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| The Prayer at Valley Forge |
When I was in elementary school, we celebrated (that is we
had a day off from school) Washington's birthday and Lincoln's birthday. Then,
sometime starting around the late 70s, I believe, presidential birthdays were
consolidated into one holiday: President's Day.
Quick aside: I have mixed feelings about this. On the one
hand, it dismisses the historical significance of specific presidents such as
Lincoln and Washington. On the other, it means you are free to celebrate
whichever president you deem worthy. And, to me, that kind of freedom seems
quintessentially American.
Then it struck me this morning: Would Washington have
celebrated his own
birthday? I mean, putting aside his rather taciturn reputation,
I just can't imagine any president of that era celebrating a birthday. Birthday
celebrations have a historical reputation for being ego-driven, non-Christian
events. An early president might take the time to declare a national day of prayer and
fasting. But light a few birthday candles? Somehow I doubt it.
I did a little (and by that, I mean 'very little') digging
into the history of birthday celebrations, and did not find anything specific.
If anyone knows more about the role birthdays played in the lives of 18th
century Americans, I would love to hear about it.
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