The tradition of birthday parties started in Europe a long time ago. It was believed that evil spirits were attracted to people on their birthdays. To protect them from harm, friends and family would to come to the home, to be with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off the evil spirits. This is how birthday parties began. At first it was only kings who were recognized as important enough to have a birthday celebration. As time went by, children became included in birthday celebrations. The first children's birthday parties occurred in Germany and were called Kinderfests