Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays and Christmas?

No. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays, and they do not celebrate Christmas. Their FAQ says birthday celebrations displease God. Their holiday FAQ says they do not celebrate Christmas or Easter because those days are rooted in the worship of other gods. The observance they do keep each year is the Memorial of Jesus’ death.

Key points

• The birthday FAQ: “Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays because we believe that such celebrations displease God.” It also says the Bible “does not explicitly forbid celebrating birthdays.” (1)
• The same page cites Genesis 40:20–22“Show the words of Genesis 40:20–22^40:20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. ^40:21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand: ^40:22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.King James Version (4), Pharaoh’s birthday, when the baker is hanged, and Mark 6:21–29“Show the words of Mark 6:21–29^6:21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; ^6:22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. ^6:23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. ^6:24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. ^6:25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. ^6:26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. ^6:27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, ^6:28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. ^6:29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.King James Version (5), Herod’s birthday, when John the Baptist is beheaded.
• It says parents give gifts and hold gatherings at other times, and it quotes children who describe surprise gifts rather than a birthday party.
• The holiday FAQ names Christmas and Easter among days Witnesses do not celebrate, “since these holidays are rooted in the worship of gods other than Jehovah.” (2)
• Romans 14:5–6“Show the words of Romans 14:5–6^14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. ^14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.King James Version (7) says one person esteems a day and another esteems every day alike, and that either choice can be “unto the Lord.”
• The Memorial page says they commemorate Jesus’ death once a year, because he said, “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (3)

Why they refuse birthdays

The FAQ “Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays?” opens: (1)

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays because we believe that such celebrations displease God. Although the Bible does not explicitly forbid celebrating birthdays, it does help us to reason on key features of these events and understand God’s view of them.

Four reasons follow.

They say the celebrations have pagan roots, and they quote reference books rather than a Bible verse for that history. Funk & Wagnalls, as they cite it, is quoted for the belief that on a birthday “evil spirits and influences have the opportunity to attack the celebrants” and that friends and good wishes protect the person. The Lore of Birthdays, as they cite it, is quoted for birthday records used “for the casting of a horoscope” and for candles “endowed with special magic for granting wishes.” They then cite Deuteronomy 18:14 and Galatians 5:19–21 against magic and spiritism, and they add: “Jehovah’s Witnesses are not preoccupied with the roots of every custom; yet when the Scriptures give such pointed indications, we do not ignore them.”

They say early Christians did not celebrate birthdays, citing The World Book Encyclopedia for the claim that “they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom,” and 2 Thessalonians 3:6 for following the apostolic pattern.

They say the one required commemoration is a death, not a birth. They cite Luke 22:17–20 and Ecclesiastes 7:1, “the day of death is better than the day of birth.”

They say the Bible never shows a servant of God celebrating a birthday, and that the two birthday feasts it does record are “presented in a bad light,” Genesis 40:20–22 and Mark 6:21–29.

On children, the page asks whether they feel deprived and answers that parents “express love to their children throughout the year, including giving them gifts and having enjoyable gatherings.” It quotes Matthew 7:11, that God gives good things to his children. The children’s comments printed there prefer a gift that comes as a surprise to a gift tied to the birthday.

What those two birthdays say

Genesis 40:20–22“Show the words of Genesis 40:20–22^40:20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. ^40:21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand: ^40:22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.King James Version, King James Version:

And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand: but he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.

The birthday is the date of the feast. The hanging is the fulfillment of Joseph’s interpretation, which he had already given. The text does not say the party caused the death, or that marking a birth is why the baker died. Pharaoh also restores the butler on the same day. The scene is an Egyptian court, not a law for Israel.

Mark 6:21–27“Show the words of Mark 6:21–27^6:21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; ^6:22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. ^6:23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. ^6:24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. ^6:25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. ^6:26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. ^6:27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,King James Version:

And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; and when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. … And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison.

Matthew 14:6–10“Show the words of Matthew 14:6–10^14:6 But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. ^14:7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. ^14:8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. ^14:9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. ^14:10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.King James Version tells the same supper. The sin in the account is the oath, the dance used to trap Herod, and the murder of John. Herod’s birthday is the setting. The Gospel does not add a sentence against remembering a birth. A murder at a wedding would not ban weddings. A murder at a feast on a birthday does not, by itself, ban the day. The FAQ is right that these are the two birthday meals the Bible narrates, and that both are ugly. It is an inference, not a command, to move from those two kings to every family marking a child’s birth.

Christmas, Easter, and the Memorial

The holiday FAQ says Witnesses consult the Bible before a holiday, and that some holidays “clearly violate Bible principles.” It asks, “Is the holiday based on an unscriptural teaching?” and then: (2)

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate Christmas, Easter, or May Day, since these holidays are rooted in the worship of gods other than Jehovah.

They cite Matthew 4:10: “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service,” in the New World Translation as they print it. Christmas, on their account, carries the date and some of the customs of older midwinter feasts. Easter, on their account, carries the name and some of the customs of a spring festival. The article’s point is separation from “teachings that are spiritually unclean, that is, contrary to what the Bible states.”

The birth of Jesus is still in the Gospel they accept. Luke 2:10–11“Show the words of Luke 2:10–11^2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ^2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.King James Version: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” The angels mark the day of the birth as good news. They do not prescribe a later annual feast, and the New Testament does not fix 25 December. A date borrowed from a Roman calendar is a fair historical question. It is not a verse that forbids thanking God for the incarnation. Is Jesus God? is who that child is. The Witness concern about a pagan calendar can be granted as a question of wisdom without turning Luke 2 into a prohibited text.

Easter, in ordinary Christian speech, is the Sunday of the resurrection. The name in English has a debated history. The event does not. Was Jesus raised bodily? is the argument with Witness teaching about that morning. Refusing a name is not the same act as refusing the resurrection.

What they do observe is on their Memorial page: (3)

Once each year, Jehovah’s Witnesses commemorate the death of Jesus just as he commanded when he said: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.”—Luke 22:19.

Luke 22:19“Show the words of Luke 22:19And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.King James Version, King James Version: “This do in remembrance of me.” Christians agree that the Lord’s Supper is commanded. The Memorial is their form of that command, kept once a year on the date they calculate for the Passover. Who is the faithful and discreet slave? is how they decide who may partake. The existence of the Memorial shows that they do not reject every sacred day. They reject birthdays, Christmas, and Easter, and they keep this one.

Days, conscience, and a neighbor’s greeting

Romans 14:5–6“Show the words of Romans 14:5–6^14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. ^14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.King James Version:

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.

Paul’s case is food and sacred days inside the church. Both the person who marks a day and the person who does not can be acting “unto the Lord.” The paragraph forbids contempt in either direction. It does not say birthday cakes please God, and it does not say they displease him. It does say a day kept to the Lord is lawful, which is the opposite of a rule that every inherited custom is defilement.

Their birthday FAQ does not print a rule against the words “happy birthday,” and it does not print a separate rule about a gift offered on that day. It does say Witness parents give gifts through the year and hold gatherings, and that the objection is to the celebration they connect with pagan protection, astrology, and the two grim feasts. A greeting is not those things. Luke 2:11“Show the words of Luke 2:11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.King James Version still says a Saviour was born.

Frequently asked questions

Is it okay to say happy birthday to a Jehovah’s Witness?

Their FAQ does not print a rule against the words “happy birthday.” It says the celebration displeases God, and it describes parties, candles, and horoscope customs. Romans 14 puts days in the category of conscience. Speaking kindly to someone who declines a party is not the party.

What holidays do Jehovah’s Witnesses not celebrate?

The holiday FAQ names Christmas, Easter, and May Day, and then a longer list of days tied, on their reading, to other gods, luck, or the immortality of the soul. The principle they state is that a holiday rooted in the worship of gods other than Jehovah is one they will not keep.

Can Jehovah’s Witnesses accept birthday gifts?

The birthday FAQ says parents give gifts throughout the year, including when the child is not expecting them, and it presents that as love rather than as a birthday rite. It does not quote a separate rule titled “gifts from outsiders.” The stated objection is the celebration, not the existence of presents.

What is the only holiday Jehovah’s Witnesses celebrate?

The Memorial of Christ’s death, once a year, which their page distinguishes from a birthday by quoting Luke 22:19. They also describe family gatherings that are not holidays. The Memorial is the religious observance they treat as required.

Keep reading

• Why don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses take blood?
• Was Jesus raised bodily?
• Who is the faithful and discreet slave?
• Is Jesus God?