Birthday celebrations differ widely throughout the world from candles that carry best wishes to bumps or pulls that ensure good luck for the coming year.

In Germany, a member of the birthday person’s family awakens at sunrise to light candles on a cake that are left burning all day. I guess they’re long ones. The party starts after dinner, candles are blown out and presents opened.

In England, symbolic objects are mixed into the cake upon preparation. After being served, those that find a coin in their slice supposedly will become rich some day. The birthday kid is raised and lowered to the floor by hands and feet – bumped for each year, plus twice for luck.

In Italy, ears are pulled. Israeli children sit in a chair while being raised and lowered as many times corresponding to age, plus one for luck. New Zealanders are more civil – celebrants clap for each year.

In China, the birthday person pays respect to parents and receives money that’s a traditional gift in many countries. Relatives and friends enjoy to lunch where noodles are served while the honoree is wished “long life.”

Those two words are short for “may you have good fortune as great as the eastern oceans, and may your life last as long as the southern mountains.” In ancient Chinese mythology, that describes where God resides -- heaven.

In Israel, the “long life” salutation also comforts mourners at funerals. The greeting is derived from the blessing for a new month that’s said in the synagogue on the morning before a new moon.

Long life, according to researchers, depends on a variety of factors from a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle to a good demeanor and genes.

I took a brief online life-expectancy quiz entitled, “Will You See Your 80th Birthday?” After giving honest answers to a dozen questions, the result was: “Start Counting Out 80 Candles. Congratulations! Currently, the odds are in your favor of living past the age of 80.”

I was among 28 percent receiving the good news while 67 percent was given a “good chance of living to 80” and 6 per cent were warned, “You’ll need a health turnaround to make it to age 80.”

On March 11, I celebrate my 74th birthday minus the cake and candles. According to Infoplease.com, Americans born in 1935 were expected to reach 62, with women living longer, 63.9 to 59.9.

Babies born in ’08, according to several sources, could reach 78, with the fair sex counting 81 candles, six more than men.

People are living longer whatever the reasons. According to ’07 Census Bureau data, there are more than 84,000 centenarians in the United States. That number could hit 580,00 by 2040.

Laugher is one ingredient in the long-life formula that proves it may be one of the best medicines. Recent University of Chicago studies show a great sense of humor can add eight years to your life.

Stanford University studies show a good belly laugh bolsters health benefits equal to 10 minutes on a rowing machine and burns off 3 ½ calories.

Most centennarians, according to a survey, say frequent laughs are important for longevity. That might account for outstanding comedians living past 80, including two that reached 100.

Bob Hope: “I don’t feel old. I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap.”

George Burns: “You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you’re down there.”

Two more icons:

Henny Youngman, 91: “My mother was 88 years old -- she never used glasses. Drank right out of the bottle.”

Milton Berle, 93: “Sex at the age of 84 is a wonderful experience -- especially the one in the winter.”

I especially like this old Irish toast: “Here’s to a long life and a merry one; a quick death and an easy one; a pretty girl and an honest one; a cold beer – and another one!”