Everyone gets excited about turning 21 since it's when you are recognized as a complete and responsible adult, by law, in Australia and elsewhere. This adds a lot more enthusiasm for people to celebrate their 21st birthday.
In the U.S. the legal age for drinking, smoking, and entering nightclubs is 21. So the 21st birthday is a significant turning point for a young adult as they're now able to partake in more adult activities, legally. Given Australia has inherited much from American culture, it's no surprise we've adopted this as well.
The 21st birthday, often called 'coming of age', once had special significance.
Most people now celebrate both occasions, with the 18th tending to be the bigger family party, probably because the teenager is still living at home and it is a chance to all meet together before they leave home to go to University.
21st Birthday celebration
Simply because the 21st birthday is considered a milestone birthday by Aussies, foods for the celebration might be modest but they have a specific tradition that is called "Handing over of Key" that makes the event extra special and striking.
So goes the old song, but why is a person's 21st birthday so special? The 'key to the door' signified the reaching of adulthood and the independence that brought with it. Of course it is not so significant these days, as the age of majority in the UK was revised down to 18 by the Family Law Reform Act of 1969.
1st Birthday
Perhaps the most significant birthday milestone for many parents is the first one. At this age, your child has officially made it through their first year of life and is on the path to independence and learning.
What is a Golden Birthday? Your golden birthday is when the date of your birth coincides with your age. For example, if you were born on October 8, your golden birthday took place when you turned 8. If you were born on December 21, your golden birthday took place when you turned 21.
The least common birthdays in the U.S. interestingly all hover around major holidays. December 25 (Christmas Day) is the least common birthday, while January 1 (New Year's Day) is the second least common.
For our first 21st birthday ideas for your daughter, we love the idea of a parent-daughter spa day. More than anything it's a chance for the two of you to hang out, enjoy tons of self-care, and have some long conversations as well as plenty of gossip.
21st birthday gift jewellery symbolism
“The key” is a well-known jewellery design for a 21st birthday gift – it represents the key to the door into adulthood. The key is popular for a good reason, not only does it feel special and traditional, there's something that's both classic and up-to-date about the design.
We celebrate the same way you probably would, with a party and cake! Although kids your age often have a special dessert instead of cake. Instead of cake, Australian children have "Fairy Bread" on their birthday.
This leads to an idea that becoming 21 is actually becoming an adult, although people may get married, join the army, smoke, and purchase adult magazines when they turn 18. Also, the age of 21 is widely considered to be the age where you are no longer dependent on your parents.
Traditionally, as young people are growing from birth to adulthood, milestone birthdays include your first birthday, 16th birthday, 18th birthday, and 21st birthday. These are all big days! After that, milestone birthdays are every decade.
For many countries around the world, one's 21st birthday is a prestigious milestone, declaring one a new member of adult society. It is often a day rooted in tradition and a day full of celebration surrounding the coming of age.
You might not even know what a "golden birthday" is — or believe it has something to do with turning 50 years old. That's not the case. A golden birthday is when you turn the age that corresponds to your date of birth (the day of the month).
Throughout childhood and into young adulthood, milestones are often marked when a person turns 1, 13, 16, 18, and 21. For adults, the milestones typically start at age 30 and recur each decade. (Of course, people can choose their own milestones to celebrate.)
Origin of 21st Birthday Key Tradition
Most importantly, it was the age when your parents treated you with the gift of the key to the family home — welcome to adulthood! The age of independence has since been lowered to 18, but the tradition of inheriting the key to THE home has persisted.
At 21 you are legally allowed to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages. I guess it also depends on your priorities. Both are equally important unless one of them happens to be your year of graduation, year of first employment, year of marriage or some such thing.
Twenty‐one was once the age of majority, and although this changed to 18 way back in 1969, the 21st is still the 'important' birthday for many people, as Prince William's much‐publicised bash at Windsor Castle demonstrated. As a gift, buy the birthday boy or girl a copy of the newspaper for the day they were born.