Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses believe in celebrating birthdays or even Groundhog Day.?

The JWs somehow got the idea that the Holy Communion should be the only time to remember Jesus. The Bible remembers Jesus from the day of His birth to the day He ascended to heaven. There are no reasons for not remembering His birth on a certain date and to worship and celebrate His remembrance as what is written in Matthew and Luke of His birth. The angels told the shepherds in Luke 2:10-14...

10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

The angel said..."I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." If we are to have great joy over His birth, then we as all people should celebrate that joy every year! Why did the angels praise God over this birth? Should we also praise God over His birth as well? Did the JWs ever praise God over Jesus' birth? I don't remember them even once praising God over Jesus' birth!

If True Christians do not celebrate with joy over their births or praise God over their births, then something is wrong with their beliefs! A birth of a Christian is a beginning of Salvation! Without that birth there is also no salvation for that individual! The birth of Jesus was the beginning of all salvation in the New Covenant! This is the day to remember, and this WAS remembered by Matthew and Luke!

As for Groundhog Day, the JW leaders should have no say on what days should be observed, since these are not religious days and have nothing to do with religion!

I'm not a JW, but I have my own thoughts on the matter.

Birthday Celebrations- Personally, I don't see the point. You got a year older. So what? You're going to hate birthdays later on, you'll wish it was your first birthday of getting younger!

Holidays- This one is tricky, because there are so many different opinions and supporting details for either side, to celebrate or not to celebrate. Groundhog Day doesn't make sense to me because time is constant. A groundhog seeing his shadow does not change the time that winter will end, no matter how you look at it. Even if it did, do you think winter is going to last longer because it just so happened to be sunny on February 2? Winter will always end when it was meant to end, and not a thing in this world can change that, for it is one of God's purposes for it to do so.

This is why we do not celebrate anything like that:

Not all beliefs and customs are bad. But God does not approve of them if they come from false religion or are against Bible teachings.—Matthew 15:6.

For Birthdays: 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 false religions. True Christians give gifts and have good times together at other times during the year.

As for Groundhog day goes, I would not care for it because it is based on superstition... right? Also, this site says this about G. Day: "Also celebrated on February 2, the was used to commemorate the Purification of the Virgin Mary"

So, that is why we, as JW's do not celebrate hardly anything, because of all the pagan origins. We strive to keep our worship pure & undefiled to God.

We celebrate the "Death" of Jesus Christ, because that is the ONLY celebration we were commanded to commemorate in the Bible.

Not his birth, not his death.

Read the link below for more info on other holidays:

http://www.watchtower.org/e/rq/article_11.htm

Jesus never celebrated his birthday, neither did the early Christians. The celebration of birthdays came from a pagan celebration, and has it's roots in astrology, so it's not just a cultural tradition. Check for references on Google about the the early origin of the birthday celebration, there are articles written about it. Also try watchtower.org, by clicking onto search articles, there will be given scriptural explanations about birthdays. As for Groundhog Day, I never thought about it, and don't know how anyone would celebrate it.

All religious faith aside for a moment...o.k...Please.

What ridiculousness is this?

groundhog day.

Superstition?

Tradition of men?

Goofy silliness, to the extreme?

An animal predicting the weather?

that is Utterly Preposterous!!!

I don't let the baby, see or hear about mermaids,

they're Not real either.

No magic, no dragons (there's only 1 real serpent or dragon)

no mermaids, no animals predicting the weather,

let's keep the real reality of life on the real, o.k.

WAKE!!! Up!!! people!

We~ Jehovah's people do have parties and other such celebrations,

Graduations, Baptism, Weddings,

Baby Showers, Bridal Showers,

Bar-B-Q's are always Yumm-O.

It's healthful gatherings we look forward to attending.

In the New World Translation it commands them to remember the death of Jesus Christ. It is called the memorial and is the only occasion ever actually commanded to be held & remembered so they celebrate it once a year and do not celebrate other "worldly" holidays because Christmas is believed to be King Nimrods birthday not Jesus, so they believe it to be pagan, and on Thanksgiving they believe you should be thankful each & every day not just one day a year. Easter is another pagan holiday originally celebrated in ancient times as a fertility right so again, pagan, & ground hog day, man made holiday, personal birthdays were not ever told to be celebrated although in the bible Job's children did get together on their special day to celebrate, Halloween is also pagan, with witches & other supernatural costumes that glorify death & the devil. My parents did celebrate their anniversary and we were allowed to give my mother a mothers day card, but that was it.

I think, my understanding is, that anything that glorifies anything other than God is against their religion. So a birthday glorifies the person. Groundhog's day glorifies the spring (and some claim paganistic roots...) and a groundhog in England and a marmot in America.

Personally I don't celebrate groundhog day because I am afraid of getting stuck in a never ending time loop.

Holidays and birthdays are actually pagan.

The history shows where they came from and what was believed among ancient times:

“The Greeks believed that everyone had a protective spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born. The Romans also subscribed to this idea. They called the spirit the genius. This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saint.”—The Lore of Birthdays, Ralph and Adelin Linton.

“The various customs with which people today celebrate their birthdays have a long history. Their origins lie in the realm of magic and religion. The customs of offering congratulations, presenting gifts and celebrating—complete with lighted candles—in ancient times were meant to protect the birthday celebrant from the demons and to ensure his security for the coming year. . . . Down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan custom.”—Schwäbische Zeitung (magazine supplement Zeit und Welt), April 3/4, 1981, p. 4.

We don't celebrate anything that is pagan. Only live strictly by the bible and it's teachings. We celebrate the passover/memorial. Jesus Death. And we can celebrate wedding anniversary's.

I'm not JW but birthdays are pagan celebrations of the creature at the expense of the Creator

What credit can anyone claim for his/her birth? What glory?