We had a need to have a simple overview of birthdays for family and friends. The goal of entering this in Home Assistant is to be able to create automation around birthdays. For example. get a notice when a birthday is approaching, or adjust lights in the home when it is the birthday of the immediate family.
In Home Assistant, there is a simple plugin that does just that. This is called Anniversaries, and it gives you an overview of birthdays (or other events). It can count both up and down until the event is.
When you install Anniversaries, it creates an entity for each event, and you can use this in automation afterward.
There are two ways to install Anniversaries. Either via HACS (by far the simplest method) or manually.
After installation, go to Configuration -> Device & Services and select “Add integration”.
Look up Anniversaries in the list and click on it.
Furthermore, you enter one name for the event, the date of the event. In addition to this, you can choose whether to count up to the event, whether it is a one-time event and whether to get information when you are halfway to the event.
Now you have every opportunity to gain control of birthdays and future events. Create an automation that triggers when the event is e.g. 1 day away, or during the day, and get a message on your mobile or that all the lights in the house are flashing – here you just have to use your imagination.