{"id":35823,"date":"2025-05-11T13:32:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T13:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/?p=35823"},"modified":"2025-05-11T13:32:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T13:32:29","slug":"jehovahs-witnesses-new-years-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/nl\/learn\/jehovahs-witnesses-new-years-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Waarom vieren Jehovah\u2019s Getuigen geen Nieuwjaar?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pps-series-post-details pps-series-post-details-variant-classic pps-series-post-details-67899\" data-series-id=\"531\"><div class=\"pps-series-meta-content\"><div class=\"pps-series-meta-text\">Dit artikel is deel 24 van 38 in de serie <a href=\"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/nl\/learn\/series\/understanding-jehovahs-witnesses\/\">Jehovah's Getuigen begrijpen<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><h2><strong>Een frisse start, een ander pad: begrijpen waarom Jehovah's Getuigen geen Nieuwjaar vieren<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Isn&#39;t it wonderful when that calendar page turns? Doesn&#39;t it fill your heart with hope and a feeling that something fresh and new is coming your way? A brand new year stretches before us, just brimming with possibilities! It&#39;s a special time when so many people all across the globe come together, celebrating and looking forward with bright eyes to a fresh start.\u00b9<\/p>\n<p>But maybe you&#39;ve noticed, not everyone jumps into the traditional New Year&#39;s parties and fireworks. Perhaps you have neighbors or friends who are Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses, and you&#39;ve wondered, &quot;Do they celebrate the New Year like everyone else?&quot; That&#39;s a good question, asked with kindness and a genuine heart wanting to understand the beautiful story of ways people live out their faith.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#39;s explore their perspective together, with open hearts and minds, ready to learn. Understanding why Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses see New Year&#39;s differently can actually deepen our own appreciation for the many paths people walk as they seek to follow God&#39;s Word in the way they feel is right.<\/p>\n<h2>Vieren Jehovah's Getuigen oudejaarsavond of nieuwjaarsdag?<\/h2>\n<p>Let&#39;s get right to the heart of it with a clear and simple answer, friends. Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses, in their walk of faith, choose not to join in the New Year&#39;s Eve or New Year&#39;s Day celebrations.\u00b3 While much of the world might be counting down those exciting seconds to midnight or sharing a special meal on January 1st, for Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses, these days are usually just like any other day on their calendar.\u2076<\/p>\n<p>This doesn&#39;t mean they&#39;re against joy or spending precious time with the people they love! Oh no, they absolutely cherish fellowship and gatherings that build each other up.\u00b3 But they make a conscious choice to step back from celebrations they believe don&#39;t quite line up with the principles they find in the Bible. So, instead of heading out to big New Year&#39;s parties, you might find them enjoying quiet time with their families, sharing their faith with others in their ministry, or simply going about their regular daily lives.\u2076<\/p>\n<p>It&#39;s so important to understand that their decision isn&#39;t meant to look down on anyone else who <em>past<\/em> viert. Ze worden geleerd om diep respect te hebben voor de keuzes en overtuigingen van anderen, zelfs als die overtuigingen anders zijn.\u2075 Hun keuze komt voort uit een oprechte plek in hun hart, vanuit hun eigen diepgewortelde overtuigingen over hoe ze God het beste kunnen aanbidden en behagen op basis van hoe zij de Bijbel begrijpen.<\/p>\n<h2>Waarom vieren Jehovah's Getuigen geen Nieuwjaar? Welke bijbelverzen gebruiken ze?<\/h2>\n<p>The real motivation, the heartbeat behind why Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses approach New Year&#39;s\u2014and really, all holidays\u2014the way they do, is a powerful, sincere desire to please God, whom they call Jehovah, in every single part of their lives.\u00b3 They see the Bible as their ultimate roadmap, their guide for life. Before they decide to join in any celebration, they carefully look into its history, its origins, and the things people do during it, checking if it aligns with God&#39;s Word.\u00b3 When they look at New Year&#39;s, they find several important reasons, rooted in specific Bible principles, that lead them to kindly abstain:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>God boven alles eren (Heidense oorsprong):<\/strong> You see, a big reason comes down to wanting to honor God purely. They look back at history and see that many common New Year&#39;s customs, and even the celebration itself, started long ago in ways that didn&#39;t honor the one true God\u2014ways linked to what the Bible calls pagan religions and old superstitions.\u00b3 They take to heart the Bible&#39;s gentle warnings about not mixing true worship with practices from other beliefs. They might think of verses like <strong>Jesaja 65:11<\/strong>, which spoke against setting a table for &quot;the god of Good Luck&quot; and &quot;the god of Destiny.&quot; They see echoes of this in some New Year&#39;s traditions that focus heavily on luck for the year ahead.\u00b3 This leads them to follow the instruction found in <strong>2 Korinthi\u00ebrs 6:17<\/strong>: &#8220;&#39;Separate yourselves,&#39; says Jehovah, &#39;and quit touching the unclean thing&#39;\u201d.\u00b3 In their hearts, they feel that joining a celebration with these historical roots wouldn&#39;t be following that loving direction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Een leven leiden dat God behaagt (Onbijbelse praktijken):<\/strong> Beyond just the history, Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses also look at <em>hoe<\/em> New Year&#39;s is often celebrated right now. They notice that many parties and festivities can involve things the Bible kindly advises us to avoid, like drinking too much (&quot;overdrinking&quot;) or getting caught up in wild, unrestrained parties (&quot;wild parties,&quot; &quot;revelries,&quot; &quot;drinking bouts&quot;).\u00b3 They consider scriptures like <strong>1 Petrus 4:3<\/strong>, waarin dit soort activiteiten worden genoemd als dingen die gelovigen achter zich moeten laten naarmate ze dichter bij God komen.\u00b3 Hun doel is om te leven volgens de prachtige standaard die wordt uiteengezet in <strong>Romeinen 13:12-14<\/strong>, waarin gelovigen worden aangemoedigd om een eerlijk en fatsoenlijk leven te leiden en dergelijke excessen te vermijden.\u2074<\/li>\n<li><strong>Toewijding zuiver houden (Ongepaste eer vermijden):<\/strong> While maybe not as strong for New Year&#39;s as for some other holidays, the principle of giving their main devotion only to God is so important. They are careful to avoid any celebration that might accidentally shift the focus to giving too much honor to human leaders, governments, or national symbols.\u00b3 They remember the wisdom in <strong>Jeremia 17:5<\/strong> over het niet stellen van ons uiteindelijke vertrouwen op mensen.\u00b3<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vertrouwen op God, niet op geluk (Bijgeloof):<\/strong> So many New Year&#39;s traditions around the world involve doing certain things hoping to bring good luck or keep bad luck away in the coming year.\u00b9 Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses see these actions as leaning on superstition, which they feel doesn&#39;t quite fit with putting complete trust in God&#39;s loving care and guidance.\u00b3 That connection made back in Isaiah 65:11-12, linking trust in luck or destiny gods with displeasing Jehovah, reinforces their decision to avoid customs based on luck.\u00e2\u0081\u00b4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the end, their choice flows from a deep desire to keep their worship pure and pleasing to God, untangled from practices they see as coming from false religion or encouraging behavior that doesn&#39;t match the Bible&#39;s loving standards.\u00b3 It&#39;s a careful approach, using specific scriptures they understand as God&#39;s guidance to stay separate from things they see as pagan or worldly. This forms a consistent way they look at all holidays, always aiming to put what they believe is God&#39;s will above cultural traditions.<\/p>\n<h2>Welke heidense wortels koppelen Jehovah's Getuigen aan Nieuwjaar?<\/h2>\n<p>Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses don&#39;t just have a general feeling about these things; they actually dig into the history books to understand where holidays come from.\u00b3 Their studies show them that celebrating the turn of the year is a very ancient practice, going back thousands of years and popping up in many old cultures.\u00b9 They see connections between today&#39;s New Year&#39;s celebrations, especially the January 1st date, and specific traditions from long ago that didn&#39;t honor the true God:<\/p>\n<p>Ze kijken ver terug naar <strong>het oude Babylon<\/strong>. Imagine, about 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, the Babylonians had a big New Year festival called Akitu. It happened around the spring equinox, in mid-March.\u00b9 This festival lasted 11 days and involved religious ceremonies honoring their gods, especially celebrating the victory of their sky god Marduk over the powers of chaos.\u00b9 For Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses, this is one of the earliest examples of a New Year&#39;s celebration deeply mixed with pagan worship.\u00b9\u00b2<\/p>\n<p>Het verband wordt in hun ogen nog duidelijker als we kijken naar <strong>het oude Rome<\/strong>. They point out that the January 1st date, the one so much of the world uses was actually set up by the Roman leader Julius Caesar way back around 46 B.C. When he changed the calendar.\u00b9 And here&#39;s a key point for them: the month of January was named to honor <strong>Janus<\/strong>, de Romeinse god van het begin, het einde, poorten en deuren.\u00b9 Je hebt misschien wel eens afbeeldingen van Janus gezien \u2013 hij had vaak twee gezichten, \u00e9\u00e9n die terugkeek naar het afgelopen jaar en \u00e9\u00e9n die vooruitkeek naar het nieuwe, wat die overgang symboliseerde.\u00b9 De Romeinen vierden de eerste dag van januari (de Kalenden) door offers te brengen aan Janus, hun huizen te versieren met lauriertakken, naar feesten te gaan en geschenken te geven (soms <em>strenae<\/em>) genoemd) in de hoop dat het hen geluk zou brengen in het komende jaar.\u00b9<\/p>\n<p>Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses also often see links between New Year&#39;s customs and another Roman festival called <strong>Saturnali\u00ebn<\/strong>, which was celebrated in mid-December to honor the god Saturn.\u2075 Saturnalia was famous for its big feasts, drinking, gift-giving, and even temporarily swapping roles between masters and slaves \u2013 customs they believe carried over and influenced later Christmas and New Year&#39;s traditions.\u00b9<\/p>\n<p>Ze kunnen ook <strong>andere symbolen en tradities<\/strong> as having non-Christian roots. For example, the image of &quot;Father Time&quot; is connected to the ancient Greek god Cronos (the god of time), and the &quot;New Year&#39;s Babe&quot; symbol has been linked to ancient festivals for Dionysus (also called Bacchus), the Greek god of wine, where they would parade an infant in a basket.\u00b9\u00b2 Even things like using fireworks (which started in ancient China to scare away evil spirits) or kissing at midnight (which some connect to bringing good luck, possibly linked back to Saturnalia) are seen through this lens of origins outside of Christian practice.\u00b9<\/p>\n<p>For Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses, these historical connections aren&#39;t just interesting tidbits; they&#39;re important evidence. They believe these deep roots in the worship of pagan gods and the superstitious practices that went with them permanently mark the celebration as something that wouldn&#39;t please the true God, Jehovah.\u00b3 While historians acknowledge these ancient beginnings 12, the way Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses interpret this history emphasizes that these origins fundamentally taint the holiday, meaning they need to avoid it completely. Their principle of staying separate doesn&#39;t easily allow for the idea that customs can just be detached from their original meanings or somehow &quot;made Christian&quot; over time\u2014even though history shows that sometimes happened in mainstream Christianity with dates like January 1st.\u00b2\u2074<\/p>\n<h2>Hoe kijken Jehovah's Getuigen naar algemene nieuwjaarstradities (feesten, vuurwerk, goede voornemens)?<\/h2>\n<p>Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses apply those core Bible principles not just to the holiday as a whole also to the specific ways people often celebrate it today. They look closely at individual traditions to see if they line up with their understanding of God&#39;s loving standards:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Feesten en je laten meeslepen:<\/strong> Those typical New Year&#39;s Eve parties often raise a flag of caution for Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses. The fact that these gatherings are frequently linked with drinking too much alcohol, loud and unrestrained behavior, and sometimes even actions that go against God&#39;s moral standards directly clashes with the Bible&#39;s gentle counsel to be moderate, self-controlled, and live decently.\u00b3 While they absolutely believe that enjoying good, wholesome time with family and friends is pleasing to God 3, they make a conscious choice to avoid events known for the &quot;overdrinking, wild parties, <a href=\"\">en<\/a> drinking bouts&quot; mentioned in 1 Peter 4:3.\u00b3 Some personal stories suggest that maybe an individual Witness might have a quiet drink at home or watch the festivities on TV going to large, typical New Year&#39;s Eve parties is generally discouraged because of the potential for behavior that doesn&#39;t align with scripture.\u2076<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vuurwerk en lawaaimakers:<\/strong> Those amazing fireworks lighting up the sky and the fun sounds of noisemakers might seem like harmless enjoyment to many. And , one person who used to be a Witness mentioned liking fireworks.\u2076 But Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses are often aware of the history linking these things to pagan practices, like the ancient Chinese belief that loud noises and firecrackers would scare away evil spirits.\u00b9 This connection to superstition and spiritism makes them careful about joining in, as they strive to avoid anything rooted in beliefs that contradict the Bible.\u00b3<\/li>\n<li><strong>Goede voornemens maken:<\/strong> Making New Year&#39;s resolutions is a very common tradition focused on improving ourselves. Setting goals can be a positive thing! But Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses might gently question the timing and motivation. Is making resolutions specifically tied to January 1st just following a worldly tradition, maybe unknowingly echoing the ancient Romans who made promises to their god Janus for the new year?\u00b9 Some former members have shared the thought that making resolutions seems a bit superficial when personal growth and change can, and really should, happen any day of the year.\u2076 they emphasize that our main focus should always be on seeking God&#39;s Kingdom and living by His standards every single day, rather than on self-improvement goals tied to a worldly celebration within what they see as a temporary system of things.\u2076 Their perspective encourages us to pursue continuous spiritual growth and rely on God&#39;s strength daily, not just hitting a reset button once a year because of a secular holiday.\u00b2<\/li>\n<li><strong>Geschenken geven (Strenae):<\/strong> The specific custom of giving gifts right on New Year&#39;s Day is viewed with extra caution because of its direct link to Roman paganism. These gifts were actually called <em>strenae<\/em>, possibly named after a goddess named Strenia, or connected with honoring Janus.\u00b9 Early Church councils even spoke out against this specific practice 26, and the early writer Tertullian expressed sadness about Christians participating in it.\u00b2\u00e2\u0081\u00b9 While Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses enjoy giving gifts at appropriate times to show love and kindness, they avoid the specific tradition of New Year&#39;s gift-giving because of these historical associations.\u2075<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This careful look at individual customs shows how consistently they apply their core principles. Even traditions that seem perfectly fine on the surface are checked for any potential links to paganism, superstition, excessive nationalism, or behavior that falls short of the Bible&#39;s high, yet loving, standards. This thoroughness highlights their deep commitment to remain &quot;no part of the world&quot; 5 and to make sure every part of their lives aligns with what they understand to be God&#39;s will, leaving little room for simply going along with culture in matters they feel are spiritually important.<\/p>\n<h2>Is het standpunt van Jehovah's Getuigen over Nieuwjaar uniek, of vergelijkbaar met hun kijk op andere feestdagen?<\/h2>\n<p>The way Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses view New Year&#39;s isn&#39;t something that stands alone. It actually flows right out of the very same core principles they use when they look at <em>alle<\/em> de populaire feestdagen die mensen vieren, waaronder Kerstmis, Pasen, verjaardagen en zelfs nationale feestdagen.\u00b3 Hun benadering is als een vast kompas, dat altijd terugwijst naar specifieke bijbelse criteria.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#39;s see how their view on New Year&#39;s compares to their view on other common holidays:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Kerstmis:<\/strong> Just like New Year&#39;s, Christmas is kindly declined mainly because of what they see as its pagan origins. Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses teach that Jesus wasn&#39;t actually born on December 25th. They believe this date, along with customs like Christmas trees and gift-giving, was likely borrowed from pagan winter solstice festivals, especially the Roman Saturnalia.\u2075 The reasons they give\u2014pagan roots, a date and customs not found in the Bible, and no command from God to celebrate it\u2014are very similar to their reasons for not celebrating New Year&#39;s.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Verjaardagen:<\/strong> They also choose not to celebrate birthdays. They point out that the only two birthday parties mentioned in the Bible involved people who didn&#39;t worship Jehovah (an Egyptian Pharaoh and King Herod) and were connected with sad events (someone losing their life).\u00b3 They refer to Genesis 40:20-22 and Matthew 14:6-10.\u00b3 they feel that birthday celebrations can sometimes put too much focus on the individual, which might not align with Christian humility 5, and they note that historical sources suggest the very first Christians didn&#39;t celebrate birthdays.\u2075 Again, the reasons center on the lack of positive examples in the Bible and a potentially unscriptural emphasis.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Andere feestdagen:<\/strong> Dit consistente patroon zet zich voort:<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pasen:<\/strong> Vermeden vanwege waargenomen verbanden met heidense vruchtbaarheidsgebruiken en symbolen.\u00b9\u2075\u2075<\/li>\n<li><strong>Halloween:<\/strong> Afgewezen vanwege de sterke banden met spiritisme, geesten en heidense oorsprong.\u00b3<\/li>\n<li><strong>Valentine&#39;s Day, May Day, Mother&#39;s Day:<\/strong> Zorgvuldig bekeken vanwege mogelijke, hoewel soms bediscussieerde, verbanden met oude Romeinse of heidense festivals of godinnenverering.\u2075<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nationale feestdagen:<\/strong> While they deeply respect governments, Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses don&#39;t participate in national holidays that involve patriotic ceremonies or what they see as giving worship-like honor to the country or national symbols. This comes from their commitment to remain politically neutral and give their primary allegiance only to God&#39;s Kingdom.\u00b3<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let&#39;s look at this consistency in a simple table:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\tFeestdag\n\t\t\t<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\tPrimaire bezwaren van JW\n\t\t\t<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\tBelangrijkste ondersteunende idee\u00ebn\/referenties\n\t\t\t<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t<strong>New Year&#39;s<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\tHeidense oorsprong (Babylon, Rome\/Janus\/Saturnali\u00ebn), Onschriftuurlijke uitspattingen, Bijgeloof\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t3\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Kerstmis<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\tHeidense oorsprong (Saturnali\u00ebn\/Zonnewende), Onschriftuurlijke datum\/gebruiken, Niet geboden\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t5\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t<strong>verjaardagen<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\tNegatieve Bijbelse voorbeelden, Ongepaste eer aan individu, Niet beoefend door vroege christenen\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t3\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Pasen<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\tHeidense vruchtbaarheidsoorsprong\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t5 (algemeen principe is van toepassing)\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Halloween<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\tSpiritisme, Heidense oorsprong\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t3 (zorg over spiritisme) 5 (algemeen principe is van toepassing)\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Nationale feestdagen<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\tOngepaste eer aan naties\/symbolen, Neutraliteit in gevaar brengen\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\t\t\t\t3 (zorg over ongepaste eer) 5 (neutraliteit)\n\t\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>This steady pattern across different holidays shows a very systematic way of thinking. By applying the same filter\u2014checking for pagan roots, looking for a basis in scripture, considering the potential for ungodly behavior, and holding fast to the principle of honoring God exclusively\u2014to all celebrations, Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses draw clear lines between what they feel is acceptable and what isn&#39;t. This reinforces their unique religious identity and their dedication to staying separate from worldly customs they believe could compromise their faith.\u00b3\u00b9<\/p>\n<h2>Zegt de Bijbel dat 1 januari het 'echte' Nieuwjaar is?<\/h2>\n<p>Here&#39;s another important piece of the puzzle for understanding the Jehovah&#39;s Witness perspective: it involves the calendar itself! They believe the Bible actually points to a completely different time of year as the beginning, a time set by God Himself, which stands in stark contrast to the January 1st date we&#39;re so used to today.\u2077<\/p>\n<p>Waar halen ze dit begrip vandaan? Voornamelijk uit het boek Exodus. Weet je nog toen God instructies gaf aan Mozes en A\u00e4ron over het allereerste Pascha, vlak voordat Hij de Isra\u00eblieten uit Egypte leidde? Hij deed een krachtige verklaring: \u201cDeze maand zal voor u het begin van de maanden zijn: het zal de eerste\u2026<a href=\"\">Bron<\/a>(<a href=\"http:\/\/biblebasesecondthoughts.blogspot.com\/2009\/12\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/biblebasesecondthoughts.blogspot.com\/2009\/12\/<\/a>) jaar voor u zijn\u201d (<strong>Exodus 12:2<\/strong>).\u2077 Deze speciale maand, die later bekend werd als Nisan (of Abib), valt precies in de prachtige lente, overeenkomend met onze maart of april.\u2077 Deuteronomium 16:1 spreekt ook over het vieren van het Pascha in deze lentemaand.\u00b3\u00b2 Dus, gebaseerd op hun lezing van de Schrift, zien ze dat God Zelf de <em>lente<\/em> heeft aangewezen als het begin van het heilige jaar voor Zijn volk.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, they view January 1st as a date chosen by human rulers, specifically by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar as part of his calendar adjustments.\u00b9 They emphasize its connection to pagan Rome and the god Janus.\u00e2\u0081\u00b4 The fact that the date for New Year&#39;s celebrations actually bounced around quite a bit throughout history (sometimes in spring, sometimes fall, sometimes March 1st, sometimes January 1st, even December 25th or March 25th at different times, before settling back on January 1st for many) is seen as proof of its human, and sometimes confusing, origins.\u00b9 They contrast this historical shifting with what they see as God&#39;s clear, unchanging instruction given way back in Exodus.\u2077<\/p>\n<p>En hier is een punt dat voor hen echt cruciaal is: zelfs voor het begin van het jaar dat God <em>heeft<\/em> establish in the spring, the Bible gives absolutely no command to throw a big New Year&#39;s <em>feest<\/em> with the kind of revelry we often see today.\u2077 God commanded His people to observe specific annual Holy Days, like Passover, Pentecost, and the Festival of Tabernacles, each filled with its own deep meaning and specific instructions.\u2077 A general New Year&#39;s bash just wasn&#39;t on that list.<\/p>\n<p>This line of thinking further solidifies their view that the January 1st celebration isn&#39;t for them. By highlighting what they see as the correct biblical start date (even though they don&#39;t party on that day either), they frame the observance of the Roman calendar&#39;s New Year as choosing a man-made tradition, rooted in paganism, over God&#39;s own revealed timing.\u2077 It strengthens their commitment to live &quot;by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God&quot; 7 rather than following the &quot;way of the heathen&quot; or the &quot;customs of the people&quot;.\u2077<\/p>\n<h2>Wat leerden de vroege Kerkvaders over nieuwjaarsvieringen?<\/h2>\n<p>It&#39;s true, when Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses mention that early Christians opposed New Year&#39;s festivities, they&#39;re pointing to something real in history. Many influential Christian leaders and church councils in those first few centuries after Christ\u2014people we often call the Church Fathers\u2014did speak out quite strongly against the pagan celebrations linked to the first of January, which was known back then as the Kalends of January.\u00b2\u00b3<\/p>\n<p>Let&#39;s look at what some of them had to say:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tertullianus<\/strong>, who wrote around 200 AD in North Africa, was particularly outspoken. He directly told Christians to stay away from the pagan festivals of Saturnalia and the Kalends (New Year&#39;s), calling them times when &quot;every pomp of the devil is frequented&quot;.\u00b2\u00e2\u0081\u00b9 He expressed sadness seeing Christians exchanging the traditional New Year&#39;s gifts (<em>strenae<\/em>) en deelnamen aan de feesten en luidruchtige partijen, en drong er bij hen op aan om een duidelijke scheiding te bewaren van heidense gewoonten.\u00b2\u2079<\/li>\n<li><strong>Johannes Chrysostomus<\/strong>, een beroemde prediker in Antiochi\u00eb en later Constantinopel rond het einde van de 300e eeuw na Christus, veroordeelde ook christenen die betrokken raakten bij het Kalendenfestival.\u00b2\u00b3 Hij wist hoe populair en wijdverspreid het festival was, en bereikte elke uithoek van het Romeinse Rijk.\u00b3\u2075 Maar hij zag het als door en door heidens en niet passend voor gelovigen. In plaats van zich over te geven aan het gebruikelijke feesten, drinken en geschenken geven, moedigde hij christenen aan om te vasten en gul te geven aan de armen.\u00b2\u00b3<\/li>\n<li><strong>Augustinus<\/strong>, another incredibly influential figure writing around 400 AD, was part of the church leadership in North Africa that actively pushed back against pagan festivals.\u00b3\u2070 Although we might debate specific sermons, the general feeling was one of discouraging the blending of faiths. Interestingly, Augustine mentioned that a separate Christian group, the Donatists (known for being very strict against Roman\/pagan influence), celebrated Jesus&#39;s birth on December 25th but refused to celebrate Epiphany on January 6th. This suggests that, at least for the Donatists, the date of December 25th itself wasn&#39;t seen as inherently pagan, even if pagan festivals happened around that time.\u00b3\u2076<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kerkraden:<\/strong> It wasn&#39;t just individual leaders; several regional church meetings made official rulings against pagan New Year&#39;s customs. The Council of Tours (in France, 567 AD) recommended fasting or special prayers for January 1st to counteract pagan practices and condemned pagan observances.\u00b2\u2076 The Council of Auxerre (also in France, around 580 AD) forbade copying pagan behaviors like dressing up as animals or giving <em>strenae<\/em> (New Year&#39;s gifts), calling them &quot;diabolical&quot;.\u00b2\u2078 Councils in Rouen (France, 650 AD) and Rome (743 AD) also issued curses or prohibitions against celebrating January 1st with pagan rituals.\u00b2\u2078<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Waar maakten deze vroege christelijke leiders zich het meest zorgen over? Het was de <strong>afgodenaanbidding<\/strong> verbonden aan de dag (vooral het eren van de god Janus), de <strong>bijgelovige praktijken<\/strong> die mensen deden in de hoop op geluk, de <strong>buitensporige feesten<\/strong> (dronkenschap, feesten, publieke chaos), en de <strong>uitwisseling van geschenken (<em>strenae<\/em>)<\/strong> wat zij zagen als onderdeel van de heidense manier van vieren.\u00b2\u00b3 Ze maakten zich grote zorgen over christenen die hun kostbare geloof vermengden met de heidense cultuur die nog steeds overal om hen heen was.<\/p>\n<p>Although these historical condemnations seem to strongly back up the Jehovah&#39;s Witness position, it&#39;s also good to understand the context and what happened later. These Church Fathers were dealing with <em>actief, hedendaags heidendom<\/em> in een rijk dat langzaam christelijk werd. Hun hoofddoel was vaak om mensen ervan te weerhouden deel te nemen aan de <em>specifieke heidense rituelen en immoreel gedrag<\/em> linked to that date. Despite these strong warnings, the date of January 1st eventually found its way into the Christian calendar in many places. It wasn&#39;t banned forever everywhere; instead, it was often given a new, Christian meaning, most commonly remembering the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus.\u00b9\u00b3 Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses tend to focus on those initial condemnations of pagan practices as the lasting principle. Meanwhile, the broader flow of Christian history shows a path where the date itself was often kept filled with new, Christian significance.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusie: Elke dag met een doel leven<\/h2>\n<p>Uiteindelijk, of iemand 1 januari nu markeert met speciale vieringen of het simpelweg behandelt als een andere gezegende dag, de oproep voor alle christenen is om <em>elke<\/em> dag te leven met een doel, met toewijding en met overvloedige liefde voor God en voor de mensen om ons heen. Kalenderdata kunnen ons ritme geven en momenten om te pauzeren en na te denken terwijl onze geloofsreis zich stap voor stap, dag voor dag ontvouwt.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#39;s find joy in fellowship, let&#39;s seek out opportunities to grow spiritually, and let&#39;s express our gratitude to God all year long. May His incredible love and unfailing guidance be our constant companions, lighting up our path each and every day as we strive to live lives that bring honor to Him, according to the convictions He places on our hearts through His Word and His Spirit.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pps-series-post-details pps-series-post-details-variant-classic pps-series-post-details-67899 pps-series-meta-excerpt\" data-series-id=\"531\"><div class=\"pps-series-meta-content\"><div class=\"pps-series-meta-text\">Dit artikel is deel 24 van 38 in de serie <a href=\"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/nl\/learn\/series\/understanding-jehovahs-witnesses\/\">Jehovah's Getuigen begrijpen<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><p>Ontdek waarom Jehovah's Getuigen zich onthouden van nieuwjaarsvieringen en verken hun overtuigingen die geworteld zijn in bijbelse principes en heidense oorsprong.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"series":[531],"class_list":["post-35823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-education","series-understanding-jehovahs-witnesses"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/api.robolly.com\/templates\/656df2bd6a094828c339896d\/render.jpg?dl&scale=1&image=https%3A%2F%2Fchristianpure.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fblogimg%2FV7-1920%2Fpainting_portraying_the_Last_Supper_in_the_style__01155.webp&titleBG=%23260073E6&title=Why%20Don%E2%80%99t%20Jehovah%E2%80%99s%20Witnesses%20Celebrate%20New%20Year%E2%80%99s%3F","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":35853,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/nl\/learn\/jehovahs-witnesses-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":35823,"position":0},"title":"Why 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