Why Nao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness No Celebratem Samfala holiday?

• Hao nao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness luksavve whether olketa shud celebratem wanfala holiday or nomoa?

• Hao, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness wea no celebratem samfala holiday, still lovem famili blo olketa?

• Hao, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness talem olketa narawan for no celebratem samfala holiday?

Hao nao Olketa Jehovah’s Witness luksavve whether olketa shud celebratem wanfala holiday or nomoa?

Bifor Olketa Jehovah’s Witness disaed whether for celebratem wanfala holiday or nomoa, olketa bae lukim wat nao Bible talem. Samfala holiday and celebration barava againstim olketa Bible principle. So lo taem olsem, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no participate. Olketa nara holiday, each Witness nao savve disaed seleva, and hem traem best “for garem klia konsens front lo God and olketa man.”​—Acts 24:16.

Diswan hem samfala kwestin wea Olketa Jehovah’s Witness savve tingim taem olketa disaed whether for celebratem wanfala holiday or nomoa.a

• Hao, datfala holiday hem base lo teaching wea no kam from Bible?

  Bible principle: “‘Iufala mas go aot from olketa, and separatem iufala seleva from olketa,’ diswan nao wanem Jehovah talem, ‘and stop for tasim olketa samting wea no klin.’”​—2 Corinthians 6:​15-​17.

  For Olketa Jehovah’s Witness barava separate from olketa samting wea no klin lo spiritual wei, wea hem nao olketa teaching wea againstim wat Bible talem, olketa no celebratem olketa holiday hia.

  Olketa holiday wea base lo false teaching or wei for worshipim olketa nara god. Jesus sei: “Iu mas baodaon lo Jehovah, God blo iu and iu mas worshipim hem nomoa.” (Matthew 4:​10) For followim datfala komand, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebratem Christmas, Easter, or May Day [Labor day] bikos olketa holiday hia hem base lo wei for worshipim olketa nara god, no Jehovah. And tu, olketa no participate lo olketa holiday olsem:

  • Kwanzaa. Datfala nem Kwanzaa hem “kam from Swahili word matunda ya kwanza, wea minim ‘first frut’ and [diswan] showim holiday hia hem kam from celebration lo Africa bifor wea olketa savve celebratem first harvest lo garden blo olketa.” (Encyclopedia of Black Studies) Nomata samfala pipol no ting Kwanzaa hem wanfala religious celebration, datfala Encyclopedia of African Religion comparem datwan witim wanfala African harvest festival. Lo disfala African celebration, pipol mekem offering lo olketa god and ancestor blo olketa for talem thankiu lo olketa. Kwanzaa, wea hem wanfala African American holiday, hem base lo olketa celebration hia.

    

  • Mid-Autumn Festival. Disfala festival olketa savve celebratem samwea lo September or October. Diswan hem wanfala “festival for honorim moon goddess.” (Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary) Hem includim wanfala ritual wea “woman lo haos baodaon and hed blo hem tasim graon front lo datfala woman god, wea lo Chinese olketa kolem lo kowtow.”​—Religions of the World​—A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices.

  • Nauruz (Nowruz). “Disfala festival kam from Zoroastria religion, and hem wanfala holy day lo ancient Zoroastrian kalenda. . . . Olketa sei, during olketa month blo winter, Spirit blo Winter hem forcem Spirit blo midol day wea olketa kolem lo [Rapithwin], for go andanit lo graon. And followim kastom blo Zoroastria, olketa mekem datfala Nowruz celebration lo midol day for welkamim bak Spirit blo Midol Day.”​—United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

  • Shab-e Yalda. Disfala celebration hem lo wanfala day lo year wea daylaet hem short tumas lo northern hemisphere. Olketa savve celebratem lo month blo December. Datfala buk Sufism in the Secret History of Persia sei datfala celebration “hem barava join witim worship blo Mithra,” wea hem god blo laet. Olketa sei tu, datfala holiday hem maet join witim worship blo olketa Roman and Greek sun god.b

  • Thanksgiving. Olsem Kwanzaa, disfala holiday hem kam from olketa ancient harvest celebration for honorim olketa difren kaen god. Gogo, “olketa introducem olketa kastom hia lo olketa Christian religion.”​—A Great and Godly Adventure​—The Pilgrims and the Myth of the First Thanksgiving.

  Olketa holiday wea base lo superstition or wei for biliv lo gud luck. Bible sei olketa wea “redyim tebol for god blo Gud Luck” hem “samfala lo olketa wea lusim Jehovah.” (Isaiah 65:11) Dastawe, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebratem olketa holiday hia:

  • Ivan Kupala. Wanfala buk The A to Z of Belarus hem sei: “Staka pipol biliv dat during [Ivan Kupala] if olketa brave and garem gud luck, olketa savve kasem paoa blo magic wea kam from nature. Originally, datfala event hem wanfala pagan holiday wea olketa celebratem lo day wea daylaet hem longtaem lo northern hemisphere. Olketa savve celebratem lo month blo June. Bat, Encyclopedia of Contemporary Russian Culture hem sei: “Afta olketa pagan acceptim Christian biliv, olketa combinem pagan celebration witim Church holiday [wea hem nao “saint’s day” blo John Baptaesa.]”

  • Lunar Niu Year (Chinese Niu Year or Korean Niu Year). “Lo disfala taem lo year, main samting wea olketa famili, frens, and relative duim hem for mek sure olketa garem gud luck, showim respect lo olketa god and spirit blo olketa, and for wishim gud luck lo olketa narawan.” (Mooncakes and Hungry Ghosts​—Festivals of China) Lo sem wei, lo Korean Niu Year “olketa worshipim ancestor blo olketa, duim rituals for raosem olketa evil spirit, wishim gud luck for Niu Year wea bae kam, and duim samting for trae faendaot lo wat bae happen lo niu year hia.”​—Encyclopedia of New Year’s Holidays Worldwide.

    

  Olketa holiday wea base lo idea wea sei soul no savve dae. Bible talem klia dat soul savve dae. (Ezekiel 18:4) Dastawe, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebratem olketa holiday wea stap lo list lo daon, wea promotim biliv wea sei soul no savve dae:

  • All Souls’ Day (Day blo Olketa Man wea Dae). New Catholic Encyclopedia sei diswan hem day for “commemoratim evriwan wea dae finis. From abaot 500 tu abaot 1500 C.E. staka pipol biliv dat lo disfala day, soul blo olketa man wea stap lo purgatory savve change lo olketa ghost, witch, frog, and olketa nara samting moa, and appear lo olketa man wea treatim olketa nogud lo taem wea olketa laef.”

  • Qingming Festival (Ch’ing Ming) and Hungry Ghost Festival. Tufala festival hia hem for honorim olketa ancestor. Datfala buk Celebrating Life Customs Around the World​—From Baby Showers to Funerals sei during Ch’ing Ming celebration, “olketa bae bonem kaikai, drink, and pepa selen mekem olketa wea dae no hangere, thirsty and no short lo selen.” Datfala buk sei tu, “[olketa wea mekem datfala celebration] biliv dat during Hungry Ghost Month, especially lo naet wea hem full moon olketa wea dae and olketa wea laef associate gud tugeta winim eni nara naet, so hem important for duim samting for olketa wea dae stap kwaet and for honorim tu olketa ancestor.”

  • Chuseok. The Korean Tradition of Religion, Society, and Ethics sei, disfala festival includim “offering lo kaikai and wine lo soul blo olketa wea dae.” Olketa offering hia reflectim “biliv blo olketa wea sei soul hem gohed laef afta man hem dae.”

  Olketa Holiday wea join witim occult. Bible sei: “Eniwan . . . [wea] duim divination, duim magic, lukaotem mining blo olketa saen, olketa wea iusim demon for spoelem narawan, cursim narawan, askem help from olketa demon, or talem wanem bae happen lo future, or askem help from olketa wea dae . . . Jehovah barava heitim eniwan wea duim olketa samting hia.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-​12) So for stap klia lo eni occultism wea diswan includim astrology (wanfala wei for duim divination), Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebratem Halloween and olketa holiday hia:

  • Sinhala and Tamil Niu Year. “Olketa traditional practice lo disfala event . . . hem includim olketa activity lo olketa specific taem wea olketa astrologer ting dat hem savve mekem man garem gud laef.”​—Encyclopedia of Sri Lanka.

  • Songkran. Nem blo disfala Asian festival hem “kam from wanfala Sanskrit word . . . wea minim ‘movement’ or ‘change,’ and [datfala festival] hem for markem movement blo sun lo zodiac constellation blo Aries.”​—Food, Feasts, and Faith​—An Encyclopedia of Food Culture in World Religions.

  Olketa festival wea join witim worship anda Law blo Moses, wea sakrifaes blo Jesus hem finisim. Bible sei: “Christ hem end blo Law.” (Romans 10:4) Olketa Christian still benefit from olketa principle from Law blo Moses wea God givim for olketa lo Israel. Bat, olketa no celebratem olketa festival wea Law blo Moses talem, especially olketa festival wea refer for Messiah wea olketa Christian biliv dat hem kam finis. Bible sei: “Olketa samting hia hem shadow nomoa blo olketa samting wea bae kam, bat datfala really samting hem nao Christ.” (Colossians 2:​17) Olsem iumi storyim finis, and since samfala festival sapotim kastom wea againstim Bible, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebratem olketa festival olsem and olketa lo daon:

  • Hanukkah. Disfala festival hem for commemoratim rededication blo Jewish temple lo Jerusalem. Bat, Bible sei dat Jesus hem kamap Hae Priest blo “datfala tent [or, temple] wea moa important and wea barava gud, wea hem no olketa man nao wakem, wea hem no from disfala earth.” (Hebrews 9:​11) For olketa Christian, datfala spiritual temple nao replacem physical temple lo Jerusalem.

  • Rosh Hashanah. Diswan hem first day blo Jewish year. Lo taem bifor, olketa savve offerim olketa sakrifaes lo God lo disfala festival. (Numbers 29:​1-6) Bat, Jesus Christ, datfala Messiah, mekem “sakrifaes and offering wea olsem present for stop,” wea hem mekem olketa festival hia iusles lo eye blo God.​—Daniel 9:​26, 27.

• Hao, olketa holiday promotim interfaith?

  Bible principle: “Wat nao man wea biliv and man wea no biliv tufala semsem lo hem? And hao, temple blo God savve wan mind witim olketa idol?”​—2 Corinthians 6:​15-​17.

  Nomata Olketa Jehovah’s Witness traem best for stap gud witim neiba blo olketa and respectim raet blo each wan for chusim wat for bilivim, olketa avoidim olketa celebration wea promotim interfaith.

  Olketa celebration wea mekhae lo wanfala bigman blo church or olketa event wea encouragem pipol from difren religion for worship tugeta. Taem God leadim pipol blo hem bifor go lo wanfala niu ples and pipol lo there followim olketa nara religion, hem talem olketa: “Iufala mas no mekem eni agreement witim olketa or promis for worshipim olketa god blo olketa. . . . Sapos iufala worshipim olketa god blo olketa, datwan bae kamap wanfala trap for iufala.” (Exodus 23:32, 33) Dastawe, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no share insaed olketa celebration hia.

  • Loy Krathong. During disfala Thai festival, “pipol mekem olketa boat lo leaf, putim olketa kandol and incense stik insaed, and mekem hem float ontop wata. Olketa sei olketa boat hia hem for tekem awe bad luck from olketa. Really, disfala festival hem for commemoratim holy footprint blo Buddha.”​—Encyclopedia of Buddhism.

  • National Repentance Day. Lo wanfala niuspepa blo Papua New Guinea (The National), wanfala gavman official sei olketa wea participate lo disfala event “agree [lo] olketa biliv blo olketa Christian.” Hem sei datfala day hem “help for promotim olketa Christian principle lo kantri.”

  • Vesak. “Diswan hem most holy day lo olketa Buddhist holy day, hem for celebratem birthday blo Buddha, taem hem kasem olketa niu teaching, and taem hem dae, or kasem Nirvana.”​—Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary.

    

  Olketa celebration wea base lo religious kastom wea Bible no teachim. Jesus sei lo olketa religious leader: “Kastom blo iufala hem mekem word blo God hem iusles nomoa.” Hem talem tu dat worship blo olketa hem iusles nomoa bikos “olketa law wea olketa teachim hem kam from olketa man nomoa.” (Matthew 15:​6, 9) From Olketa Jehovah’s Witness barava tinghae lo disfala warning, olketa no celebratem staka religious event.

  • Epiphany (Three Kings’ Day, Timkat, or Los Reyes Magos). Olketa mekem disfala celebration for commemoratim olketa astrologer wea visitim Jesus, or taem Jesus hem baptaes. “Olketa Christian mekem disfala celebration followim olketa heathen festival, for honorim god blo olketa wata, river, and olketa stream.” (The Christmas Encyclopedia) Timkat, hem festival wea “base lo kastom nomoa.”​—Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World.

  • Feast blo Assumption blo Virgin Mary. Disfala feast hem for celebratem biliv wea sei dat mami blo Jesus hem go ap lo heven witim physical body. Religion and Society​—Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism sei: “Disfala biliv, olketa first Christian no savve lo hem, and Bible tu no story abaotem.”

  • Feast blo Immaculate Conception. “Bible no teachim Immaculate Conception [blo Mary] . . . [Hem] teaching blo Church nomoa.”​—New Catholic Encyclopedia.

  • Lent. New Catholic Encyclopedia hem sei, 200 years afta Bible hem complete, wea hem lo “fourth century,” church startim disfala celebration, wea man showim hem sorre for olketa sin blo hem and fasting. Lo first day blo Lent, datfala encyclopedia buk sei: “Lo Ash Wednesday olketa priest iusim asis for drawim cross lo forhed blo olketa parishioner blo olketa. Diswan hem wanfala reminder dat olketa shud repent. Diswan hem kastom wea Catholic Church officially adoptim lo 1091.”

  • Meskel (or, Maskal). Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Medieval World sei, lo disfala Ethiopian festival olketa bae laetem fire and dance raonem, diswan hem for celebratem “taem wea olketa faendem Tru Cross (cross wea Christ dae lo hem).” Bat, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no iusim cross lo worship blo olketa.

• Hao, datfala holiday mekhae lo wanfala man, organization, or wanfala national symbol?

  Bible principle: “Diswan nao wanem Jehovah talem: ‘Nogud samting bae kasem man wea trustim olketa man nomoa, wea depend lo strong blo olketa man, and wea heart blo hem tane difren from Jehovah.’”​—Jeremiah 17:5.

  Nomata Olketa Jehovah’s Witness expressim appreciation for olketa man and even prea for olketa, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no participate lo olketa kaen event or celebration olsem:

  Olketa holiday wea honorim wanfala ruler or wanfala important man. Bible sei: “Sapos iufala tingim laef blo iufala, stop for trustim man nomoa, wea olsem wind nomoa wea kamaot from nose blo hem. Wanem gud samting nao iufala kasem from hem?” (Isaiah 2:​22) Dastawe, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebratem birthday blo king or queen.

  Celebration for mekhae lo flag blo kantri. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebratem Flag Day. Why nao olsem? Bikos Bible sei: “Iufala mas stap klia lo olketa idol.” (1 John 5:​21) Samfala pipol distaem no considerim flag olsem wanfala idol, wea hem wanfala samting for worshipim. Bat historian Carlton J. H. Hayes sei: “Olketa kantri apim flag olsem symbol blo faith and main samting wea olketa worshipim.”

  Olketa holiday or celebration wea mekhae lo saint. Wat nao happen taem wanfala man hem baodaon lo aposol Peter? Bible sei: “Peter holem hem ap, and sei: ‘Iu standap, mi man olsem iu nomoa ia.’” (Acts 10:25, 26) From Peter and olketa nara aposol no acceptim olketa narawan for mekhae or givim spesol honor lo olketa, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no participate lo olketa event for honorim olketa wea pipol ting lo olketa olsem saints, olketa celebration hia nao:

  • Evri Saints’ Day. “Hem wanfala feast for honorim evri saints . . . No eniwan savve lo hao disfala feast hem start.”​—New Catholic Encyclopedia.

  • Holiday blo Our Lady of Guadalupe. Disfala festival hem for honorim “female saint wea protectim Mexico,” wea samfala biliv dat hem Mary, mami blo Jesus. Olketa sei, lo 1531 hem appear lo wanfala farmer.​—The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Latino Literature.

    

  • Nem Day. Buk Celebrating Life Customs Around the World​—From Baby Showers to Funerals hem sei: “Nem day hem celebration for honorim saint wea olketa nemim lo baby during baptism blo hem or lo taem blo confirmation. Lo day hia pipol duim staka samting lo church.”

  Celebration blo politikol or social movement. Bible sei: “Hem gud for go lo Jehovah for stap sef winim for putim trust lo olketa man.” (Psalm 118:​8, 9) Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebratem Youth Day or Women’s Day, bikos olketa laek for showim dat olketa trustim God for solvem olketa problem lo world and no olketa man. From datwan, olketa no participate tu lo Emancipation Day or lo olketa similar celebration. Instead, olketa luk lo Kingdom blo God nao for solvem olketa problem wea happen bikos lo racism and for laek winim narawan.​—Romans 2:​11; 8:​21.

• Hao, datfala holiday mekem wanfala kantri or ethnic grup for gud winim olketa narawan?

  Bible principle: “God hem no fevarem eniwan, bat lo evri nation, man wea fraet lo hem and duim samting wea stret bae God acceptim hem.”​—Acts 10:34, 35.

  Nomata staka Jehovah’s Witness lovem tumas hom blo olketa, olketa avoidim olketa celebration wea mekhae lo kantri or lo wanfala ethnic grup, olsem:

  Olketa event for honorim olketa wea joinim army. Instead for joinim war, Jesus sei lo olketa follower blo hem: “Gohed lovem olketa enemy blo iufala and prea for olketa wea persecutim iufala.” (Matthew 5:​44) So, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no joinim olketa celebration for honorim olketa soldia, includim olketa holiday hia:

  • Anzac Day. “Anzac stand for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps,” and gogo “Anzac Day hem kamap day for rememberim olketa wea dae lo war.”​—Historical Dictionary of Australia.

  • Veterans Day (Remembrance Day, Remembrance Sunday, or Memorial Day). Olketa holiday hia hem for honorim “olketa army and olketa wea dae lo war blo kantri.”​—Encyclopædia Britannica.

  Celebration blo history blo kantri or independence. Jesus sei olsem abaotem olketa follower blo hem: “Olketa no part lo world, olsem mi tu no part lo world.” (John 17:16) Nomata Olketa Jehovah’s Witness hapi for lane abaotem history blo wanfala kantri, olketa no participate lo olketa event hia:

  • Australia Day. According lo buk Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life, disfala holiday hem for commemoratim “wanfala day lo 1788 taem olketa soldia blo England apim flag blo Australia and declarim dat Australia hem wanfala niu kantri anda lo rul blo England.”

  • Guy Fawkes Day. Diswan hem “wanfala national celebration day for commemoratim day wea Guy Fawkes and samfala lo Catholic trae for killim dae King James I and olketa member blo Parliament lo England lo 1605.”​—A Dictionary of English Folklore.

  • Independence Day. Lo staka kantri, diswan hem “day wea pipol celebratem taem wea kantri blo olketa hem independence from nara kantri.”​—Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary.

• Hao, datfala celebration hem mekem pipol for garem nogud behavior?

  Bible principle: “Lo bifor iufala gohed for duim olketa samting wea pipol lo world duim, taem iufala nating shame for duim rong samting, no kontrolem feeling for barava laek duim nogud samting, ova tumas for drink, join insaed olketa wild party, drunk olowe, and join insaed olketa samting wea againstim law lo wei for worshipim olketa idol.”​—1 Peter 4:3.

  For followim datfala principle, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness avoidim olketa celebration wea pipol drunk tumas and wild party. Olketa Jehovah’s Witness enjoyim taem witim frens blo olketa, and if olketa maet chus for drinkim alcohol, olketa bae drinkim lelebet nomoa. Olketa traem best for followim disfala kaonsel lo Bible wea sei: “Nomata iufala kaikai or drink or duim eni nara samting, duim evri samting for givim glory lo God.”​—1 Corinthians 10:31.

  Dastawe, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no participate lo olketa carnival or olketa similar festival wea promotim olketa nogud wei wea againstim wat Bible talem. Diswan includim Jewish festival blo Purim. For longtaem kam Purim hem for commemoratim taem wea olketa Jew kamap free lo fifth century B.C.E., nomata olsem, datfala buk Essential Judaism sei distaem “datfala Jewish festival hem olsem Mardi Gras or Carnival.” Olketa wea joinim disfala festival, “olketa werem olketa difren kaen kaleko (staka taem olketa man bae werem kaleko blo olketa woman), olketa barava raf, drunk tumas, and mek noes tumas.”

From Olketa Jehovah’s Witness no celebratem samfala holiday, hao, olketa still lovem famili blo olketa?

Yes. Bible teachim pipol for lovem and respectim evriwan lo famili blo olketa, nomata olketa garem difren biliv. (1 Peter 3:​1, 2, 7) Hem tru, taem wanfala Jehovah’s Witness no participate lo samfala celebration, samfala relative blo hem maet feel nogud, kros, or even feel olsem hem betrayim olketa. Dastawe, staka Jehovah’s Witness duim samting for showim olketa lovem olketa relative blo olketa, explainim gud olketa reason for disison blo olketa, and for visitim olketa relative lo olketa nara occasion.

Hao, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness talem olketa narawan for no celebratem samfala holiday?

Nomoa. Olketa biliv dat each wan mas mekem own disison blo hem. (Joshua 24:15) Olketa Jehovah’s Witness “honorim evri difren kaen man,” nomata wat nao religious biliv blo olketa.​—1 Peter 2:​17.