April 2018: All in a Name | Happy Birthday, Happy Easter
Sharing a birthday with someone else on campus isn’t unusual, but sharing it with a holiday is not nearly as common. Sharing it with two holidays is almost unheard of. This year, five students shared their birthday with each other as well as sharing it with both April Fools’ Day and Easter.
Keana Allen said, “I don’t care that my birthday is the first, it’s still a day and it’s my birthday so, regardless of the day, event or holiday, it’s still my birthday” To celebrate her birthday, Allen planned to throw a hotel party. The past four years, she hadn’t done anything to celebrate her special day but expected to have fun to celebrate her 17th.
Terrance Delacruz, on the other hand, feels that having his birthday on the first is interesting because it’s a unique date. Like Allen, he planned to be focused on his birthday rather than Easter on April 1. “I feel special that my birthday is on the first because I don’t know any others who have it,” he said.
“For my birthday, I’m going out with friends, and celebrating Easter with my family together,” said Janet Guzman. Even though it’s a holiday, Guzman said, “Even though my birthday does fall on Easter this year, I’d do the same thing I’d normally do if it wasn’t. It’s not anything special to me.” One thing that she did find special about her birthday this year is that there wouldn’t be any school the day of, or the day after, her birthday.
For Ferguyn “David” Liu, having his birthday land on Easter allows him to spend it with family in China, where he planned to spend Spring Break. Last year he celebrated his birthday by throwing a pool party with his friends. “I like having my birthday on the first day of the month because it starts with a fresh month,” he said.
Paul Nagasawa traditionally celebrates his birthday by inviting people over and then eating out. “I play that Bone Thugs song and joke about my birthday,” he said. He planned to celebrate the holiday and his birthday simultaneously. “Sometimes, as an April Fools’ joke, my dad says that I’m adopted,” he said, “If I could, I wouldn’t change my birthday date, though, because I like messing with people.”
This is the first time these five students have celebrated their birthday on Easter, but it will happen again in 2029. Things will no doubt be a lot different then, but their birthdays will always be on April Fool’s Day.
