Most people celebrate birthdays alone, on a single date marked on a calendar.
If you’re lucky, someone you know might share the same birthday, but a day when everyone shares the same one?
Is there really a day considered the common birthday of all humans on Earth?
VERDICT:
TRUE
Known as Renri (人日), the seventh day of Chinese New Year is traditionally regarded as the birthday of all humankind.
Rather than celebrating individual birth dates, this ancient belief marks a symbolic moment when everyone grows a year older together.
The concept of Renri dates back more than 2,000 years to Chinese mythology. According to legend, the goddess Nuwa created different beings on different days after the world was formed; animals first, and humans on the seventh day.
That day, Renri, became a celebration of humanity itself and a reminder of shared origins.
Historically, people in China did not always record exact birth dates. Instead, everyone was considered to age together at the start of the lunar year, with Renri standing out as the day that honoured human life.
In this sense, it functioned as a collective birthday, long before modern calendars made personal birthdays common.
Even today, Renri is still observed in many Chinese communities, especially during Chinese New Year. Traditions vary, but they often focus on well-being, harmony and longevity.
Some families prepare special foods believed to bring good health, while others simply greet one another with birthday wishes — not to one person, but to everyone.
Beyond custom, Renri carries a deeper message. It emphasises equality and shared humanity, reminding people that regardless of age, status or background, everyone is celebrated on the same day.
In a festive season often centred on family and fortune, Renri shifts the spotlight to human life itself.
So while the world doesn’t share a single official birthday on paper, Renri celebrates the idea that we all get to blow out the candles on the same day.
Happy belated Renri to all!
https://clips.thestar.com.my/clips/news/2017/pg34-chinese-new-year-customs-taboo.pdf
https://www.mplrdc.org.my/chinese-traditional-festival/
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/lunar-new-year/
https://saltandlight.sg/relationships/%E4%BA%BA%E6%97%A5-happy-birthday-to-you-you-and-you
