If your child is invited to a birthday party, it’s always worth inquiring about local protocol as traditions vary greatly from culture to culture.
Festival time
When Sabine, a German expat partner, and her husband went to drop their daughter off to a kid’s birthday party in Buenos Aires, they were in for a few surprises. “We were all ushered inside by the hosts. There was a large tent, a live band as well as a DJ. There was a cocktail bar and food trucks. It was like a mini-festival,” says Sabine. “We were flabbergasted! Everyone comes with their whole family and stays for hours.”
See you later…
That scene would be a far cry from some northern European countries. An Argentinean family might be equally surprised to discover when kids are invited to a birthday party, say in Ireland, or the UK, the parents are only expected to drop their kids off. They will return at a pre-arranged time to collect their kid, perhaps only coming inside briefly to say thanks. So, to avoid cross-cultural confusion, even if your kid is attending a party of a fellow expat child, there’s no harm clarifying how it is all expected to play out.
A little local flavour
If you’re throwing a birthday party for your kid at home, you could consider incorporating a little local flavour. In Mexico, you could try to make a classic piñata. It doesn’t matter what age you are, trying to smash the piñata while blindfolded never gets old! At birthday parties in Norway, the little guests may expect to go ‘fishing for ice cream’, a game where everyone pulls up a frozen treat attached to a piece of string. In Russia, children at birthday parties pluck wrapped prizes hanging off a clothesline. If attempting to introduce some of the host country’s traditions, be sure to consult a local to avoid making a cross-cultural gaffe!
Introducing your own traditions
But, of course, it’s also nice to maintain your own culture’s birthday party traditions when living far from home – not just for your own children and their sense of self. Your kids’ guests will likely be from a number of different countries and they will love to discover whatever fun games (and sweet treats) you grew up with as a child. Just don’t forget to tell the other parents, if you’re expecting them to come inside and get involved!
This article was originally published for the thousands of expat partners that Global Connection supports around the globe. It is reproduced here in its original form.
