Celibacy Awareness Month is observed in June every year. This annual observance across the country is to raise awareness about staying celibate, and voluntarily taking a vow of abstinence. National Celibacy Awareness Month aims to encourage people to consider the benefits of celibacy, until marriage or as a lifetime commitment.
While the primary reasons that people choose to be celibate are usually religious ones, people may vow to be abstinent for any number of personal reasons. These reasons range from physical and mental health to personal and professional development, and other activities that require a great deal of focus.
Historically, celibacy, which is a decision people take to be voluntarily unmarried or abstain from sexual activity, has been associated with religion and religious vows. A lot of cultures and religions across the world value celibacy as an essential behavior for religious and spiritual development.
Religions like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Christianity place a lot of value on celibacy as a lifelong vow for monks, nuns, and other religious leaders. Societies built on the religious values and principles of these and other religions, such as Judaism and Islam, also value celibacy until marriage for young people. Such societies function by conferring value to sexuality and sexual expression, and expecting sexual expression to be reserved for marriage and a single, lifelong partner.
There is no specific commandment in Christianity that recommends chastity and abstinence from sex for disciples of Christ. However, Paul the Apostle discussed chastity and its advantages. In addition, the reverence of Christ’s mother, the Virgin Mary, drives the understanding of sexual abstinence and virginity being the ideal state for the disciple of God.
Apart from religious reasons, people may choose to be celibate in order to be more thoughtful about their sexual experiences or to shift their focus onto alternate priorities like personal or professional development.