Got a bit of a conundrum would like some advice on. In my mediaeval-fantasy novel there is a group of protagonists, some of whom are educated, and a couple of which are illiterate. It is made plain that Character U, a woodsman and hunter, is both illiterate and doesn't understand numbers properly, based on my reading of levels of education among mediaeval peasant classes. The problem is, in the current draft, Character U notes that the date is his birthday, which is a significant theme in some sections. It's a problem because while mediaeval peasants could celebrate birthdays, the dates could be recognised because every day was patronised by a different saint, whom the baby was usually named after. So every time the feast of St [name] came along, you know you were a year older - if you knew numbers. Presumably the local priest would inform of which feast day it was and advise accordingly on such issues as relevant. However, I don't have that system in my calendar, which is based more on the Roman form. Additionally, while an uneducated peasant may arguably recognise a date, I would not expect them to understand numbers enough to note their own age. It's an old draft I'm working with and I'm inclined to edit out all references and events relating to the birthday. However, despite research I'm still not fully sure of the context by which mediaeval peasants may or may not have measured and celebrated birthdays, if at all. So I just thought I'd ask for other people's opinions whether it's unrealistic to expect a peasant character with an understanding of writing or numbers to know their age, let alone celebrate a birthday (which I'm inclined to think was a perogative of the rich) - or whether I'm just being too critical.