Ear yanking fun!

If your ear gets tugged on your birthday, you might guess the tugger is Brazilian or maybe Hungarian. You’ll be able to tell the difference by whether or not they are also singing a rhyming song. Plus, once they start singing you might be able to guess the difference between Portuguese and Hungarian. Want a translation of the rhyme, though? Mental Floss tells us it means: “God bless you. May you live so long your ears reach your ankles.” American abroad Phil Done, who had his own ear pulled while teaching in Budapest in 2013, backs this up in his blog.

In another site’s list of top 10 odd birthday gestures, there’s even this creepy photo to illustrate the tradition: hungary-pulling-earlobes

 

Having already endured a toddler yanking on my earrings, I recommend choosing your birthday accessories carefully while in Hungary or Brazil.

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