Birthday Milestones - 1st, 16th, 18th, 21st, 30th and more

Birthdays are one of the most celebrated events across the world, regardless of race or culture. Birthdays have different significance for different people. Different people also have different ways of celebrating it, but one of the most common ways is gifting. In this blog, we will be going through some of the most celebrated birthday milestones that deserve a little more attention, and some gift ideas that you can consider getting for each of them (to yourself or others).

1st birthday

A child’s first birthday is one of the most special anniversaries in life. Some parents let their babies play the “choosing of item game" on their first birthday. Items such as books, jewellery and calculators are put out. What the babies crawl towards and grab indicates their destiny, for example, a pen grabber might become a writer and so on. 

Common gifts that family and relatives get for babies first birthdays are baby anklets or pendants with engravings, such as 出入平安（roughly translated as being safe wherever you go). Such pendants are also believed to be a form of good luck amulet to some.

 

16th birthday

The main purpose of a sweet sixteen party is to celebrate that a child is maturing into a young adult. It is to celebrate all past accomplishments and give them warm wishes as they turn the page to a new chapter of their life.

Traditionally known as the sweet sixteen, a sweet and feminine design would be a perfect fit for this birthday milestone. 

18th and 21st birthday

The transition into official adulthood is important in many cultures and is most commonly celebrated on the 18th or 21st birthday. 

A key pendant is a traditional present for anyone, male or female. Reaching adulthood is a key milestone of life and the person is now officially an adult old enough to hold the “key to their own life” or “key to the future”. A piece of key jewellery also represents the start of the rest of their lives, the opening of many exciting doors to come. 

We assume most of our readers are above 21 so the above are gift ideas to other people while the following are gifts you can consider getting for yourself!

30th and 40th birthday

Bidding goodbye to a person’s twenties can be difficult for some, but it shouldn’t be! Now is the time where you are independent, young, and there’s a still world of things out there for you to explore. The world is still your oyster!

By the age of 40, you’re likely to have a family or be surrounded by people who do. You probably have a rich life experience and have seen a bit of the world. You know what you enjoy and who you like to spend time with, so your 40th birthday is the ideal time to embrace everyone and everything you love in your life and celebrate what you’ve achieved, and what you’ve yet to experience.

Remember, you are a queen even you have a king or not.

50th and 60th birthday

You’ve made it! Half a century on earth and so much still to look forward to! It’s time to do something for yourself, take a break from work, stop the years speeding past in a blur and make these milestones birthdays memorable. 

70th and 80th birthday

At this age, you have probably reached your retirement. Why not learn a new skill to celebrate your new‐found freedom? It can be time to start doing something you’ve always wanted to do, but never found the time to do so before.

90th to 100th birthday

Reaching such ages is a major achievement itself that calls for a reason to celebrate yearly. If anybody is wondering, the average life expectancy for both genders is 73 years old, according to World Health Organization.

References:

https://www.confetti.co.uk/inspire-and-advice/relationships/landmark-birthdays-and-what-they-mean/

https://www.thebigdomain.com/big-journal/ultimate-guide-milestone-birthdays

https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years)