Daily Debate: How Do You Think Hyrule Celebrates Birthdays?
Posted on March 31 2021 by Alexandria Weber
Birthdays are first and foremost a happy occasion, where we celebrate another year around the sun, where friends and family express their love and appreciation through various gifts and well-wishes. Growing up, birthdays always consisted of some sort of combination of cake, balloons, and presents, as well as the inevitable disbelief that a year has truly passed. However, there are tons of unique traditions around the world that each have their own specific meaning, such as the Chinese tradition of eating egg noodles (as a symbol of longevity) or the Latin American tradition of a quinceañera.
In some Zelda games, such as The Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild, we actually get to see the events surrounding birthdays in Hyrule. While things like watching your sister get kidnapped or seeing the calamity overtake Hyrule are most likely not wanted or expected things for a birthday, the tradition of receiving the hero’s clothes in The Wind Waker upon reaching a certain age likely is. The question is, what other traditions do you think would occur in the fantasy world of Hyrule?
I think that Hyrule would not only have different traditions based on the different races, but there would also be different traditions based on class and status. For instance, the Princess of Hyrule may have an entire ball in order to celebrate her birthday while a simple Hateno villager might expect a smaller get-together and a single present from their family.
What do you think? How would birthday traditions change among the different races in Hyrule? What are some of your birthday traditions? Let us know in the comments below!
Alexandria Weber is a Senior Editor and an aspiring creative writer. Her favorite food is apple pie and she loves her cat Galadriel. Ask her for pictures!
