Summer Friday: Why Do We Eat Birthday Cake?
From an ancient candlelit religious offering to a modern personal celebration
A round cake. A ring of little flames on top. A crowd gathered to watch it carried in. You’re probably picturing a birthday party. But this scene is actually unfolding in a temple in ancient Athens, the cake is an offering, and the guest of honor is the moon.
Every spring, at a festival called the Mounichia, Athenians brought round cakes to Artemis, godd…