Why don't Jehovah's witnesses celebrate birthday parties and holidays?

Answer 1

Because they aren't celebrated in the bible:

"Jesus never commanded Christians to celebrate his birth. Rather, he told his disciples to memorialize, or remember, his death. (Luke 22:19, 20) Christmas and its customs come from ancient religions. The same is true of Easter customs, such as the use of eggs and rabbits. The early Christians did not celebrate Christmas or Easter, nor do true Christians today.

The only two birthday celebrations spoken of in the Bible were held by persons who did not worship Jehovah. (Genesis 40:20-22; Mark 6:21, 22, 24-27) The early Christians did not celebrate birthdays. The custom of celebrating birthdays comes from ancient religions. True Christians give gifts and have good times together at other times during the year."

Answer 2

--SIMPLY because they are pagan in nature & indeed still carry those traits!

*** sj p. 18 Holidays and Celebrations ***

“The notion of a birthday festival was far from the ideas of the Christians of this period in general.”—The History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries (New York, 1848), by Augustus Neander (translated by Henry John Rose), page 190.

“Of all the holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world below.”—The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1911), Volume X, page 709 (quoting Origen Adamantius of the third century).

----“The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of N[ew] T[estament] origin. The day of Christ’s birth cannot be ascertained from the N[ew] T[estament], or, indeed, from any other source. The fathers of the first three centuries do not speak of any special observance of the nativity.”—Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1981 reprint), by John McClintock and James Strong, Volume II, page 276.

“Most of the Christmas customs now prevailing in Europe, or recorded from former times, are not genuine Christian customs, but heathen customs which have been absorbed or tolerated by the Church. . . . The Saturnalia in Rome provided the model for most of the merry customs of the Christmas time.”—Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics

---Easter: Although this holiday is supposed to commemorate Christ’s resurrection, note what secular authorities say regarding it:

“Easter. Originally the spring festival in honor of the Teutonic goddess of light and spring known in Anglo-Saxon as Eastre. As early as the 8th century the name was transferred by the Anglo-Saxons to the Christian festival designed to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.”—The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible (Philadelphia, 1944), by John D. Davis, page 145.

“Everywhere they hunt the many-colored Easter eggs, brought by the Easter rabbit. This is not mere child’s play, but the vestige of a fertility rite, the eggs and the rabbit both symbolizing fertility.”—Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore Mythology and Legend (New York, 1949),

Answer 3

Well as for birthdays, they are only mentioned 2 times in the Bible, both were connected to pagan celebrations/customs and murder. As for other holidays, it depends on the holiday. For instance we do not celebrate Christmas as it's origins are not Christian but in fact are pagan in nature.

Answer 4

Jesus said "Be not of this world" so they interpret that as they should not celebrate secular holidays. Also, the Bible only mentions two birthday celebrations and they were both for very sinful people, so they interpret that as they should not do birthday parties because they are literally following examples in the Bible.

Answer 5

Jehovah's Witnesses believe strongly in God Jehovah and in his Son Jesus Christ, and that the bible was provided to humans as insight into God's opinions.

Regarding birthday celebrations, bible students are encouraged to consider:
: 0% of faithful biblical Jews celebrated birthdays
: 0% of first century Christians celebrated birthdays
: 100% of birthdays celebrated in the bible were by debauched enemies of God (See Mark 6:17-29; Gen 40:19-22)

Bible historians (M'Clintock, Strong, and others) have noted that faithful Jews of the bible did not celebrate birthdays, and that ancient pagan birthday celebrations were at least partially intended to honor the patron gods of the particular day.

By comparison with such paganisms, the bible does not even tell us the birthdates of Jesus or ANY of his apostles!


Jehovah's Witnesses practice strict political and nationalistic neutrality, so they do not celebrate nationalistic holidays such as Independence Day and Memorial Day.

Other holidays derive from false religion, and so are incompatible with pure worship as adulterating interfaith. For example, Easter derives from the pagan god Oestre and celebrates "rebirth" and "fertility" instead of commemorating Christ's Last Supper and death as Jesus commanded:
(Luke 22:1-22) [Jesus] dispatched Peter and John, saying: “Go and get the passover ready for us to eat.” ...14 At length when the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them: “I have greatly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it again until it becomes fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ... Keep doing this in remembrance of me.”

Seemingly innocuous holidays may have only a tangential connection with false worship, such as Mother's Day and Father's Day (although arguably derived from ancestor worship). Understated observance of these is not generally considered interfaith by Jehovah's Witnesses, but it is too easily misunderstood in some cultures.

Since such celebrations are not required in true worship, and can easily become a distraction, so Jehovah's Witnesses focus their attention elsewhere. In particular, they are focussed on the preaching work which *IS* a requirement for Christians:

(Luke 10:1-17) [Jesus] the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. 2 Then he began to say to them: “The harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few. Therefore beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20050101a/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/rq/article_11.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/w/2000/12/15/article_01.htm

Answer 6

They do their best to imitate Christians of the first century .....the one's taught by Jesus and the Apostles.
According to The World Book Encyclopedia:
"The first century Christians considered the celebration of anyone's birth to be a pagan custom."
Why?
The Bible definitely speaks negatively of the practice.
So, anyone wanting to imitate practices of first century christians ....would abstain.

Answer 7

I'm not a JW, but I understand , why glorify yourself. It's better to glorify God instead. B-day parties are pagan tradition, I'm not a pagan.

Answer 8

JW say that we are all the same in God's (all seeing) eyes...and nun of us should be held up higher than another...not even on your B-Day.

Answer 9

It helps them save moneye

seriously,I cant criticize anyone who conforms their life to the bible instead of the other way around like most lazy christians.
at least they are steadfast christians all year and not just at christmas time like most christians

Answer 10

Because the the Watchtower committee decided it was a good way to look different from the rest of the 'worldly' people. If Jesus didn't celebrate it then why should they? Why should you receive special attention on your birthday? You aren't that important. That is what they believe. Years ago they actually did celebrate them. Just shows you how inconsistent and absurd their religion is. Everything changes seasonally.


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