text: In French-speaking Canada, the U.S. and Australia, "birthday punches" are given in a similar fashion, with the person whose birthday it is being punched a number of times equal to his/her age, often with one additional punch "for luck". In some places, instead of a punch "for luck", the recipient is pinched "to grow an inch". In Brazil, Hungary, Argentina, Italy, and other countries, the person has his/her earlobes pulled. The Hungarian tradition also involves at the same time as pulling the earlobes wishing the person a happy birthday or reciting a rhyme whose English translation is "God bless you, live so long so your ears reach your ankles.".
  Similar to birthday punches are birthday spankings. While they are usually administered to children, the practice is somewhat common, even in areas and communities or among families where corporal punishment is otherwise frowned upon. The spankings, characteristically, are mostly administered such that they do not hurt the recipient at all, or if they do, it is usually only a small "sting". Traditionally, they are given to children under the age of 16. With this tradition, the birthday recipient generally gets spanked on the buttocks once for each year that they have been alive, often with a final, extra spank administered as "one to grow on".
  In Mexico and Venezuela, a widespread custom is to attempt the pushing of the person's face into the birthday cake when they blow out the candles. This frequently destroys the cake.
  Birthday punches are administered throughout the day, but if the "birthday boy" hides from the punches, one final punch is allowed to be given.