<P> There are many variations of sweets which are eaten around the world on birthdays . The Chinese birthday pastry is the shòu bāo (壽 包, simp . 寿 包) or shòu táo bāo (壽桃 包, simp . 寿桃 包), a lotus - paste - filled bun made of wheat flour and shaped and colored to resemble a peach . Rather than serving one large pastry, each guest is served their own small shou bao . In Korea, the traditional birthday dish is seaweed soup . In Western Russia, birthday children are served fruit pies with a birthday greeting carved into the crusts . The Swedish birthday cake is made like a pound cake that is often topped with marzipan and decorated with the national flag . Dutch birthday pastries are fruit tarts topped with whipped cream . In India there are very few people who use birth celebration in villages, but in cities and towns, birthday cakes are used similarly as in western countries, especially among people with higher education . </P> <P> In many cultures the person whose birthday is being celebrated is invited to make a wish, and blow out candles . </P> <P> In June 2017 researchers at Clemson University reported that some individuals deposit a large number of bacteria on the cake . </P>

When did adding birthday candles to a cake originate