11 ways South American parties are better than North American parties

Michaela Brown (right) and I celebrating my third birthday in Lima, Peru.

In the 22 years I have been alive, I have had all kinds of birthday celebrations, most of them taking place in South America. So, here is a list of 11 things that make South American parties much better than North American parties.

1. Before you turn 15, a piñata must be included in every party.

The birthday boy or girl gets the first swing! Photo retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Piñata_in_San_Diego.jpg

2. Guests may sing up to three songs before the birthday person is allowed to blow out his or her candles.

“Cumpleaños Feliz,” “Queremos que parte la torta” and “Defectos y Qualidades” are some of the few songs sung before blowing out the candles.

3. The birthday person does not have to open presents in front of people.

The birthday person decides whether to open presents in front of guests or not. Photo retrieved from https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3058/2652378834_d3a909eb49_o.jpg

4. The time given on the invitation for when the party starts actually means the time you should leave your house to get to the party.

It says it starts at 3 p.m., but it really means 4 p.m. Photo retrieved from http://mlv-d1-p.mlstatic.com/tarjetas-de-invitacion-personalizadas-en-fotografia-5165-MLV4946994366_092013-F.jpg

5. Parties are always formal no matter what.

Parties are always elegant in South America.

6. The birthday person is always given a mordidita (where the birthday person is allowed to take a bite from the cake and one of his or her friends pushes the person’s face into the cake).

Wait for iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

7. That being said, ice cream cake is not a substitute for a real cake.

But cupcakes are a good substitute. Photo retrieved from http://pixabay.com/p-50808/?no_redirect

8. “Happy Birthday” is sung in both English and Spanish.

         “Jappy berdey tu ju. Jappy berdey tu ju. Que los cumplas felices. Cumpleaños feliz”

9. There are no birthdays that take place in arcades (like Chuck E Cheese) because they distract the guests from the birthday person.

“Okay kids, stop playing your games. I know you want to win more tickets, but it’s time to pay attention to the birthday kid now.” Photo retrieved from https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7127/8163182407_e43ea1fe3f_o.jpg

10. Dancing, dancing and more dancing!

Enough said.

11. A quinceañera is way more important than a sweet sixteen.
    

    I mean, why would you even want a sweet sixteen after a quinceañera?