George Instagram 14 hours ago

Orthodox teaching on birthdays: not sinful, but namedays come first

The video addresses the claim that birthday celebrations are satanic. It notes that Scripture records only two birthday feasts, Pharaoh's and Herod's, both ending in execution. Early Christian writers observed this pattern. The Satanic Bible designates one's own birthday as the highest holiday because Satanism centers on self-worship.

The Orthodox Church has never condemned birthday celebrations as sinful and has no canon forbidding them. The danger arises only when the day becomes entirely self-focused. For this reason, Orthodox Christians often prioritize their nameday, the feast of their patron saint linked to baptism, over their birthday.

The Church commemorates saints on the day of their death, their birth into heaven. The speaker advises thanking God for another year of life when marking a birthday.

Key moments

Many people online claim that celebrating birthdays is satanic.
The Bible records only two birthday celebrations: Pharaoh's, where he hanged his baker, and Herod's, where he beheaded Saint John the Baptist.
Early Christian writers noticed that both biblical birthday feasts ended in death.
The Satanic Bible lists a person's own birthday as the highest holiday of the year because Satanism is oriented toward self-worship.
The Orthodox Church has never declared birthday celebrations a sin and has no canon forbidding them.
The spiritual danger lies in making the day solely about oneself rather than about God.
In most Orthodox countries, the nameday, connected to one's patron saint and baptism, is celebrated more than the birthday.
The Church honors saints on the day of their death, the day they were born into heaven, not on their earthly birthday.

27 opinions in the discussion 26 participants, 4 replies to each other The opinion with the most support Our priest tells us to celebrate the day we were baptised, not our birthday. And of course our name day too. Read the discussion

91 comments at the source Original on Instagram

Discussion · 27

Opinions are anonymous retellings of real comments from the original discussion. The same colour marks the same participant.

opinion#2690 157 likes at the source
Our priest tells us to celebrate the day we were baptised, not our birthday. And of course our name day too.
- opinion#2691
  
  Does anyone know which day I can celebrate as the name day for Aleksandra?
opinion#2685 101 likes at the source
Lucky me, my baptism name day falls on my birthday too.
- opinion#2692 1 likes at the source
  
  Beautiful! Mine is the day after my birthday.
- opinion#2693 1 likes at the source
  
  I was baptised at 35, so I got to choose my own name. I picked it according to my birthday and now I'm Ioannis (John).
opinion#2682 35 likes at the source

This is why I start my birthday by going to church and thanking Him for everything He has given me. It's not satanic when you've included God in your life and in that day. God bless!
opinion#2689 17 likes at the source
I was born on January 29th, the day the Chain of Honor of the Holy Apostle Peter is commemorated. I was supposed to be named Petra but ended up as Marijana. Anyway, God sent me a husband named Petar.
- opinion#2694 1 likes at the source
  
  Glory to God!! But you can celebrate the Holy Chains as your Slava, and there might be other saints commemorated that same day too.
opinion#2680 8 likes at the source

Celebrating a birthday, we give thanks to the Lord that he saved and protected us one more year, that's the meaning!
opinion#2684 5 likes at the source

I once asked a priest how to become more humble and he repeated the same point about the so-called Church of Satan revering birthdays above every other holiday. So he suggested that if I want to practice humility, I should celebrate my saint's name day instead of my birthday. That was a hard pill for my family to swallow this year and honestly it caused some confusion and conflict, especially since my dad and I share a birthday. The lesson I took from it is not to be too hard-line or dogmatic about it, since the Church herself isn't. Going forward I'll probably just pay extra attention to doing selfless acts on my birthday. But I can't stop anyone from celebrating it for me.
opinion#2686 5 likes at the source

Hi! Thank you for so much good and useful information! I'm Christian Orthodox and I only celebrate my birthday since I don't have a saint name.
opinion#2681 4 likes at the source

My birthday is actually my name day, I was named after it. In our language, someone who has been baptised is basically called Christina, or Kristina. And the holy day is Krstovdan, roughly Cross' day. Krstovdan is one of those isolated fasting days in the year, and we always fast on it. So sure, when I had cakes, they were always vegan
opinion#2683 4 likes at the source

Both, honestly. I see it as a reason to bring people together. If I stay humble and keep God before my ego, I don't feel like I'm sinning by letting others buy me cake and wish me a happy birthday. I could be wrong though. Personally I don't need to celebrate myself. When I was younger it was different, big parties with friends and all that, but I also lived in my ego a lot more back then. As we get older and grow in many ways, I think birthdays are really just a reason to gather for a nice dinner and say I love you and appreciate you being in my life, let's eat together.
opinion#2676 3 likes at the source

Both should be celebrated with humility! A birthday thanks God for creating you in his image and for the priceless gift of existence, and the Name Day, after the saint you were named for, connects you through baptism to Christ🙏
opinion#2687 3 likes at the source

I was blessed to be born on May 20th, the day before Saint Elena, and my parents gave me the saint's name, which makes me really happy. I feel my birthday is something I celebrate inwardly, with myself, but my saint's name day feels like something I celebrate with everyone who knows my name.
opinion#2688 3 likes at the source

Let's not forget... our church calendar also has the Nativity of the Theotokos.
opinion#2668

Might sound strange, but my birthday falls on the same day as my Baptism and Confirmation, so I spend it meditating on death. It's a good day to reflect on my Patron Saints, the Passion of Christ, the Holy Mother of our Saviour and God, and the Writings of the Desert Fathers. That's what I do. I also go to Confession that day, because what better way to drown the old man in the waters of Baptism than through Confession! Glory to Jesus Christ ☦️
opinion#2669

You can twist anything into something satanic if you try hard enough. That's one thing that puts me off being close with religious folks, they love to cut these things apart. I celebrate my birthday and we have cake. I've even seen people do birthday weeks and birthday weekends and they seem to have a blast, though for us that would be too much indulgence. It would be sad to skip celebrating a birthday. Some people clearly manage without it, but I grew up with it and I enjoy it. It's a day to reflect on time passing.
opinion#2670

I'm faithful and a strong believer. I'm Greek Orthodox and nothing will change that. I think a birthday celebrates your birth. Also, you mentioned people celebrating their name day, which makes sense... your name is tied to a saint, and saints are celebrated from the day they died... so shouldn't that be a joyful day... death? Isn't it graduation day? Why does everyone grieve when someone passes, why not celebrate that they're going home... they're freeeeeeee🙏❤️
opinion#2671

In Romania, up until about 100 years ago, we celebrated the honomastic as a birthday. Short version: all kids get a Saint's name at baptism. If that saint's feast day was on some date X, you'd celebrate that as your "birthday", but it was called HONOMASTIC.
opinion#2672

And I feel like, at least in Greek culture, the person celebrating their birthday or name day being the one who provides food and sweets for everyone else might also tie into the day not being entirely about yourself
opinion#2673

Honestly, my name day matters more because I have two names and both are great. One from Saint George and one from the Annunciation. On my birthday I say thank You, my Panagia and my Christ, for giving me, a sinner, one more year of life.
opinion#2674

I never asked myself this question before. But it makes a lot of sense. I never really celebrate my birthday, it's just a chance to get together with friends... I cook, the kids have fun... but I never treat that day as special for me. The relationships around it matter more.
opinion#2675

It's all in how you approach it. The day is to honour my family for where I am. As a kid blowing out candles, my "wish" was a prayer, I did the sign of the cross after and I still do. Unfortunately, orthodoxy is growing but getting corrupted. Lately I've tended to ignore priests and laymen and seek guidance from monks instead. To me the monks understand our faith better; our priests get corrupted by the world. I'm grateful my priest was a former Friar in the RC church, so his monastic background helps.
opinion#2677

I stopped celebrating my birthday as a teenager, I never liked it. But when I came to the church I realized they teach us to celebrate the more important things, and for that reason alone I celebrate my baptism and my name day
opinion#2678

As a child I always remember the celebrations around my parents' name days, never their birthdays! As an adult I couldn't care less about celebrating my own birthday.. but as a mother I will celebrate my children and their birthdays and take joy in what a blessing they are and in the happiness they receive..
opinion#2679

Actually, people didn't know their exact birthday back then, so they celebrated their name day by going to church. But that doesn't mean the festivals held in front of the church with food and dancing were more reverent and holy than just blowing out cake candles with your family.