5, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, end.

[pikka]

I type weird entries on my phone.

And I am dying for some inspiration right now - but all my brain is offering me is literally a headache.

But! I am still wondering: Do numbers like 15, 25, 35 etc have a meaning in countries, that are not using the metric system? See, especially with birthdays, you have the one when you grow out of age (18) that

Comments

[famine]

Er, over here it's 16, 18, 21, then every decade (30, 40, 50 etc) that would be considered noteworthy. 21 as a big deal is such a relic concept though. Everything in the UK is legal by the time you're 18, except for driving a bus or something.

[skh]

Same in the US. 21 HUGE though because it's still the legal drinking age. I'm grateful that someone took pictures of my 21st b-day because otherwise I'm not sure I'd have remembered it~!

16 is big for some girls who get thrown huge parties for some reason. I didn't do that but I think it's more an upper-class/urban/suburban thing? No idea. Otherwise it's when it's legal to drive though I think this should be 18 or at least kids should have to get rigorous training since so many children die for doing stupid things behind the wheel (texting??? I mean, seriously???) because they're too young/inexperienced yet.

18 we get to vote and and become 'adults' in the eyes of the law. Most folks graduate highschool at this age as well. We don't have to obey our parents anymore if we don't want to, etc.

[pikka]

Well, that's what most pop culture teaches us about the States, too. (And yeah, driving by 18 is early enough if you ask me.)

So nothing about the 5s? Not even with wedding anniversaries? We're all using the same measurement in time, so this leaves me puzzled to some extent.

[skh]

Wedding Anniversaries are celebrated in 10's usually, but 25 is a big one too. 50 is really big. I remember my grandparent's 50th party. It was the first time I had alcohol! (I sneaked it, I was 11)
There are 'special' things for every year of marriage but most folks don't know what they are/care to make a point of it. It's just another year until about 10 or so, I think. Then again, I'm not married so what do I know!

[korrigan]

25 is big in the states because it means you can legally rent a car in your name. ¬¬ Other than that... nope.

[pikka]

That is… weird. 8D

[vestigialwords]

It's a financial/risk assessment issue. Car insurance costs goes down (WAYYYY down) when you turn 25. (Although I'm pretty sure you can rent a car younger than that if you're military - at least, that's what my dad told me was the case when he was 21-ish.)

[pikka]

No, no, not the fact. It's just the same over here with insurances - I found it weird that you'd "celebrate" a birthday because of that, yet that was meant to be a joke, just like the previous reply.

[blandinavian]

Hm, we sort of do that here (in Norway, though, so we use the metric system), but I always thought it had more to do with using the decimal numerical system, which the US also does.

It's not really big here, though, just slightly "bigger" than the other ones, the "round" ones (i.e. 20,30,40,50) are the ones that get attention, except for 18. And some people make a big deal out of 16, since it means you're legal, but eh, not everyone, and it's often just done for a laugh.

[pikka]

Ah, of course it'se because of the decimal numerical system; but all modern countries use that to some extent. Societies using the metric system are however way more often confronted with it than societies, who use a different system. However, we all use the same measure in time, so it intrigues me that certain birthdays have different meanings. (Aside from birthdays related to custom, of course, like becoming legal.)

What about anniversairies? For example, wedding anniversaires haver certain names over here; the 25th would be a "silver wedding". That's a quarter of a century; that should have a meaning in most Western countries, right?

[blandinavian]

I totally forgot to reply to this comment, but found it again when I was cleaning out my inbox.

As for anniversaries, 25 is big here, but I think it's more because it's a quarter of a century, not because it's between 20 and 30, so I think that's more related to the decimal system than any use of the metric system, especially because I think that's common in the US as well? And probably in most countries that use the decimal system, which I guess are most? 50 is also big, of course, and as for round numbers, 20-30-40 are "bigger" than, say, 35, but not bigger than 25 and 50. I don't think the "normal" 5s, i.e. those that aren't a quarter of a century, are that big of a deal when it comes to anniversaries either.