Birthdays:A time to Reflect

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n his commentary "On Levites" Origen  writes that Christians should not only refrain from celebrating their birthdays, but should look on them with disgust.^[19] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This year, November 2012, I am going to be 21. My friends at my Church’s Youth gathering are already telling me ahead that ‘Cyprian, we go celebrate am well O! Last year November celebrants no try at all’. I pledged that my Birthday’s celebration shall be a big galore and that every body is going to be fed to the fill. I must tell you they were very happy when I pronounce those promise!

But as I disclose my future plans with my beloved mother and about how ‘big’ I intend to make my Birthday celebration look. She took the lids off my eyes, pierced my heart with her words of wisdom and left me thinking throughout the whole day. I will never forget how she ended her advice which she poured into my feebled mind. She ended his way ‘……..it is a time of sober reflection’. I slept over this same matter, reminisced and discovered some scare truths which had  eluded many a youth today. And unlocking those truths form the bedrock of this little article you are reading now. Hope you will enjoy it!

According to Wikipedia ‘A birthday is a day or anniversary when a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage’. Everyday around the world, birthday is been celebrated. In fact last Saturday, I was invited to a friend’s birthday somewhere around the outskirts of the city of Lagos. Cakes were ordered, small chops were prepared, friends were invited, event venue were also booked for and many more. However, I later did not make it for the birthday celebration due to some inconveniences beyond my powers.

Birthday Celebration is a time when we share with others about how ‘big’ we have become. It is a time when we meet new friends and reconnect with old ones. It is a time when we cut cakes and sing the ‘Happy birthday song’. It is a time when snap shots go high. It is a time when we crank up the volume of the Home Theater, a time when we cook, eat and drink. It is a time when for the rich ones they visit gardens, and five star hotels. As long as birthday is concerned in Nigeria, it must be celebrated sha!

But over the course of time I have learned to ask my self some truth revealing questions. For how long will I continue to ‘Just Celebrate’ every birthday as young Kids do yearly? If you should sit down and analyze the issue closely you will discover that :Each birthday makes us older than we were last year. It gradually brings us closer and closer to death!’ I am not trying to scare you! I am only trying to make you understand that we are not getting any younger and that in life what matter is not how long we live but how much we contribute, it is not about our duration but our donations.

I will never blame the ‘Jehovah Witnesses’ for not buying the idea of birthdays celebration . They are obsessed with spreading the Gospel throughout their lives. Haven’t you noticed? Even the youngest child in a Jehovah’s Witnesses’’ family is absorbed and passionate about evangelizing the word of God.  Going from one local home to another telling people about the love of God and his sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ. I interviewed a few friends of mine whom are all Jehovah’s Witnesses and discovered that one of the reasons why they do not take Birthday celebration as important as we do is simply because of the incidence that happened about decades of years ago as recorded in the holy book. John the Baptist was apprehended and held captive by a wicked King called Herod because he proclaimed the coming of Jesus Christ.

Herod believed that he was the only true King and that all people must venerate him as such. As a result, he persecuted all those who believed in the name of Jesus Christ and not in his own name. To cut the long story short Herod’s daughter was celebrating her birthday and there were guest from all walks of lives, friends and entertainers came so as to celebrated with Herod’s daughter. While the entertainer performed, Herod’s daughter danced so well that it pleased his Father carried away with the spree of celebration, Herod told his daughter ‘Just ask for anything and I will humbly grant your request’.

Well Herod’s daughter asked for John the Baptist’s head as her request. Being that Herod had given his beloved daughter his words. He had no choice than to fulfill them, so John the Baptist was beheaded just to please his daughter. This is not just a story that had been chronicled for donkey’s years. It reveals some basic truths about life. In contemporary times these very events are replicating itself today in a rapid pace. Many young people indulge themselves in social vices and immoral exhibitions that cannot be looked upon all in the name of celebrating their birthdays. They engage the act of premature sex, smoking, drinking to stupor, gambling and many ill fated acts. Many even get killed during these events. This is nothing but the truth.

You can help the poor as a contribution on your birthday

In lieu of the catastrophes that come with each birthday celebration in Nigeria and around the world today, birthday celebration can be channel in a more profitable way that will both benefit the celebrants and also encourage Nation building. Birthday should be a time of sober reflection considering the fact that we are living in perilous times. It should be time when we ask ourselves key questions that will help us live meaningful lives. A time when we do some serious soul searching to know where we are heading for in life. At each birthday celebration we should ask ourselves questions like:

How can God be glorified through this celebration?

How can others benefit from this celebration?

What have I truly achieved now that I am so and so age?
If I die today what would be my fate? Where is my spirit going to spend eternity?

How can I use this opportunity to touch lives?

How can I use this opportunity to help someone who cannot repay me?

Now that I am so and so age, how have I improved in my life generally?

Amongst many other questions, these soul searching questions will help guide us to revisit our lives and know how we can better live them. It will become an eye opener to our flaws and help us re-channel how we spend our money, time, and talents. It will help realize that what really matter in life is not how long but how well. It will us leave a lasting legacy that will continue to re-echo itself when we eventually pass away.

My dear friends, no matter how wrong you have lived your life. No matter how weighty are your mistakes in past. I have good news for you. Your past has past and I encourage you to face the future. You can remake your life. You can use every opportunity you have got to touch the lives of others. That is why this article is timeless. I encourage you to use the few truths in this article to re-channel, reform, refine and remake your life.

There are many mixtures of feelings and recent findings as regards birthday celebration all over the world here are the little I have researched on:

In many cultures and jurisdictions, if a person's real birthday is not known (for example, if he or she is an orphan), then their birthday may be considered to be January 1.’^[9]

 ‘There tend to be more births in September and October. This may be because there is a holiday season nine months before, or from the fact that the longest nights of the year happen in the Northern Hemisphere nine months before as well.’^[10]

Based on Harvard University research of birth records in the United States between 1973 and 1999, September 16 is the most common birthday in the United States and December 25 the least common birthday (other than February 29).^[11]

According to a study by Yale School of Public Health, positive and negative associations with culturally significant dates can influence birthrates. The study shows a 5.3 percent decrease in spontaneous births and a 16.9 percent decrease in cesarean births on Halloween, compared to other births occurring within one week before and one week after the October holiday. Whereas, on Valentine’s Day there is a 3.6 percent increase in spontaneous births and a 12.1 percent increase in cesarean births. ^[13]

Jehovah's Witnesses and some Sacred Name groups refrain from celebrating birthdays on the basis that they are portrayed in a negative light in the Bible and have historical connections with magic, superstitions, and Paganism.^[21]

In North Korea, people do not celebrate birthdays on July 8 and December 17 because these were the dates of the deaths of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, respectively. Over 100000 North Koreans celebrate displaced birthdays on July 9 or December 18 to avoid these dates. A person born on July 8 before 1994 may change their birthday, with official recognition. ^[31]

A number of possible superstitious origins for customs associated with birthday celebrations have been suggested. One source states that the tradition of birthday parties started in Europe. It was feared that evil spirits were particularly attracted to people on their birthdays and to protect them, they would be visited by friends and family, who would bring good thoughts and wishes.^[39]

be INSPIRED,

CYPRIAN HENRY

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