Yes, the Amish do celebrate birthdays, but typically in quiet, modest ways with family and close community, focusing on simple joys like cake, ice cream, and gifts rather than extravagant parties, though traditions vary slightly between communities. Celebrations often involve home gatherings, sometimes sharing treats at school for children, and are marked by presence and gratitude rather than worldly materialism.
They actually do celebrate birthdays. It's a like they even have candles and cake and ice cream and sometimes pizza and they give carts and sometimes little presents and they even sing happy birthday. I couldn't believe it the first time I was there and they were celebrating birthdays.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate holidays that they believe do not fit true Christianity. These include Christmas, Easter, and even birthdays. The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Christ did not command his birth - or any birth - to be celebrated; he just wanted his death to be remembered.
Using the calendar method, the Amish typically begins tracking her menstrual cycles for several months to establish the length of her average cycle. She then identifies the period of her menstrual cycle when she is most likely to ovulate based on the number of days before and after her average cycle length.
The Amish in the community I came from are not allowed to use condoms. After I left AMISH, one of my sister-in-law's pulled me aside and she was so upset and felt so guilty. She told me that they were using condoms and sinning.
The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)
Because the Bible neither encourages nor discourages the observance of birthdays, the question of whether one celebrates them is up to each person, though manner of celebration should be in line with godly principles, just as with any celebration.
The denomination requires adherence to a strict moral code, which forbids premarital sex, homosexuality, gender transitioning, adultery, smoking, drunkenness and drug abuse, and blood transfusions.
They, like many other pagan cultures, thought that days of major change, such as these “birth” days, welcomed evil spirits. They lit candles in response to these spirits almost as if they represented a light in the darkness. This implies that birthday celebrations started as a form of protection.
Summary: The Amish typically have their teeth pulled out by unlicensed dentists instead of incurring the high cost of dentistry. They perceive dentures as more cost effective and easier to maintain oral health.
Children may get a special toy from their parents such as ice skates or knitting supplies. Aunts and uncles might give younger children small gifts such as a wallet or a handkerchief. But that's the extent of gift-giving.
For potential couples to have the Lord as the foundation for their relationship is wonderful. There is nothing wrong with discouraging physical affection either. I would bet that many Amish couples hold hands or share a kiss from time to time before marriage.
Amish Gifts
Michael Jackson left the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1987, a decision influenced by growing tensions between his global fame and the sect's strict precepts. His Grammy-winning Thriller album and its accompanying video, which featured occult imagery, caused significant controversy within the organization.
Jehovah's Witnesses are instructed to shun members who unrepentantly engage in "gross sin" (most commonly for breaches of the Witnesses' code of personal morality), and "remorseless apostasy".
For the Jehovah's Witnesses the 144,000 are the number of those from the time of Christ to 1935, although that number gets changed more recently. But, to 1935, those are the number of true witnesses, true believers His anointed class of saints. Only 144,000 in that whole history of the church had been saved.
Just say it and walk away. Whisper it if there are other JWs around. Or, you could say, "Hey, isn't this the day you were born on? I'm happy you're around. "
“May the Lord crown your year with his bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance” (Psalm 65:11).
The essence lies in sincerity—gifts should reflect genuine care without implying participation in practices they avoid.
I don't know about all of them but 28 years ago before I left we did not use any store bought tampons or pads. Instead we used these ripped up towels and rags and they would be like this long and we would roll them four or five times and then we would use four safety pins and pin them to our homemade underwear.
Rumspringa is a period that begins at age sixteen and ends with the promise of baptism, during this period young Amish are exposed to the outside world. Another problem the Amish community faces during the Rumspringa period is unexpected pregnancy.
Popular Amish specialties sold in local Lancaster shops include shoofly pie, Dutch apple dumplings, smoked cheeses, and rich baked goods made with butter, sugar, and traditional spices like cloves, bay leaves, and thyme.