As it turns out, putting candles on birthday cakes is a tradition that has been around for a long, long time. It can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks, who often burned candles as offerings to their many gods and goddesses.<ul><li>For the Ancient Greeks, putting candles on a <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/which-dessert-takes-the-cake/">cake</a> was a special way to pay <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">tribute</a> to the Greek <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/wonder/what-does-the-moon-do/">moon</a> goddess, Artemis. They baked <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">round</a> cakes to <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">symbolize</a> the moon. Candles were added to represent the reflected moonlight.</li></ul>

Why do we put candles on top of a birthday cake?

Happy birthday, Wonderopolis! There are FOUR brightly lit candles on our cake this year, and we can't wait to blow them out. But before we do that, we were wondering… WHY do we do that?As it turns out, putting candles on birthday cakes is a <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">tradition</a> that has been around for a long, long time. It can be traced back to the Ancient <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/do-you-know-the-greek-alphabet/" dir="ltr">Greeks</a>, who often burned candles as offerings to their many gods and goddesses.For the Ancient Greeks, putting candles on a <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/which-dessert-takes-the-cake/" dir="ltr">cake</a> was a special way to pay <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">tribute</a> to the Greek <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/wonder/what-does-the-moon-do/" dir="ltr">moon</a> goddess, Artemis. They baked <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">round</a> cakes to <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">symbolize</a> the moon. Candles were added to represent the reflected moonlight.Candles on cakes became a popular <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">tradition</a> long ago in Germany, too. For religious reasons, <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/can-you-strike-a-chord-on-an-accordion/" dir="ltr">Germans</a> would place a large candle in the center of a cake to <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">symbolize</a> “the light of life."Some scholars believe that other meanings have also been attached to the use of candles on cakes. People may have believed that the smoke from the candles carried their wishes and prayers to gods who lived in the skies. Others probably believed the smoke helped to <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">ward</a> off evil spirits.Today, we still put birthday candles on cakes. Many people still hold <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">superstitious</a> beliefs about them, too.For example, many people believe that the person (or website!) whose&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/when-is-your-half-birthday/" dir="ltr">birthday</a> it is&nbsp;must make a silent wish before blowing out the candles. If all the candles are blown out in one breath, the wish will come true, and the person will have good <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">luck</a> throughout the year.On the other hand, if it takes more than one breath to blow out all the <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-you-make-candles/" dir="ltr">candles</a> or if the person tells someone what the wish was, it will supposedly not come true.What do you think? Have you ever made a birthday wish? Did it come true?If you have a <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">trickster</a> in the family, you may have been <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">duped</a> at one time or another by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=704JfpSRzPg" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr">“trick" or “magic" candles</a>. These candles automatically relight — as if by magic — after they're blown out.If you've never seen someone trying to blow out trick candles before, it can be quite entertaining to watch. So how do these candles magically relight themselves?In truth, there's no magic to it. It's all science, of course!When you blow out a “regular" candle, a burning <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">ember</a> usually remains on the end of the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">wick</a> (the part you light). It's that <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">ember</a> that causes the little ribbon of <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">paraffin</a> smoke you see.The <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">ember</a> is hot enough to <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">vaporize</a> the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">paraffin</a> (the “wax" on the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">wick</a>), but it's not hot enough to ignite the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">paraffin</a> vapor back into a flame.“Trick" or “magic" candles, however, have a special substance — usually <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">magnesium</a> — added to the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">wick</a>. <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">Magnesium</a> burns quickly at a relatively low <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">ignition</a> temperature (as low as 800° F).When you blow out a “trick" or “magic" candle, the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">ember</a> that remains is hot enough to ignite the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">magnesium</a> dust on the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">wick</a>, which in turn gets hot enough to ignite the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#" dir="ltr">paraffin</a> vapor back into a flame.

Today, we still put birthday candles on cakes. Many people still hold superstitious beliefs about them, too.

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Personal Development

appy birthday, Wonderopolis! There are FOUR brightly lit candles on our cake this year, and we can't wait to blow them out. But before we do that, we were wondering… WHY do we do that?

As it turns out, putting candles on birthday cakes is a <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">tradition </a>that has been around for a long, long time. It can be traced back to the Ancient <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/do-you-know-the-greek-alphabet/">Greeks </a>, who often burned candles as offerings to their many gods and goddesses.

For the Ancient Greeks, putting candles on a <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/which-dessert-takes-the-cake/">cake </a>was a special way to pay <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">tribute </a>to the Greek <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/wonder/what-does-the-moon-do/">moon </a>goddess, Artemis. They baked <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">round </a>cakes to <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">symbolize </a>the moon. Candles were added to represent the reflected moonlight.

Candles on cakes became a popular <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">tradition </a>long ago in Germany, too. For religious reasons, <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/can-you-strike-a-chord-on-an-accordion/">Germans </a>would place a large candle in the center of a cake to <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">symbolize </a>“the light of life."

Some scholars believe that other meanings have also been attached to the use of candles on cakes. People may have believed that the smoke from the candles carried their wishes and prayers to gods who lived in the skies. Others probably believed the smoke helped to <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">ward </a>off evil spirits.

Today, we still put birthday candles on cakes. Many people still hold <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">superstitious </a>beliefs about them, too.

For example, many people believe that the person (or website!) whose <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/when-is-your-half-birthday/">birthday </a>it is must make a silent wish before blowing out the candles. If all the candles are blown out in one breath, the wish will come true, and the person will have good <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">luck </a>throughout the year.

On the other hand, if it takes more than one breath to blow out all the <a href="https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-you-make-candles/">candles </a>or if the person tells someone what the wish was, it will supposedly not come true.

What do you think? Have you ever made a birthday wish? Did it come true?

If you have a <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">trickster </a>in the family, you may have been <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">duped </a>at one time or another by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=704JfpSRzPg">“trick" or “magic" candles </a>. These candles automatically relight — as if by magic — after they're blown out.

If you've never seen someone trying to blow out trick candles before, it can be quite entertaining to watch. So how do these candles magically relight themselves?

In truth, there's no magic to it. It's all science, of course!

When you blow out a “regular" candle, a burning <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">ember </a>usually remains on the end of the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">wick </a>(the part you light). It's that <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">ember </a>that causes the little ribbon of <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">paraffin </a>smoke you see.

The <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">ember </a>is hot enough to <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">vaporize </a>the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">paraffin </a>(the “wax" on the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">wick </a>), but it's not hot enough to ignite the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">paraffin </a>vapor back into a flame.

“Trick" or “magic" candles, however, have a special substance — usually <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">magnesium </a>— added to the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">wick </a>. <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">Magnesium </a>burns quickly at a relatively low <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">ignition </a>temperature (as low as 800° F).

When you blow out a “trick" or “magic" candle, the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">ember </a>that remains is hot enough to ignite the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">magnesium </a>dust on the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">wick </a>, which in turn gets hot enough to ignite the <a href="https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles/#">paraffin </a>vapor back into a flame.

Why Do We Blow Out Birthday Candles?

Why do we put candles on top of a birthday cake?

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