BIRTHDAY CANDLES

Putting candles on birthday cakes is a tradition that has been around for a long, long time. It dates back to the Ancient Greeks, who often 1) ....................... candles as offerings to their gods and goddesses. For the Ancient Greeks, putting candles on a cake was a special way to show respect to the Greek moon goddess, Artemis. They baked round cakes to symbolize the moon. Candles were added to represent the reflected moonlight. Candles on cakes 2) ....................... a popular tradition long ago in Germany, too. Germans used to place a large candle in the centre of a cake to symbolize “the light of life.” Some scholars* believe that the use of candles on cakes had other meanings. People may have believed that the smoke from the candles carried their wishes and prayers to gods who lived in the skies. Others 3) ....................... believed the smoke protected people from evil spirits. Today, we still put birthday candles on cakes. Many people still hold superstitious** beliefs about them, too. For example, many people 4) ....................... that the birthday boy or girl 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 luck throughout the year. On the other hand, if it takes more than one breath to blow out all the candles or if the person tells someone 5) ....................... the wish was, it will not come true. What do you think? Have you ever made a birthday wish? Did it come true?
*scholar: a person who studies a subject in detail
**superstitious: believing in the power of luck or magic.