The custom of placing candles on birthday cakes dates back to Greco-Roman times.

In ancient Greece, people believed in Artemis, the goddess of the moon. On her annual birthday celebration, people always put honey cakes and a lot of lighted candles on the altar to form a sacred atmosphere, to show their special reverence for the moon goddess.

Later, this custom gradually evolved into a child's birthday cake with burning candles, and added the content of blowing out the candles. The ancient Greeks believed that burning candles had hidden magical powers and that if a child had a wish and blew out all the candles in one breath, he would get his wish.

Expanded:

Generally, in China, more importance is attached to the birthdays of the elderly and children, and every year's birthday is a family gathering, unlike nowadays, when everyone is basically in another country. Basically, people are in other countries, call a few good friends to help their birthday.

In ancient times, birthdays, also known as birthdays, birthday celebration, also known as congratulations or birthday worship. Young people celebrating their birthdays can only be called "birthday", "do birthday", can not be called "do life". Because the "birthday" is the age of the long term: sixty years or more to celebrate the birthday, can only be called "birthday", "do life".

China's ancient times, there is a long time, people are not birthday. For a long time, people did not celebrate their birthdays on their birthdays. It was not until the Yin Shang era that people had the concept of birthdays. However, birthdays were only celebrated out of the worship of the sun god, and parents named their children after the stem of the day they were born, and there was no celebration of birthdays.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Birthday Candles

Phoenix.com - When did the custom of celebrating birthdays begin?