Description

• Birthday beads are similar to the beads thrown to participants during the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans and are a formed, plastic string of beads wide enough to fit over the head of any party-goer. Party supply companies manufacture these beaded necklaces with "Over the Hill" and "RIP" pendants for milestone birthdays after 40, while birthday sport balls, candles and cake adorn child-oriented birthday bead necklaces. Birthday celebrators turning 21 often wear birthday beads on their evening outings to bars, clubs and taverns to announce the momentous occasion.
  
  

Uses

• Birthday beads are worn around the neck of the birthday person but may also be draped around the party room, used as table decoration or given to party guests as favors. Some companies also offer kits for party guests to create their own set of birthday beads in celebration of the guest of honor.
  
  

Native American Birth Bead Ritual

• The construction of a birth bead necklace is a ritualistic part of a Mother's Blessing Ceremony and includes all attendees of a baby shower or celebratory get-together. Each guest brings one bead and a written blessing in the form of a poem, chant, wish or story to the party. The beads are symbolic of the woman's chakras and each person who brings a bead is seated in a circle, explains the reason for the special bead choice, reads their written contributions and passes the bead to the holder of the birth bead strand to be strung. After completion, the beaded necklace is passed around the circle, gaining support and loving energy from all attendees before being presented to the mother-to-be and is worn during the birth.
  
  

Make Your Own

• In lieu of purchasing inexpensive strands of birthday beads from a party shop or department store, consider creating your own with beads that contain designs and symbolize your personal interests or personality. String decorative beads with less-expensive spacing beads onto an 18-inch length of jewelry wire and either tie the necklace into a knot or crimp a clasp onto each end of the necklace to keep it for years to come.