Birthday
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Also known as Birthday celebrations · Birthday observance · Birthday parties · Celebrating birthdays
Early Bible Students accepted remembering birthdays and giving birthday presents. In 1907, Daily Heavenly Manna was recommended as a birthday gift, and in 1909 Russell received a birthday present at a convention while The Watch Tower advertised birthday cards. In 1910, a publication interpreted the meal involving Jacob and Esau as possibly connected with Abraham's birthday, and in 1914 the Photo-Drama of Creation described Job's children as attending a birthday party. Birthday records continued to be promoted in 1912 and 1916. In 1929, The Golden Age published a contributor's proposal to give gifts to acquaintances on the giver's birthday. In 1936, publications began presenting Scriptural objections to birthday celebrations and criticizing the birthday honoring of prominent people. Nevertheless, a published report in 1940 still mentioned a believer's birthday observance. In 1947 the publications argued that ancient Israelites did not hold annual birthday celebrations, and in 1951 they explicitly discouraged Christians from celebrating birthdays or attending such celebrations. In 1959, birthday gift-giving was discouraged in favor of gifts on other occasions. In 1960 and 1964, instructions were applied to school birthday parties, while in 1961 wedding anniversaries were distinguished from birthdays and left to personal decision. In 1968, Christians were instructed to refuse participation in birthday celebrations, including those of relatives and prominent people. The 1975 Yearbook acknowledged that earlier Bible Students had celebrated birthdays and subsequently abandoned the practice. By 1980, Job's children's gatherings were explained as possible harvest feasts rather than birthday parties, reversing the interpretation printed in 1914. In 1992, the publications clarified that pagan origins were not the principal reason for abstaining, emphasizing the unfavorable Biblical accounts instead. In 1998, wedding anniversaries were again distinguished from birthdays. Subsequent publications maintained the refusal to celebrate birthdays while allowing ordinary gatherings and spontaneous gifts. An official explanation published in 2015 expressly acknowledged that the Bible does not explicitly prohibit birthdays. The teaching remained unchanged through 2026, when guidance also permitted congratulating relatives on the birth of a child and giving gifts on that occasion.
- Gen. 25:29-34
- Gen. 40:20-22
- Job 1:4, 5
- Matt. 14:6-11
- Mark 6:21-29
- Eccl. 7:1
- Rom. 1:25
- 1 Cor. 10:20, 21
- 2 Cor. 6:14-18
- 2 Tim. 3:16, 17
- 1 Pet. 3:15
Key moments
- 1907–1909 Introduced Birthday gifts and remembrance were accepted. The Society promoted Daily Heavenly Manna as a birthday present, and Russell received a birthday gift at a Bible Students' convention.
- 1910 Refined A convention report commemorated Russell's birthday, while an article speculatively interpreted the transaction between Jacob and Esau as occurring during a celebration of Abraham's birthday. The latter was presented as a possible historical explanation rather than a direct Biblical statement.
- 1914 Refined The Photo-Drama of Creation interpreted the gathering of Job's sons and daughters during the calamity as a birthday party. This interpretation was rejected in later reference works.
- 1936 Narrowed The publications began to argue against birthday celebrations on Biblical grounds. The Golden Age stated that only Pharaoh and Herod were recorded as celebrating birthdays, and criticized the practice of idolizing prominent people on their birthdays. This represented a significant departure from the earlier positive treatment of birthday observance.
- 1951 Narrowed The Watchtower explicitly addressed whether Christians should hold or attend birthday celebrations and discouraged the practice because of pagan religious origins and the excessive honor given to humans.
- 1980 Refined The Watchtower reaffirmed the refusal to celebrate birthdays while acknowledging that Scripture contains no specific prohibition. It also interpreted the gatherings of Job's children as possible harvest feasts, contrary to the birthday-party explanation published in 1914.
- 1992 Refined The Watchtower clarified that although birthday celebrations originated in superstition and false religion, those origins were not the principal reason for rejecting the practice. The negative Scriptural accounts were emphasized instead.
- 2015 Refined The official explanation explicitly acknowledged that the Bible contains no direct prohibition against celebrating birthdays, while maintaining that Biblical principles make the practice objectionable.
Russell
Charles Taze Russell · 1877–1916
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Birthday gifts and remembrance were accepted. The Society promoted Daily Heavenly Manna as a birthday present, and Russell received a birthday gift at a Bible Students' convention.
2 quotes
Some use them as birthday presents and holiday gifts: others anxious to extend their good influence, purchase them by the quantity and sell them at a slight advance to cover their time and car fare.
Daily Heavenly Manna for the Household of Faith, 1907 On the closing day of the Convention Brother Russell was ushered to the platform on a pretext and then informed that the Convention, aware of the fact that the day was the anniversary of his birth, desired to express their love in some substantial manner and, concluding that Brother Russell would most enjoy a birthday token which he could enjoy with the Bible House family, they had shipped to him at Allegheny a box of grape fruit, a crate of pineapples and two boxes of sweet Florida oranges.
The Watch Tower, February 15, 1909 -
The Watch Tower advertised greeting cards explicitly intended for Christmas and birthdays.
1 quote
Our own Christmas and Birthday Card. Just what we all want.
The Watch Tower, November 15, 1909 -
A convention report commemorated Russell's birthday, while an article speculatively interpreted the transaction between Jacob and Esau as occurring during a celebration of Abraham's birthday. The latter was presented as a possible historical explanation rather than a direct Biblical statement.
2 quotes
We mention that particularly, because it commemorates the birthday of our beloved Pastor.
Souvenir Notes—Bible Students Conventions, 1910 Presumably the occasion was a celebration of the birthday of their grandfather Abraham, from whom proceeded the great blessing of God, which, as the elder son of the family, Esau had inherited.
The Watch Tower, December 1, 1910, Jacob and Esau in a New Light -
The Watch Tower continued to promote Daily Heavenly Manna with pages for recording friends' birthdays.
1 quote
Every alternate leaf is blank-ruled, for use as an autograph and birthday record.
The Watch Tower, December 15, 1912 -
The Photo-Drama of Creation interpreted the gathering of Job's sons and daughters during the calamity as a birthday party. This interpretation was rejected in later reference works.
1 quote
A bolt of lightning struck the house where his sons and daughters were having a birthday party.
Scenario of the Photo-Drama of Creation, 1914, Job's Adversity and Restitution -
The Society still advertised Daily Heavenly Manna as a book for recording birthdays, showing that the birthday-recording feature remained in circulation through the end of Russell's presidency.
1 quote
Every alternate leaf is blank-ruled for use as an autograph and birthday record.
The Watch Tower, November 15, 1916
Rutherford
Joseph F. Rutherford · 1917–1942
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The Golden Age published a contributor's suggestion that people give gifts to acquaintances on their own birthdays as an alternative to conventional Christmas gift exchanges. It was a contributor's proposal, not a formal requirement.
1 quote
Let each one, on his birthday anniversary, bestow upon acquaintances all that his prosperity will allow.
The Golden Age, December 25, 1929, Christmas the Year Around -
The publications began to argue against birthday celebrations on Biblical grounds. The Golden Age stated that only Pharaoh and Herod were recorded as celebrating birthdays, and criticized the practice of idolizing prominent people on their birthdays. This represented a significant departure from the earlier positive treatment of birthday observance.
2 quotes
In the Bible there is no instance of celebrations of birthdays by any of God’s people, either His typical people or His actual people.
The Golden Age, May 6, 1936, Birthday Celebrations In every generation from Nimrod to the present, men and women have made fools of themselves by idolizing the great and the near-great on their birthdays.
The Golden Age, May 20, 1936 -
Despite the negative discussion of birthdays in 1936, The Watchtower published personal correspondence referring favorably to a believer's eightieth birthday and a gift received in connection with it. These were personal reports rather than an editorial rule permitting birthday celebrations.
2 quotes
September 10, while here, celebrated my 80th birthday anniversary.
The Watchtower, January 1, 1940 It was indeed a birthday gift from Jehovah, to be used in proclaiming his name.
The Watchtower, January 1, 1940
Knorr
Nathan H. Knorr · 1942–1977
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A publication argued that ancient Israelites refrained from pagan birthday festivals and did not celebrate their children's birthdays annually.
1 quote
In view of these facts God's chosen people, the Israelites, did not celebrate these pagan festivals.
Awake!, June 8, 1947, Do You Celebrate Your Birthday? -
The Watchtower explicitly addressed whether Christians should hold or attend birthday celebrations and discouraged the practice because of pagan religious origins and the excessive honor given to humans.
2 quotes
Such celebrations have their roots in pagan religions, and not Scriptural grounds.
The Watchtower, October 1, 1951, Questions From Readers The celebration of birthday anniversaries centers the mind on the creature and exalts the creature, giving him and his birth undue importance.
The Watchtower, October 1, 1951, Questions From Readers -
The lack of birthday celebrations among God's servants in Scripture was presented as evidence that such observances were rejected as pagan.
1 quote
The conspicuous silence of the Bible regarding birthdays is powerful testimony that the same were not kept, that they were frowned upon as pagan.
The Watchtower, December 15, 1954, Origin of Christmas and Its Spirit -
Christians were advised to choose other occasions for giving gifts rather than observing birthdays.
1 quote
However, if we feel the impulse to give a gift we could wait until another appropriate occasion or time, and, incidentally, the same is true regarding birthday giving.
The Watchtower, December 1, 1959, Questions From Readers -
The prohibition was expressly applied to the children of Witness parents, including schoolroom birthday celebrations. Educational drawing assignments were distinguished from participating in holiday celebrations.
1 quote
Children of dedicated Christian parents should therefore not take part in celebrating such holidays or birthdays.
The Watchtower, November 15, 1960, Questions From Readers -
Wedding anniversaries were explicitly distinguished from birthdays and left to the personal decision of the married couple.
1 quote
Where the marriage turns out successfully, it would be but natural for a couple to take note of such a happy event annually.
The Watchtower, July 1, 1961, Questions From Readers -
Schoolchildren were instructed to request exemption from birthday parties and similar celebrations; if excusal was not possible, they were to remain quiet and refrain from participating.
1 quote
Why, then the witness of Jehovah asks to be excused, and if this is not possible, he just sits quietly and does not participate in any way in these religious activities.
The Watchtower, September 1, 1964, Youths, Guard Your Spirituality -
The publications maintained that Christians must abstain from birthday celebrations, including their own and those of friends, relatives, and prominent people. The practice was repeated in school instructions and in publications explaining the Scriptural and historical grounds for refusal.
4 quotes
We should show that we are concerned about conforming to God’s will by refusing to share in any way in birthday celebrations, whether our own, or those of our friends or relatives or of some prominent persons.
The Watchtower, September 15, 1968 Your companions at school may be puzzled because you make issues of so many things: You refuse to go along with birthday and Halloween parties, with Christmas and other Babylonian celebrations, and with saluting the flag and singing patriotic songs.
The Watchtower, August 15, 1970, Is the World Puzzled at Your Course?—It Should Be! The Bible tells about just two birthday parties, and both were bad.
Listening to the Great Teacher, 1971, Chapter 30, Two Men Who Celebrated Birthdays In view of the pagan origin of many birthday customs and the fact that the only Scriptural accounts of birthday celebrations are in connection with false worshipers, neither the ancient Jews nor Christians early in the Common Era celebrated birthdays.
Awake!, July 8, 1976 -
An official historical account acknowledged that dedicated Bible Students had previously commemorated birthdays and that birthday celebrations and Mother's Day were later discontinued as forms of excessive honor to humans.
2 quotes
Yes, in those earlier days, dedicated Christians commemorated birthdays.
1975 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Part 2—United States of America Next, birthday celebrations and Mother’s Day were discarded—more creature worship.
1975 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Part 2—United States of America
Franz
Frederick W. Franz · 1977–1992
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The Watchtower reaffirmed the refusal to celebrate birthdays while acknowledging that Scripture contains no specific prohibition. It also interpreted the gatherings of Job's children as possible harvest feasts, contrary to the birthday-party explanation published in 1914.
2 quotes
Job’s children held what may have been harvest feasts that occasioned family reunions.
The Watchtower, July 15, 1980, Questions From Readers So even though the Bible does not contain a specific prohibition against birthday celebrations, Jehovah’s Witnesses have long noted the Scriptural indications and have not celebrated birthdays.
The Watchtower, July 15, 1980, Questions From Readers -
The practice of refusing birthdays remained established. Publications explained the refusal as an effort to please God, distinguished ordinary gift-giving and social gatherings from birthday celebrations, repeated the interpretation that Job's sons were not celebrating birthdays, and described the Bible's unfavorable birthday accounts as the basis for abstention.
5 quotes
Their refusal to celebrate birthdays stems from a sincere desire to please God.
Awake!, December 22, 1981 Jehovah’s Witnesses enjoy giving gifts and having good times together throughout the year.
School and Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1983, Holidays and Celebrations Birthday observance was common in many polytheistic cultures.
Awake!, December 8, 1986, Is Christmas God's Gift to You? When Job’s sons “held a banquet at the house of each one on his own day” it should not be supposed that they were celebrating their birthdays.
Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, 1988, Birthday Jehovah’s Witnesses take note that God’s Word reports unfavorably about birthday celebrations and so shun these.
Reasoning From the Scriptures, 1989, Birthday
Governing Body
1992–
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The Watchtower clarified that although birthday celebrations originated in superstition and false religion, those origins were not the principal reason for rejecting the practice. The negative Scriptural accounts were emphasized instead.
1 quote
Celebrating birthdays is rooted in superstition and false religion, but that is not the sole or prime reason why Jehovah’s Witnesses avoid the practice.
The Watchtower, September 1, 1992, Questions From Readers -
An organizational history acknowledged that early Bible Students kept birthday lists and explained that they later stopped doing so after abandoning Christmas and regarding birthday celebrations as excessive honor to humans.
2 quotes
In their “Daily Manna” book, Bible Students kept a list of birthdays.
Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, 1993, Chapter 14, They Are No Part of the World But after they quit celebrating Christmas and when they realized that birthday celebrations were giving undue honor to creatures (one reason that early Christians never celebrated birthdays), the Bible Students quit this practice too.
Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, 1993, Chapter 14, They Are No Part of the World -
The publications continued presenting birthday celebrations unfavorably through the two Scriptural examples and retrospectively emphasized the decision to cease celebrating all birthdays.
2 quotes
For one thing, the Scriptures contain no indication that any of God’s faithful servants celebrated birthdays.
The Watchtower, July 15, 1994, Birthday Celebrations Have Left a Trail of Death In time, it was seen that if the most important birth that ever took place could not be celebrated, we should not celebrate any birthday.
The Watchtower, May 15, 1995, Part 1—Flashes of Light—Great and Small -
Guidance for educators explained that Jehovah's Witnesses respected other people's right to celebrate birthdays but personally declined participation.
1 quote
Although Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the right of others to celebrate birthdays, you are no doubt well aware that they choose not to share in such celebrations.
Jehovah’s Witnesses and Education, 1995, The Challenge of Religious Diversity -
The Watchtower reaffirmed that wedding anniversaries were a personal matter while birthday celebrations remained something mature Christians were expected to avoid. It also explicitly acknowledged that earlier Bible Students had remembered birthdays.
1 quote
Consequently, while it is entirely a private matter if Christians choose to take note of their wedding anniversary, there are good reasons why mature Christians abstain from celebrating birthdays.
The Watchtower, October 15, 1998, Questions From Readers -
The publications continued teaching that birthday celebrations displease God and should be avoided. The reasons included the Biblical accounts of Pharaoh and Herod, the absence of faithful birthday celebrants in Scripture, and pagan religious origins. A 2015 official explanation expressly acknowledged that the Bible does not directly forbid birthday celebrations. Children and adults were encouraged to explain their refusal tactfully while enjoying gifts and social gatherings on other occasions.
8 quotes
But the whole idea of celebrating birthdays started with people who did not worship the true God.
Learn From the Great Teacher, 2003, Chapter 29, Do All Parties Please God? The original-language words for “day” and “birthday” are different, each having its own meaning.
The Watchtower, March 15, 2006, Highlights From the Book of Job Since birthday celebrations are unscriptural, I had stopped celebrating mine.
Awake!, March 2007, I Made the Right Career Choice Schoolmates often ask why they will not share in certain activities, such as the flag salute, birthday celebrations, and holiday projects.
The Watchtower, December 15, 2010, What Would Your Child Say? Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays because we believe that such celebrations displease God.
Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays?, Frequently Asked Questions, 2015 But that does not mean that we should celebrate birthdays.
How to Remain in God's Love, 2017, Chapter 13, Do All Celebrations Please God? The Bible never refers to a worshipper of Jehovah celebrating a birthday, but it does record two birthdays celebrated by people who did not serve Him.
Enjoy Life Forever!, 2021, Lesson 44, Do All Celebrations Please God? If a workmate asks, for example, why we do not celebrate birthdays, consider: Could he be wondering whether we are allowed to have a good time?
The Watchtower (Study Edition), September 2023, Let Mildness Be Your Strength -
The official explanation explicitly acknowledged that the Bible contains no direct prohibition against celebrating birthdays, while maintaining that Biblical principles make the practice objectionable.
1 quote
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.
Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays?, Frequently Asked Questions, 2015 -
Guidance for maintaining relationships with unbelieving relatives distinguished celebrating annual birthdays from congratulating relatives upon the birth of a child. Congratulating relatives and giving a gift at the time of a child's birth were presented as acceptable.
1 quote
For example, we could congratulate them on the birth of a child and give them a gift to show that we share in their happiness.
The Watchtower (Study Edition), February 2026, How to Help Our Unbelieving Relatives
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