Birthdays in the Celestial Empire

Birthdays in the Celestial Empire are called Improvement Celebrations, and are viewed as a celebration of the changes and upgrades a person has made over the past year cycle. The pursuit of perfection is a strong social motivation among the citizens of the empire, and utilizing the day of ones birth to provide an opportunity to highlight and proclaim that one has become a better version of oneself is a proper pursuit. Most citizens refer to these events as Improvement Celebrations, although some elderly citizens may occasionally slip and call them birthdays. Those of a rebellious and malcontent nature delight in calling these events birthdays, and displaying their lack of development.
Parents or Crèche leaders are responsible for presenting the improvements of a child during their Improvement Celebration. An underachieving presentation at a child's Celebration is viewed as a failure of the parent or Crèche leader, not of the child.
It is a major milestone when a child first presents their Upgrade Speech during their Improvement Celebration, as this represents their transition from childhood into adulthood. From this point on, all failure to improve is solely the fault of the newly recognized adult.
Adults are expected to host their own Improvement Ceremonies with their friends, elders, and superiors. An exceptionally well run Improvement Ceremony can be a deciding factor in possible promotions in the following year.

History

The idea of the Improvement Celebration, as opposed to the more archaic Birthday, was first introduced during the reign of Emperor Talos Tian (1 R.E. - 100 R.E.). The practice slowly took precedence over the past centuries. It is now viewed as an almost mandatory practice. The term Birthday has become socially unacceptable, and nearly vulgar.

Components and tools

Celebrants often display images or objects from previous Improvement Celebrations that highlight that year's greatest improvement. This is used as a way to show how the celebrant has excelled beyond previous achievements.

Observance

Cakes of some form are often present for the celebration, but no one knows how or why that tradition exists. Some claim that it has to do with honoring Lost Terra, but that seems unlikely.