Riddle: When it's alive we sing, when it is dead we clap our hands. What is it?
Answer: A birthday candle
Riddle Explanation + Meaning
A birthday candle is something we use during birthday celebrations.
When the candle is lit, or "alive" with flame, people around sing the birthday song to celebrate the person's special day.
After the song, the tradition is for the birthday person to make a wish and then blow out the candles, extinguishing the flame, or making the candle "dead."
It is at this moment that everyone claps their hands, celebrating the act of blowing out the candles and the wish made.
This riddle plays with the terms "alive" and "dead" to describe the lit and extinguished states of a candle, tying these states to the actions of singing and clapping, which are common birthday celebration activities.
