the very old. Time goes so slowly for the former and far too fast for the very old. My late mother-in-law always included the quarter when she was 92 and asked her age.

I’ve never heard of it.
But three of our grandchildren are winter birthdays, and we’ve gotten into the habit of having a big party in the summer with a hot tub and bouncy castle, and making a big thing of it.
So, yes not a bad idea in some circumstances.

With my cynical sense of humour I would give them half of a £50 note or gift coupon and the other half on their real birthday.

Never heard of a half birthday. DH moans if someone celebrates 55, 65, 75, 85 but he is miserable!

So DGS2 "graduated" from being in nursery into his pre-school year - when did that become a thing ?

Serendipity22

Half birthdays ????
What the heck !

Exactly my question!
I can understand having birthdays on different days if yours is say Christmas or another busy day, but this is just weird!

Well, here goes - when DD2 was born, it was exactly 4 and a half years to the day behind DD1. My DM decided to have a little gift ready for DD1 so she wouldn’t feel left out when ‘the baby’ had visitors and gifts. Nearly 40 years later and we still do it!! As well as me buying the half-birthday girl a little gift, so does her sibling. Of course, everyone thinks we are completely mad, but we don’t care!

Re - the Graduation. There was a thread about this recently and I was going to post that I thought it was a bit OTT - but DGS1’s pre-school explained that having a bit of a ceremony helps the leavers become accustomed to the fact that they are big boys and girls and going to big school soon. It did make me examine things, it costs nothing and I now think it’s not a bad idea at all if it helps the children adjust.

ElaineI

So DGS2 "graduated" from being in nursery into his pre-school year - when did that become a thing ?

Probably when 3 year olds became ‘students’, as opposed to ‘pupils’. ?

?

In Holland people celebrate their 12 1/2 year wedding anniversary!

I really cannot endorse the idea of giving a present to a sibling when another sibling has a birthday/

Surely, a birthday is a special day for that person - very much so when they are children. Other children in the family need to learn that they get their own special day once a year, and so do their siblings.

Well, I wouldn't celebrate a half birthday but I'd definitely take advantage of money off offers, why not??