Panda cub Bei Bei celebrates first birthday

WASHINGTON — Bei Bei, the giant panda cub at the National Zoo, celebrated his first birthday with a special panda-friendly frozen birthday cake.

Bei Bei was born Aug. 22, 2015, but the zoo held a traditional Chinese ceremony Saturday in which symbolic objects are placed in front of a baby.

The zoo placed three banners with symbols painted on them in the panda yard. The poles supporting the banners were slathered in honey. Bei Bei’s mother, Mei Xiang, picked the banner displaying a red knot, which the zoo says symbolizes friendship and luck.

The pandas were also given cakes made of frozen diluted juice.

Contributing: The Associated Press