Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian’s daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. turns one on Saturday. But there’s not going to be a celebration.
The tot’s tennis ace mom, who is currently competing in the U.S. Open, said: “Olympia doesn’t celebrate birthdays. We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses so we don’t do that.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Easter and other holidays because the religion believes “such celebrations displease God”. Birthdays also have pagan roots, and according to the religion, the Bible “condemns the use of magic, divination, spiritism, or ‘anything like this”.
Serena said what the religion meant to her: “Being a Jehovah’s Witness is important to me, but I’ve never really practiced it and have been wanting to get into it. Alexis didn’t grow up going to any church, but he’s really receptive and even takes the lead. He puts my needs first.”