What is the Tradition Behind Pointy Hats & Party Horns on Birthdays

“When the clock strikes 12, you wear a shiny, cone-shaped birthday hat. And while you pretend nothing’s happening, your friends and family gather around and keep a cake with candles in front of you. They sing the classic happy birthday song and blow the party horns with full excitement. In the end, you blow out the candles to make a wish on your birthday.”

We all have celebrated our birthdays this way, but have you ever wondered who made these rituals in the first place? If you have, (or even if you haven’t), we are here to enlighten you with the reasons behind wearing pointy hats and using party horns on birthdays.

Why Pointy Hats?

Even though the tip of the cap has a starting point, its history lacks one! The origin of the birthday cap is not well defined, however, there are a lot of cultures which show the significance of pointy hats in general. The very first use of this triangular hat was seen back in 2800 BC by the pharaohs of Egypt. They would symbolise the shape of the pointy hat as a token that blesses the dead to have a happier birth in the next life. As time passed, it became a symbol of royalty and prestige in Scotland, Europe and other areas of the world. In short, the pointy hats have travelled a very long journey.

Now the only question that remains unanswered is why we wear these pointy hats on birthdays. Well, its history speaks for itself! People around the globe find a sense of power while wearing pointy hats. So, to put the birthday celebrants under the spotlight and make them feel special, people started to use them as special birthday caps.

Why Party Horns?

Like party hats, the invention point of the party horn is quite blurry. We don’t know how this mouthpiece has entered our lives, however, we do know why it is used. According to one of the theories, the ancient party heads believed that loud noises could drive away evil spirits. Simply put, one can safeguard the birthday boy or girl from the shadow of the evil spirit by blowing a party horn. Since then, these party horns were blown at every birthday party. However, with time, people found other ways to make some noise during birthday celebrations. Clapping hands, blowing whistles, ringing bells, banging plates, spoons or glasses, etc., are some of the methods today that are used in place of using the party horns.