First of all if we go by the Gregorian calendar, it's a pagan calendar. YHWH gave us a calendar to go by, and in doing so, my birthday, according to His calendar is I Adar 10, 5730 instead of February 16, 1970. That would make my birthday February 24th on the pagan calendar, so just like one recognizes Yeshua's birthday in December instead of September/October (according to how the Hebrew calendar falls on the pagan one) and just like one observes Yeshua's death sometimes before He was even crucified by changing Passover to Easter - so is the date incorrect on which one celebrates his or her birthday.
Secondly, Flavius Josephus, an ancient Jewish historian, who saw Jerusalem being taken by Rome in 70 A.D. recorded in his book ""Nay, indeed, the law does not permit us to make festivals at the births of our children . . ." (Against Apion, book II, §26).
Thirdly, there are only two birthdays mentioned in the Bible. The first one is Genesis 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. (On the Pharoah's birthday he had the baker killed.) The other one is Matthew 14:6-10, in which Herod had John the Baptist decapitated. - But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. 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. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
They both involved murder!
The other allusion to a birthday is in Job 1. Verse 4 says, "And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them." (This was on each his day - which appears to be their birthdays). Job's response in verse 5 was to make an offering for them, for he feared they had sinned. - And it was so, when the days of [their] feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
Now, if that wasn't enough - birthday celebrations are actually pagan in themselves. They were originally celebrated to keep away evil spirits, something like Halloween was celebrated. People use to put out food for spirits to appease them.
Thousands of years ago birthdays were considered a time when the bad spirits as opposed to the good spirits were able to harm you as this day changed a person's life. It was believed that the only way to keep the bad spirits at bay was to have your friends and family around you so that their good wishes and present giving would keep them at bay.
The earliest birthday parties were held because people believed evil spirits were particuarly attracted to people on their birthdays.
At first it was only kings who were recognized as important enough to have a birthday celebration. To protect them from harm, friends and family would to come be with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes.
Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off the evil spirits. As time went by, children became included in birthday celebrations. The tradition of children's birthday parties first started in Germany, Kinderfeste.
One theory about the origin of the birthday cake is that it originated with the Greeks, who baked round cakes representing the full moon for their moon goddess, Artemis. They placed candles on the cake to make it glow, like the moon.
The first balloons are believed to have been children's toys, made from animal bladders and/or intestines, often filled with water. The Aztecs used to blow air into the bowels of sacrificed cats and twisted them into animal shapes and presented these to the gods as a sacrifice. Toy balloons were introduced by pioneer rubber manufacturer Thomas Hancock.
European jesters and troubadors were said to sometimes inflate the entrails of recently butchered animals and "entertain" with them. This is where the association of modern-day balloons with celebrations is throught to have originated.
The Greeks were said to have placed candles on the birthday cakes to make them look as if they were glowing like the moon, when offering them up to the goddess, Artemis. The Germans — who were skilled candlemakers — also placed candles on their cakes, but for religious reasons.
So no more birthday celebrations for me. Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth."
http://www.birthdaycelebra
©2010 Kimberly Padilla, A.A. Religion
No comments:
Post a Comment