A dad explains why blowing out birthday candles is the worst tradition ever.

How good are birthdays? Presents, attention and often a whole heap of children spitting on the birthday cake to make it go from hero of the party to an unappetising plate of saliva.

However, it seems a dad from the US is making headlines all around the world for his explanations on why we should never be blowing out candles, and how to avoid a germ-infested birthday party.

Leaving his family in hysterics, and instead of actually enjoying his birthday and blowing out the candles, the unknown and unnamed father proceeded to lecture his children instead on why blowing out candles is so wholly unhygienic.

The reasons? Our breaths, of course.

A video posted on YouTube which has been now viewed over 400,000 times is sending the internet into a frenzy, providing us with an ingenious solution to blowing out candles. Swatting them, like flies.

"The tradition of blowing out candles is probably the worst tradition in the history of mankind," he explained to his family as they celebrated his birthday.

"All the germs from your breath are all over food other people are going to eat. Everybody eats it, they go home, they get sick, they wonder how they got sick, because they went to a birthday party."

It's the brutal truth not many people like to think about when devouring dessert. The thought of how many germs are floating on the cake you're about to put in your mouth.

"This is the proper way to put out the candles on a cake, alright," he explained, before reaching out and literally swatting the flames with his hands.

"I look at it, I'm going to make a wish, I'm wishing, between you and I, that there are no germs anymore on birthday cakes."

His method has been so popular, there is now a Reddit thread dedicated to the video called 'Dad, tell me again why you don't blow out the candles?' One eagle-eyed user even managed to point out that he was probably spitting on the cake the whole time during his spiel.

More interested in the cake than the germs? Check out this super easy wagon wheel cake you can make at the very last minute...