For believers, the main personal holiday of the year is the day of the heavenly patron, that is, the saint whose name we bear. The day of Baptism is also celebrated, when each of us at one time became a child of the Church of Christ. But, what about a birthday, is it really not customary to celebrate it among believers. But in the church calendar you can see several holidays that are dedicated to the birth, these are the Nativity of Christ (January 7), the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos (September 21) and the Nativity of John the Baptist (July 7), and in some localities the Nativity of St. Nicholas, the miracle worker of Myra (11 August). Is it okay to celebrate or not? If and how to note, how to do it so as not to violate the norms of piety, especially if the date coincides with the fast? Let's try to find answers to these and other questions.
The celebration of the beginning of our existence
If we take all the prayers from the divine service and ordinary prayer book, then all petitions to God can be divided into repentant, supplicatory and praiseworthy. The last type of prayer is the most sublime, because, just as the inhabitants of heaven themselves, incessantly praise the Creator. And why should He first of all give praise if not for the gift of being to us? Because the fact of our existence is the greatest gift of God, nothing can compare with the fact that the human soul realizes itself as a person, enjoys its individuality.
Our birthday is the day when the Lord, out of inexpressible love, created a whole microcosm in His image, and how not to rejoice in this. The day on which we began our earthly journey is not so much our holiday as a special day of gratitude to God, as our Creator, our parents, who have become an instrument in the hands of God, on this day we must leave our pride and remember who we were born thanks to.
On the day we begin our lives, we must remember our helplessness, although this may seem strange. Achieving the heights of Christian virtues is possible only when we know about our imperfection and fully trust in God.
Birthday is an important day and by the fact that it reminds us that in one more year we are closer to meeting the Lord, is it worth spending this time on a lavish feast?
How to celebrate a birthday?
There are examples of birthday celebrations in the Holy Scriptures, one of which is the infamous feast of King Herod Antipas. When Herodias's daughter Salome danced in front of him at the celebration dedicated to the birthday of the ruler. She pleased the king so much that he vowed to give her everything, even half the kingdom. And so the dancer, at the request of her mother, begged from Herod the head of the Holy Baptist on a silver platter, because he openly denounced the king of unlawful cohabitation with Herodias, and she was the wife of Philip, the king's 
brother (Luke 3, 19, 20).
brother (Luke 3, 19, 20).
The ruler of Galilee was afraid of the consequences of the murder of John, he knew that people regard him as a prophet, but this did not stop him from pleasing Herodias. Could Herod not fulfill his oath, he certainly could, but most likely, being drunk, he nevertheless fulfilled the request of the nasty dancer for the sake of guests and a rash oath. The church charter on the day of the Beheading of the head of the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John prescribes strict fasting, for edification, so as not to become like Herod's gluttony.
The events described in the Gospel (Matthew 14, 1-12) and (Mark 6, 14-29) give us an example of how not to celebrate birthdays, and how such feasts can be dangerous. But how can an Orthodox Christian celebrate this day?
It is best to come to the church and partake of the Holy Mysteries, order a thanksgiving prayer service. At home, you can read from the prayer book "birthday prayer", in which we ask the Lord for mercy and blessings, this will be the best way to give thanks to God on your birthday. After that, you can sit a little at the table with your parents or friends, but the meal should be restrained so that it does not turn into an object of gluttony.
But what if a person was born during Passion Week or a long fast, is it really necessary to ignore the holiday? Of course, you can celebrate after the end of the fast, if there is no such possibility, then you can celebrate, only without abundant wine drinking and gorging, quietly and modestly. Moreover, there are many days when the church charter prescribes relaxation in fasting, that you can even use a little wine. If friends are not very welcoming to the lean table, then you need to think about why they come, congratulate the birthday person or have a delicious meal? No need to get upset at the sight of a lean meal, the main thing is that joyful and peaceful that this day brought us.
Choosing a gift for a loved one is not always an easy task, especially if the birthday person is a believer. The first thing that comes to mind is to buy an icon, but it is not always possible to choose successfully, everyone has different tastes. A win-win option would be a beautifully bound gift Bible, it will be a wonderful gift for a long prayer memory. You can also purchase a key holder with a silver image of the Guardian Angel or the icon of the Virgin. All these products, having chosen from the catalog, can be ordered with delivery in our store.
Outcome
Birthday, of course, is our personal holiday, and despite the generally accepted opinion that believers should not celebrate it, it is possible to celebrate. This day should be the day of our thanksgiving to God, to our parents, when we give up our self-esteem, and remember thanks to whom we were born.
