The Ancient Roman Origins Of Birthday Cake - Chowhound

For the citizens of ancient Rome, birthdays were a cause for celebration among friends and family, but they were also somber occasions of self-reflection. According to the dominant religion of the time, each person had a sort of spiritual attendant — the "genius" for men and the "juno" for women — who was responsible for guiding them through their lives. These religious figures were thought to represent a divine…