Filipinos place great importance on celebrating birthdays, especially a child's 1st, 7th, a girl's 18th, and a boy's 21st birthday. The 1st birthday thanks the parents and includes gifts for both parent and child. The 7th birthday marks a child becoming more accountable and graduating preschool. An 18th birthday for a girl is a debut celebration, similar to a 16th birthday in America. A boy's 21st birthday is also celebrated, though with less flair, sometimes with an expensive gift or vacation. Other milestone birthdays like 50th are also celebrated.

1. PHILIPPINES

2. BIRTHDAY
REPORTED BY RALPH HIPOLITO

3. FILIPINOS LOVE TO CELEBRATE
BIRTHDAYS. APART FROM
CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR, AND
CHINESE NEW YEAR, IT’S THE
MOST CELEBRATED OCCASION
FOR ANY FILIPINO FAMILY.

4. THERE’S A CELEBRATION EVERY
TIME A BIRTHDAY COMES,
THOUGH THERE ARE FOUR
THAT STAND OUT FROM THE
REST: THE 1ST, 7TH, 18TH (FOR
GIRLS), AND 21ST (FOR BOYS).

5. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT EACH OF THESE
SIGNIFICANT BIRTHDAYS

6. 1ST BIRTHDAYONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
BIRTHDAYS FOR ANY FILIPINO FAMILY
IS THE FIRST BIRTHDAY OF THEIR
CHILD.

7. THIS ONE IS MORE OF A THANK
YOU TO THE PARENTS RATHER
THAN THE CHILD’S ACTUAL
FIRST BIRTHDAY.
GIFTS ARE USUALLY MEANT
FOR BOTH THE PARENT AND
THE CHILD: BABY CLOTHES,
FEEDING BOTTLES, A LARGER
CRIB, ETC.

8. EXPECT A LOT OF CHEEK PINCHING
AND CATCHING UP BETWEEN THE
PARENT AND THE GODPARENTS,
UNCLES, AND AUNTS.

9. ONCE THE PARENTS ARE DONE
WITH A CHILD’S FIRST, THE NEXT
ONE THEY SHOULD PREPARE
FOR IS THE CHILD’S 7TH.

10. 7TH BIRTHDAY
7th birthdays in the
Philippines are a big deal: it
marks the year when the child
can be held more accountable to
his/her actions.

11. IT’S ALSO THE TIME WHEN
YOUNGSTERS DEVELOP THEIR SENSE
OF RIGHT AND WRONG, AS WELL AS
WHEN THEY GRADUATE FROM PRE-
SCHOOL TO PRIMARY SCHOOL. IT’S A
BIG LEAP, AND MOST PARENTS
THROW LAVISH CHILDREN’S PARTIES
FOR SUCH AN OCCASION.

13. 18TH & 21ST BIRTHDAY
These are your standard
“coming of age”
birthdays:
18th for girls and 21st for
boys.

14. 18TH BIRTHDAY IS REFERRED
TO AS A DEBUT SINCE IT
MARKS THEIR TRANSITION
FROM ADOLESCENT TO
ADULTHOOD.
It’s a momentous occasion similar to
how Americans celebrate a girl’s 16th
birthday but with more pizzazz.

16. For a debut, it includes sets of 18
“things” which depend on the
celebrant, although staples are
18 roses
(a dance with select males)
18 candles
(messages from the celebrant’s girl friends)
and 18 treasures
(gifts from friends and family).

17. 21st BIRTHDAY
A boy’s 21st birthday is also celebrated,
albeit with a lot less flair. Some parents
choose to forgo these big celebrations
in lieu of a vacation or a very expensive
gift: a car, a smartphone on a
subscription plan, a condo.

18. 21st BIRTHDAY
some boys also tend to have an
extravagance birthday celebration

19. 50th BIRTHDAY
There’s also the concept of
celebrating your 50th birthday with
a bang, and every decade after that.
Reaching 50 is seen as a milestone
for most people; the same goes for
every decade after that.

20. 50th BIRTHDAY