The Library of Spanking Fiction: Wellred Weekly


Wellred Weekly
Volume 1, Number 5 : February 7, 2012
 
Articles
Items of interest regarding all things spanking

A Spanking Good Birthday Tradition
by Janine

You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too, yeah.
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time...

I wonder if The Beatles were alluding to the 'good time' our birthdays can be here in the States. I mean, what could be better than presents and cake? A birthday spanking, of course! Who wouldn't want spanks for each year of their age, plus 'one to grow on'... it's the one activity that makes adding another birthday candle a little easier to accept!

Although a birthday spanking is a long-held custom in the U.S., it has diminished in popularity over the years. Usually treated as a prank or joke, it is not intended for punishment or as an erotic act. Typically, the birthday girl or boy is spanked playfully at home (and once upon a time at school) by either family or friends, almost always over clothes. Although some families may administer the birthday spanking on the bare, that is generally a rare practice here in America. An implement such as a paddle may be used but far more often the spanking takes the form of swats by hand. This tradition starts in childhood and may continue into adulthood (depending on one's proclivity for such activities, of course!). Some believe the birthday spanks cover all of the bad things the child has gotten away with the past year. Others think it makes it clear to the child that the parents are still in charge, and that one is never too old to be spanked. But generally, the practice is meant to be light-hearted and fun rather than cautionary.

While growing up, birthday spankings were not customary in my household (nor were any kind of spankings), but I did attend a few parties where this was an accepted practice. A helpful parent or close friend would swat the birthday child either over the knee or leaning across a couch, and the crowd would gleefully count out each number until it equaled the child's age. Then an extra, harder swat would finish things up, given for a variety of reasons: for good luck, for love, to grow on, to live on, or even one to get married on. An alternative technique I remember quite clearly was having the young guests all line up behind each other, legs spread apart. The birthday child would then have to crawl between the long line of legs, getting swatted by each child as he/she passed through what was fondly called the "spanking machine."

Variations
Lest you think that only Americans enjoy this tradition, birthday spankings are given in various forms throughout the world. There is a Polish tradition in which the celebrant receives hard, backside beltings on his/her eighteenth birthday. Known as Pasowanie, meaning "rite of passage," the spankings mark the transition from youth to adulthood. In the United Kingdom, Ireland and India, the birthday child is lifted by his arms and legs and given "birthday bumps" as his bottom is playfully bumped on the floor -- one bump for each year and one for good luck, just like us Yanks follow. This form of torment is generally reserved for younger children as it's not an easy practice to carry out as children grow and become heavier. Our northern neighbors in Canada stray away from the backside, and go for "birthday punches" instead. (They also grease the birthday child's nose with butter to make him too slippery for bad luck, but perhaps that's best saved for another article altogether).

Origins & Rituals
So how did this custom begin? The most common and perhaps obvious explanation relates back to the traditional smack on the newborn's bottom given by a doctor or midwife. Administered on the infant's "birth day," the first spank is meant to encourage the first cry or breath of life. Thus a birthday spanking each year recreates that neonatal sensation (even if no tears are involved). A modern-day theory claims the tradition comes from sporting games, such as football, where players give each other congratulatory slaps on the backside after the game. So parents are congratulating their child for making it through another year when they give a birthday spanking.

Historians propose that birthday spankings were originally based on superstition, rooted in the belief that physical torment of the body would drive away evil and attract good luck. Many of these earlier practices involved rituals and initiations of some sort. In his historical account, The Celtic Empire, Peter Berresford Ellis suggests that the Celtic practice of birthday spankings was a preventive measure, meant to protect the child from evil spirits for the coming year. Ancient Egyptians considered it bad luck to withhold a birthday spanking, as it was believed to help prepare one for the afterlife by "softening the body for the tomb." Aspects of these practices seem similar to ritualistic spankings found in other cultures. The ancient Roman festival, Lupercalia, involved switching young women and girls each year in hopes of lengthening their lives and increasing fertility. (See the in-depth article Lupercalia by Februs in Vol.1, No.2.) Similar fertility rituals occurred in parts of Germany, where full-blown whippings, rather than switchings, were administered to young women.

Decorative pomlázka
'Symbolic' spanking rituals still exist today, even if not specifically associated with birthdays. For centuries, Czech boys have gone caroling on Easter Monday, before whipping girls on the legs with a braided pussy willow switch called a pomlázka (meaning 'make younger'). In this Slavic tradition, girls and young women are doused with water after being struck by the twigs, which are believed to bring youth and good health to anyone whipped with them. In modern-day China, thousands of people visit the Taoist Dong Lung Gong temple in Tungkang on the first day of the Chinese New Year. In an age-old practice meant to rid themselves of bad luck, men receive spankings and women whippings by the temple staff. The number of strokes (always given lightly) is determined by the god Wang Ye and by burning incense and tossing pieces of wood.

In the News
The implement used to
administer 'whammies'
Although spanking news tidbits can be found worldwide, it isn't often that birthday spankings are in the spotlight. Yet earlier this year Terry Eisenbarth, an elementary school principal in Iowa (US), came under fire after using a padded hockey stick to lightly spank students for their birthdays -- a tradition he calls "whammies." When parents learned of the practice, many were outraged. After complaints surfaced and demands were made for the School Board to take action, Eisenbarth tried to smooth things over by sending home a letter to parents. "The purpose of this practice was solely and genuinely to cultivate relationships with students and highlight their special day," Eisenbarth wrote. Meant as a fun way to help celebrate, he would make a special announcement over the intercom, give the birthday child a pencil and calculator, and then the "whammy" with the foam-wrapped stick would follow. He insists he was never alone in the room with the child during the "celebration."

Eisenbarth agreed to stop the tradition because of the negative reaction, but an attorney for the Iowa Department of Education said that birthday spankings are not in violation of the state ban on corporal punishment. In fact, the local police found no evidence of wrongdoing, and the school district remained supportive of the principal, as did some parents. However, Eisenbarth resigned before any formal decision could be reached by the School Board. The divided community seemed relieved to have the matter resolved in this manner, although it seems likely the Board would have requested Eisenbarth's resignation anyway.

So where does this leave a beloved birthday tradition in modern times? Clearly not in the schools. Perhaps in the privacy of one's home. Or perhaps in public. A public restaurant, to be more precise. In Abilene, Kansas (US) an old farmhouse restaurant has an interesting tradition. If customers want to eat for half-price on their birthday, they have to stand up and bend over for a public paddling. Mr. K's Farmhouse serves up fried chicken, pork chops, country fried steak and ... paddles marked with the name and birthday of each participating customer. The restaurant's walls are lined with these paddles, so it appears the practice is a popular one. Even President Dwight D. Eisenhower was paddled here for his 75th birthday. Amazing what some people are willing to do to save money on dinner...

Wherever your birthday spankings take place - public or private -remember that you are enjoying an ancient tradition practiced worldwide in one form or another. Whether for good luck, long life, or simply for fun, may the spanking tradition continue to ward off those evil birthday candles that keep accruing each year.



  Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13