The bumps

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The bumps is a birthday ritual at schools in the United Kingdom, usually performed on the school field, playground, or other open space. The birthday child is surrounded by classmates, and after a chorus of Happy Birthday to You, four other children seize the child's arms and legs. Then the child is thrown up into the air and back down again as many times as their age in years (although the other children never let go), while the crowd shouts the count as the birthday child reaches the zenith. Often, at the end, the crowd shouts "And one for luck!" and the other children let go and catch again on the last throw.

The "Birthday bumps" are also common in Canada and India, pretty much the same version of the ritual with some creative alterations at times. The tradition continues, especially in colleges, where 'Bumps' may be given for anything ranging from a Birthday to acing a test or even speaking a silly joke.

Another variation is "Engagement bumps" given to the bride following the exchange of rings.

A distant relative of this is the "GPL" or "Gaand Pe Lath" (kick his arse) or "गान्ड पे लात" which originates from the Indian language Hindi. GPL is particulary popular in the Engineering colleges in India. It is slightly different from "The bumps" in that it is specially administered in the area above the thighs on the backside of human anatomy. It is also a little bit violent, as confirmed from few serious medical complications that have arose sporadically. Other aspects like the occasion, location, etc. remain more or less the same.

Another variation, common in Scotland, is called "the dumps". It is similar to "the bumps", but after the chorus of Happy Birthday, the child is thumped on the back several times, once for each year of their life, again typically with "one for luck!".

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