The Second Glass

My birthday is next week. It’s that tender birthday planning time where your friends and family want to know A) what you want for a present B) what you want to do for your birthday and C) who you plan to spend it with. A lover, family, friends, co-workers? When considering these questions my eyes glaze over and this image permeates my thought process:

Champagne is usually brought out for “special occasions”, namely anniversaries, birthdays, engagements, weddings–you get the gist. The rousing pop of the cork (whether you are spraying, sabreing, or tastefully using a cloth) signifies convivality, jubilation, and PARTY! Effervescent bubblies are the icing on the cake (no pun intended) for joyous events. But why champagne? Is it just the act of opening, the pop, the excitement of it all?
In an effort to discover the roots of why one drinks champagne on their birthday (or other celebratory events) I googled “champagne and birthdays”.
What I discovered was the “Champagne Birthday” also known as the “Golden Birthday”. Only happening once in your lifetime, the champagne birthday takes place when you turn the age of the date you were born on. For example, if your birthday is June 25th, your golden/champagne birthday is when you turn 25. The name is derived from the ritual of drinking champagne on this birthday.
Rats. That means I missed mine at age ten. Ah well, I guess this birthday I’ll just have to make up for it…