To all the British Escapists

[Azure-Supernova]

To my mother and my grandparents they still consider 21 to be the 'true' age of reaching adulthood. It's the age when they were given the key to the door. Though nowadays that age has been taken over by 18 and most people give their children keys to the door out of necessity, not tradition.

 

[Ursus Buckler]

It's sort of the same as an 18th birthday, it can be seen as 'the big one' and you're meant to choose which 'big one' you want to celebrate.

...Needless to say I'm going to be celebrating both 'big ones' and claim that October 2011 never happened.

 

[Daffy F]

To all the brits on the Escapist, I have a question. Just yesterday I turned 21 and my grandmother says that in Britain the 21st birthday is important, so yeah I was just wondering if it is actually important and how it is?

When you turn 18. Everything's cool.

 

[PatrickXD]

Yeah 21st always seemed a big thing in my family. I have half a decade 'till I get mine so I'm not entirely sure of that.
18th is a more important milestone of sorts, however.

 

[ziggy161]

It's important coz you can now drive a truck...
But as far as i remember, 21 used to be the age when you got the keys to the house (in simpler times) and it's a sign of you becoming a responsible adult. Whether that is true is up to you xD

 

[Jumpingbean3]

To all the brits on the Escapist, I have a question. Just yesterday I turned 21 and my grandmother says that in Britain the 21st birthday is important, so yeah I was just wondering if it is actually important and how it is?

Not that I know of. For me the important British birthdays are 16 (you can now legally have sex and buy lighters) and 18, which is the point where you're considered a young adult and all age restrictions no longer affect you

 

[J474]

It's just thought that once you're 21, that's when you're a full adult and stuff...
It's more a throwback to previous generations than anything else

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

Basically this is the rule from 16 til the day you die in Britain:

"GET WANKERED ON ALL THE BIRTHDAYS!"

 

[Nickolai77]

It's important coz you can now drive a truck...
But as far as i remember, 21 used to be the age when you got the keys to the house (in simpler times) and it's a sign of you becoming a responsible adult. Whether that is true is up to you xD

This, i turn 21 in a couple of weeks and i've been told off this little old tradition.
Of course, it's also an excuse to get wasted.

 

[Rockchimp69]

Nope, 21 doesn't mean shit here. I've never heard of any law that involves it.

 

[Galaxialconda]

Origninally it was back when 21 was the age you could then legally drink/ drive or something, I forget which. But thats not moved down in ages so now its more just a birthday thats special just cause its traditional to be. I've never celebrated my birthdays but the big ones I recall are.. 12, 18 & 21. But thats just what my family said and from my crap memory x3

40 is big too but I haven't got that far yet :3

 

[weirdsoup]

25 because by now you should have actually done something with yourself.

Well thank you for making me feel great.
[/sarcastic 25 year old]

Oh who am I kidding, I'm never going to stop being sarcastic.

Uh, never really heard of 21 being important here in Britain. The important ones are really 16 (you can leave school), 18 (you're an adult) and 20 (out of your teens).

I've never really heard of 20 being considered a big birthday. I guess it makes a bit more sense then 21. Maybe.

Please note; I said "should" not "will have"

I have to say that as I've done fuck all of any note with my life so far.

 

[Alphavillain]

It's an old-fashioned thing, outdated because it doesn't pertain to modern British passions for drinking, driving, or having sex.

Funnily enough, people come of age at younger and younger ages in societies where the life expectancy is setadily rising. In China, a man is only really considered a man at 30, whereeas here it is 18. Who'd have thunk it, huh?

 

[lRookiel]

Its when people can go to America (Las Vegas mainly) to drink n gamble and have a holiday to remember

 

[LostTimeLady]

21 used to be the age when you officually became an adult as before that point I think you even needed parantal permission to marry. 18's now the big thing but 21 I guess still has the signifiance of being when a lot of young people graduate from University.

Hay enjoy being 21, the next big bithday really is 30 and that won't be quite such a joyful occasion as you'll get a load of people calling you old when you turn 30. (No clue why!).

 

[KiKiweaky]

Just another excuse to have a party really.... Most people will do something either rent a function room or have one at home, eithers fine with me

Dont tell me the drinking age in canada is 21 aswell?

 

[gillebro]

Well, I turned 18 in Australia and 21 in Britain - both countries where you are a legal adult at 18... honestly, 21 didn't seem like that big a deal compared to 18. Having said that, we tend to have slightly bigger celebrations for it.

 

[Simalacrum]

Well I'd say its important yes, but not really for any particular reason...

I guess it just means you're considered an adult in whatever country your in 18 is important too.

 

[TheMadDoctorsCat]

To all the brits on the Escapist, I have a question. Just yesterday I turned 21 and my grandmother says that in Britain the 21st birthday is important, so yeah I was just wondering if it is actually important and how it is?

It's VERY important. 21 is well-known as the mystical age where all British people obtain the secret power to metamorphose into buck-toothed lemurs. That are invisible. And can breathe fire.

This is why we were finally able to repel the Nazi invasion. Hordes of invisible fire-breathing lemurs; who sees THAT one coming?

 

[omega 616]

To all the brits on the Escapist, I have a question. Just yesterday I turned 21 and my grandmother says that in Britain the 21st birthday is important, so yeah I was just wondering if it is actually important and how it is?

I was actually having an argument with somebody about this, he believed it was it important 'cos it just was, it had been important for everybody he had ever known and it is a common thing to go big on your 21st.

My reasoning was, in the UK you can do all the "good" stuff at 18, drink booze, buy cigs, go into strip clubs, buy adult toys etc. In America a lot of that stuff is 21, so Brits just did as we do best and copy American culture.

It also doesn't help the people in the UK love nothing more than to get pissed out of there tiny fucking minds! Friday, Saturday and if you don't have a job Sunday are usually spent getting so drunk you piss yourself, choke on your vomit and have sex in ally's (sometimes at the same time).

So while yes, turning 21 is a big deal, it is only so 'cos we knicked it from the Americans.