Since both DR Jane and DR Vixmom had no clue what I was talking about I wonder if there is a different term in the US. It is not done so much now but we did it a lot when I was little. At least one person takes the birthday person's head and at least one person takes their legs. And you lift them horizontally in the air. Once for each year and then once for good luck.
never heard of this tradition before -
found it in Wikapedia (which, as we all know, is the undisputed source of all knowledge)
Punches, spankings, "the Bumps" and other torments.
One widespread birthday custom takes many forms around the world, all rooted in the idea of delivering some form of physical torment to the person whose birthday it is, in order to drive away evil and to attract good luck. These torments range from beatings, through punches and earlobe-pulling, to "the Bumps".[1]
"The Bumps", a torment common in countries such as the U.K., Ireland, and the U.S.,[1][2] involves the friends and family of the person whose birthday it is taking him or her by the arms and legs, and "bumping" him/her up into the air and down onto the floor.[1][3] The number of "bumps" given equals the age of the person in years plus one "for luck".[1][3] Usually "the Bumps" are administered only to children, in part because as people grow up they become too heavy for the process.[1]
In Francophone Canada and the U.S. "birthday punches" are given in a similar fashion, where the person whose birthday it is punched a number of times equal to his/her age, plus one for luck.[1][2] In Brazil, Hungary, Argentina, Italy, and other countries, the person has his/her earlobes pulled.[1][2][4] 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.".[5]
Similar to birthday punches are birthday spankings. While they are usually administered to children, they are somewhat common. They, for the main part, don't hurt at all or if they do, it is a small sting. What happens is that the birthday recipient gets spanked on his or her buttocks how many years they have been around, plus one to grow on.
In India, a person on his birthday is held up in the air by his hands and legs by his friends (usually not in the presence of their family), and kicked or spanked on the buttocks. It is referred to as 'Birthday Bumps'. The number of bumps given equals the age of the person but usually ends up exceeding that number.
In Israel, part of the birthday celebration for a child in kindergarten is to lift the decorated chair that the child sits on into the air several times, once for each year of the child's age, plus "one for the next year".[1][6]
In Venezuela, a widespread custom is to attempt to push the person's face into the cake when they blow out the candles. This frequently destroys the cake.
