Serena Williams‘ daughter Alexis Olympia will be turning a year old this weekend – but there won’t be any party marking the occasion.
The 36-year-old tennis star – who is currently in the midst of the 2018 US Open – recently revealed that she and her husband Alexis Ohanian will not be celebrating their daughter’s birthday when she turns one on Saturday, September 1.
“Olympia doesn’t celebrate birthdays,” Serena said at a press conference. “We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses, so we don’t do that.”
If you didn’t know, followers of the Jehovah’s Witness church don’t believe in celebrating birthdays or holidays “because we believe that such celebrations displease God” – according to the church’s official website. Birthdays also have pagan roots, and according to the religion, the Bible “condemns the use of magic, divination, spiritism, or ‘anything like this.’”
Last year in her interview with Vogue, Serena opened up about what the religion means 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,” Serena said. “Alexis didn’t grow up going to any church, but he’s really receptive and even takes the lead. He puts my needs first.”