To mark the occasion each year, people celebrate the day as their birth anniversary or birthday with great enthusiasm. We can easily see the excitement of birthdays in the eyes of kids as they eagerly wait for birthday gifts, wishes, cards, and a wholesome party. But it will be a shocking revelation that there is a religion, namely Jehovah’s witnesses, that does not celebrate birthdays. If you ask these individuals about their birthdays, shockingly, you will not get an answer. If you ever travel to Bhutan, you will not find any Bhutanese people who know about his birthday either.
So, before you overthink, let us find out who the people are that do not celebrate their birth anniversaries.
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Reasons behind Jehovah’s witnesses’ refuse to celebrate birthdays.
They do not celebrate any national, religious, or birth holidays throughout the year. The belief that celebrating birthdays offends God causes Jehovah’s witnesses to avoid large parties and events. Besides this, there are various other reasons that you should know before reaching a conclusion as to why Jehovah’s witnesses refuse to celebrate any religious holiday or birth anniversary:
a. Birthdays do not belong to a specific religion
Jehovah’s witnesses believe that birthdays do not belong to any specific religion and that they are not preoccupied with the roots of every custom, as the bible condemns the use of words like magic, spiritism, divination, and many more. Although birthday celebrations are done in the belief that on the birth anniversary the celebrant may be influenced by evil spirits, the expression of good wishes and the presence of friends may help the celebrant to get protection, yet Jehovah’s witnesses do not consider birthdays a part of celebrations.
b. The early Christians used to consider birthdays pagan customs.
In the early days, there was a belief among Christians that birthdays were a pagan custom. Due to this consideration, it established a pattern and all the Christians started following the same. As a result, the Jehovah’s Witnesses began to wonder if birthday celebrations had pagan roots.
c. They only celebrate Jesus’s death anniversary.
As the bible says that the day of death is better than the day of birth, Jehovah’s witnesses only celebrate the death anniversary of Jesus as it was the day when there was the end of his life on earth and Jesus made a good name with God. So, these people consider the day of death to be more important than the day of anyone’s birth.
They also do not celebrate other religious days that have pagan origins, including Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day, etc. Now you might be thinking that if Jehovah’s witnesses do not celebrate the day of anyone’s birth, do they still love their families? Well, to find out the answer, let us move ahead.
Do Jehovah’s witnesses’ children feel low by not celebrating birthdays?
Since the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate their birthdays, it does not mean that they do not arrange enjoyable gatherings or bring lovely gifts to their children. Like all other good parents, they do express their love for children and hence keep surprising them with gifts, parties, wishes, and other celebrations.
They set a perfect example of God in front of their children and try their level best to give them good etiquette. Once you ask the Jehovah’s witnesses’ children about the celebrations that they enjoy, you will get to know that they are far away from a few cups, a song for a party, and a ten-minute celebration. Even though they do not bring presents on birthdays, they do keep surprising their loved ones on other occasions.
Other religions that do not celebrate their birthdays
You may know that birthdays are celebrated all over the world in different ways. You might be unaware of the fact that there are still some customs and religions that not only abstain from enjoying the day of their birth but also look at it with disgust. By religion, it includes
a. Christianity
In the early centuries, Christians used to believe that they should not only refrain from celebrating their birth anniversaries but also look at the day with disgust. In medieval times, ordinary folks started honoring the saint’s day, and these days they have started accepting birthdays as part of their traditional culture. But Jehovah’s witnesses still believe that birthdays have a pagan origin, so they do not celebrate birthdays due to rejection by early Christians.
c. Islam
Most Muslims refrain from birthday celebrations as it does not reflect Islamic tradition, but it is not a problem for others. A good portion of Muslims celebrate their birthdays, especially children, until and unless it is not accompanied by any behavior contrary to Islamic tradition. Muslims celebrate birthdays to bring blessings in one’s life as long as it does not displease God or involve anything that is against their customs.
What we can learn from all this?
You may have heard of birthday depression or birthday blues, which occur because of the possibility of not celebrating one’s birthday. But you will hardly believe that there exists a religion that does not celebrate birth anniversaries or religious holidays and still never feels low or sad on such occasions. It is because of their belief that birthdays have pagan roots, and the celebration of such days displeases God.
So, if you know any individual who is experiencing birthday depression, just talk about Jehovah’s witnesses and their customs, and we ensure it will bring a sense of energy and excitement to them. It is because Jehovah’s witnesses have found various other ways to celebrate and make enjoyable gatherings to express their love and feelings towards their families and friends.
Besides Jehovah’s Witnesses, other Christian communities and Muslims who believe that birthday celebrations have pagan roots also do not celebrate birthdays, but most of these communities celebrate these days with great enthusiasm if it does not showcase any behavior contrary to their traditions.
It is not only about birthdays. Jehovah’s witnesses is a religion that does not celebrate most holidays and events just because they have pagan origins, including Christmas and Easter. Isn’t it shocking and surprising?