Where did the tradition of putting soot on someone celebrating a birthday?
552035
To avert the Evil Eye.  Some people believe that others will be jealous of the person's good fortune, and curse the celebrant with their jealousy.  So they put a smudge on them to make the person appear imperfect.
571151
Traditions are not established by law, they're established by the people who do whatever it is that they traditionally do.  Some traditions -- such as using fireworks to celebrate certain holidays -- may need to be modified to conform with local laws or ordinances, e.g., no explosives allowed in residential areas.
930590
hire a bouncy castle and other daft things like that and buy a few crates of beer and have a a blast. Happy Birthday
57796
Celestine is sometimes used to produce a red color in fireworks. Charcoal (carbon) is also used in pyrotechnics. Charcoal from soft woods, such as grape vine or willow, is good for fast-burning compositions like black powder, whereas charcoal from hard woods like pine are used to create long-lasting spark effects. \n\nIn any laboratory setting proper personal protection equipment should be employed. I recommend using safety glasses, a laboratory coat, full length pants and latex/polyethylene gloves. You shouldn't wear open toed shoes and loose articles of clothing that could snag. In cases were an explosion is possible, proper shielding is required. A fume hood is also required if hazardous fumes are expected.\nAlso, if you are resorting to using an online forum to recieve answers to potentially dangerous reactions, you obviously do not know what you are doing and should gently place down your little pyrotechnics and slowly back away.
690265
Happy Birthday... Have a party
260438
www.birthdayalarm.com
219326
Find something to make the birthday meaningful. Plant a tree on your special day. Volunteer some place where your help is needed. End a grudge. Adopt a pet. Start an exercise program. Sign up for a course. Perform a random act of kindness. Give to others, yourself, the earth, to make your birthday special.
471528
For a list of really cool things that happened on your birthday, visit here and select the day:\nhttp://www.eskimo.com/~recall/bleed/calmast.htm
212262
Well, happy birthday !!\nthere's a ton of stuff you can do, like a karaoke party, you can have a good old fashion house party with games and stuff, if it's a nice day why don't you call all your friends tell them to put on some junk cloths and have a bunch of relay races and a BBQ!\n\nCome on girlfriend use your imagination.
620202
Here's some links to rituals at about.com.  \n\nhttp://paganwiccan.about.com/od/midsummerrituals/?terms=pagan+holidays
510573
Give her something from the past, maybe a picture or something. Along with a nice card and get her drunk off her ash.
852212
Its bonfire night. Its to commemorate when a man named Guy Fawked tried to blow up the houses of parliment in London in the 14th centuary, in an attempt to kill the king and all the members of government. \nWe (in the UK) set off fireworks to remember how he failed. \n\nIts called the gunpowder plot. And it happens all over the UK on 5th November. \n\nBut people usually let them off as soon as the month satarts..
445183
no but my daughter was born on 420, which is also Hitler's birthday, Columbine Massacre.  The day after Waco and Oklahoma City bombing.  \n\nShe feels like it was a Friday the 13th esp when every year on the news on her birthday all of these things are usually mentioned.
950872
Celebrating Darwin's bday
939657
The best birthday celebration is where nothing goes wrong-- when everyone has fun\n\nit doesn't matter if it's a small party with only your best friends\nor if it's one with all the people you know\n\nthanks\nShadowhawk--
1120913
Bar Mitzvah - The ceremony marking the thirteenth birthday when a young Jew comes of age.
1070006
On the night of the 24th of June, the longest day of the year, the towns of the Costa Blanca are a blaze of light. The origins of the celebration can be traced back to the pagan rituals, linked to sun worship rituals and the witching night. The tradition was often combined with a ritual bathing, symbolising a spiritual rebirth out of the ashes of the fire. When the celebration was subsequently incorporated into the Christian calendar, naturally enough it became the feast of Saint John the Baptist. The modern festival of the Fogueres (Bonfires) of Saint John originated in 1928 in Alicante, prior to which locals would burn boxwood. It takes a similar artistic and festive form to the Fallas, and over a hundred bonfires are lit across the city's districts. The celebration lasts for a week marked with processions, music, dances, firework displays and finally the eagerly anticipated bonfires.