Name Day
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In
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, among other parts of
Christendom Christendom historically refers to the Christian states, Christian-majority countries and the countries in which Christianity dominates, prevails,SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christendom"/ref> or is culturally or historically intertwine ...
. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's
baptismal name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...
, which is normatively that of a biblical character or other saint. Where they are popular, individuals celebrate both their name day and their
birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many re ...
in a given year. The custom originated with the Christian
calendar of saints The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
: believers named after a
saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
would celebrate that saint's feast day. Within Christianity, name days have greater resonance in areas where the
Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, worsh ...
s of
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
and Orthodoxy predominate. In some countries, however, name-day celebrations do not have a connection to explicitly Christian traditions.


History

The celebration of name days has been a tradition in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox countries since the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, and has also continued in some measure in countries, such as the Scandinavian countries, whose
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
established church retains certain Catholic traditions. The name days originate in the list of holidays celebrated in commemoration of saints and
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
s of the church. For example, the name ''Karl'' or ''Carl'' is celebrated in Sweden on January 28, the anniversary of the death of
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
(Charles ''Magnus'', i.e., "the great"). The church promoted the celebration of name days (or rather saints' feast days) over
birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many re ...
s, as the latter was seen as a pagan tradition. Where name days occur, official lists contain the current assignations of names to
days A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two s ...
. There are different lists for
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
,
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
,
Sámi The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Ru ...
, and other countries that celebrate name days, though some names are celebrated on the same day in many countries. From the 18th century and onwards the list of name days has been modified in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
.


In various countries


Bulgaria

Name days ( bg, имени дни) in
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
have almost always been associated with Bulgarian
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
celebrations. Some names can be celebrated on more than one day and some have even started following foreign traditions (like Valentina being celebrated on the
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
St. Valentine's Day). Two of the most popular name days in Bulgaria are St. George's day (, celebrated on May 6) and St. John's day (Ивановден, celebrated on January 7). Another example of a name day connected with Christianity is ''Tsvetnitsa'' (,
Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Hol ...
). On this day people with names derived from flowers, trees, herbs, etc., celebrate. Name days are frequently connected with some year or season features like ''Dimitrovden'' (Dimitar's day, Oct. 26) being the beginning of winter and ''Gergyovden'' (George's day, May 6) being the end of it according to traditional folklore. Name days in Bulgaria are important and widely celebrated. Children celebrate their name days by bringing sweets and chocolates to school. By an ancient Bulgarian tradition, everybody is welcome on name days; there is no need to invite guests. Presents are given. Common well-wishes include "May you hear your name from grandchildren and great-grandchildren!" (), "May you hear your name only with good!" () and "May your name be healthy and well!" ().


Croatia

In
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
, name day ( hr, imendan) is a day corresponding to a date in the Catholic calendar when the respective
saint's day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
is celebrated. Even though the celebration of the name day is less usual than celebrating a birthday, the name day is more often congratulated by a broader number of acquaintances. This is due to the fact that the date of birth is seldom known and the person's name is known to many. The names that are celebrated on the certain saint's day are all the names that correspond to the respective name and all the derivative names. For example, if there are different versions of the same name in different languages (e.g.
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
), i.e. different versions in Slavic,
Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
, Germanic or other language groups, all the respective names are celebrated.


Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, each day of the year corresponds to a personal name (or several names). People celebrate their name day ( or dated ) on the date corresponding to their own given name. Name days are commonly of less importance than birthdays to Czech people. However, name day celebrations can be, and often are, held together with friends or co-workers of the same name and in this way it can grow in size and importance. In the past, by law, parents were not allowed to choose just any name for a child. This has changed, although it is still common to choose the name from the name day "calendar". The original list was the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, but changes have been made to reflect the present-day usage of names. Any existing name, Czech or foreign, can be given, but not domestic or diminutive forms. Name days corresponding to some of the most frequent names in the Czech Republic gained slightly more important than the others. For example, the dates associated with names Josef (Joseph) and Karel (Charles) are commonly known even by people with different names. However, the popularity of these names has decreased in the last years (6836 Josefs were born in 1947, but only 638 in 2014).


Denmark

Danes have for name days ( da, navnedag). However, the custom of celebrating one's name day is practically unknown in Denmark, and few Danes know when their name day is.


Finland

Finns celebrate their name days ( fi, nimipäivä, sv, namnsdag) according to their
given names A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
on the dates set by the calendar published by the
University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...
Almanac Office ( fi, Almanakkatoimisto, links=no). Every day except
New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
,
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
and
29 February February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to leap years. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in mo ...
is a name day. For each day, there are names in both Finnish and Swedish; the names are frequently, but not always,
cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
s. Women are slightly underrepresented in the calendar: approximately 45 per cent of name days celebrate only women while some 49 per cent are name days of men. The rest are of names that may be given to either sex, such as Rauni (July 15), or feature both women's and men's names, such as Oliver and Olivia (29 May). There are many traditional beliefs associated with various name days, especially involving the weather and the appropriate times to perform agricultural tasks, such as planting some particular crop. For example, there is a saying that "Jaakko (James) casts a cold rock into the water", meaning that on Jaakko's day, July 25, the lake and sea waters will start getting colder, which is not far from true on average. The seven days from the 18th to the 24th of July, all being women's name days, are known as "the women's week" (''naistenviikko''). It is popularly believed to be an especially rainy week, and this is to some extent supported by statistics, as late July and early August are the rainiest times of the year in Finland. The Almanac Office reviews the name lists at intervals of 5–10 years, adding new names as they gain popularity and removing others that have faded into disuse. The University of Helsinki owns the copyright to the name lists and their corresponding dates. The
Finnish Orthodox Church The Orthodox Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen ortodoksinen kirkko, lit=Finnish Orthodox Church; sv, Ortodoxa kyrkan i Finland, lit=Orthodox Church in Finland; ) is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Consta ...
has its own calendar of name days, corresponding to the feasts of Orthodox
saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
s.


France

In
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
name days (french: fête du prénom) have long been very important in everyday culture and it was traditional to give a small gift to a friend or family member on their name day. Some days of the year are commonly referred to by their saint's day: "la 'sc.'' fête de Saint Sylvestre" is
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
; "la Saint Jean" is
Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr ...
(June 24); and so on.


Germany

In
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
name days (german: Namenstag) used to be widely popular in traditionally Catholic southern and western regions, where historically they were more important than birthdays. Since the 1950s, the tradition has mostly disappeared even in Catholic families.


Greece and Cyprus

In
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
, a name day ( el, ονομαστική εορτή, translit=onomastikē eortē, or ) is celebrated in a similar way to a
birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many re ...
, except for expected differences (e.g. no
birthday cake A birthday cake is a cake eaten as part of a birthday celebration. Birthday cakes are often layer cakes with frosting served with small lit candles on top representing the celebrant's age. Variations include cupcakes, cake pops, pastries, an ...
). It has been a strong Greek tradition since antiquity for newborn children to be named after one of their grandparents. This results in a continuation of names in the family line. According to the
Greek Orthodox Church The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...
, every day of the year is dedicated to the memory of at least one (usually more than one)
saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
or
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
. If someone is named after a saint, then there is a big celebration on his or her name day. In Greece and Cyprus, many names derive from
pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
Greek antiquity, and there may not be a Christian saint of the same name. In such a case, the person is said "not to have" a name day, or they may choose to celebrate on
All Saints' Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are know ...
. The vast majority of name days are on the same date every year; the few exceptions are names directly or indirectly associated with
Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
, and so are floating. The tradition facilitates social interaction, as all
Greek language Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...
calendars include detailed name day lists. Some name days coincide with major Christian feasts. For example, people whose names are ''Chrēstos'' or ''Christine'' have their name day on
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
, people named after St. Basil have their name day on New Year's Day, ''Anastásios'' and ''Anastasía'' on
Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel P ...
, and ''María'' and ''Mários'' either on the Dormition or the Presentation of
Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
. The traditional format of a name day celebration is an open house: once a family or person has chosen to celebrate with invited guests (at home, at a restaurant, a bar or a club) if at all (e.g. following a recent bereavement), all well-wishers may be welcomed. Children celebrate their birthdays and name days equally festively, but as the person grows up the emphasis may shift decisively. Entertainment provided by the celebrating host may include a meal, drinks, desserts, music and partying, rather than the guests fussing over the person celebrating. Gifts are expected from the guests. Optionally, an adult relative or a
godparent In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...
might give
pocket money Pocket money may refer to: *In British English, an allowance for children *''Pocket Money'', a 1972 film starring Paul Newman and Lee Marvin * ''Small Change'' (film), a 1976 film directed by François Truffaut, titled ''Pocket Money'' outside the ...
to a celebrant child or teenager instead of a gift. In cases where birthdays and name days are close to each other, the celebrations are best merged. It is also common to shift a name day celebration to a more convenient day, e.g. the following Friday or a weekend. Name days can be celebrated up to 40 days after the nominal date.


Hungary

Name days in
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
are very popular, although not quite as much as a person's actual birth date. A woman is typically given
flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
on her name day by acquaintances, including in the workplace, and the price of flowers often rises around the dates of popular names because of demand. A bottle of alcohol is a common gift for men on their name day. Children frequently bring sweets to school to celebrate their name days. Name days are more often celebrated than birthdays in workplaces, presumably because it is simpler to know the date since most calendars contain a list of name days. You can also find the name day on daily newspapers by the date and on Hungarian websites. Some highly popular names have several name days; in that case, the person chooses on which day they wish to celebrate, though traditionally the one closest to their birthday is celebrated. The list of the name days is, as usual in name day celebrating cultures, based on the traditional Catholic saints' feasts, but the link of the secular name days calendar to the Catholic calendar is not maintained any more. For example, even religious Catholic people named Gergely (Gregory) after Pope Gregory the Great still celebrate their name days on March 12, although the Church moved the feast of that saint to September 3 in 1969.


Ireland

In
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, name days were occasionally observed in the past. Among
Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, it was traditional to begin the celebration on the night before, with a decade of the
Rosary The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...
to ask the
Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
and the child's patron for his or her needs.


Italy

In
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, one's name day is referred to as his or her "" ( el, όνομα, translit=onoma, lit=name). People often receive small gifts on their ''Onomastico''; cakes are also baked. Name days are determined according to the ''
Sanctorale The sanctorale (English pronunciation /saŋktəˈreɪli/, /saŋktəˈrɑːleɪ/) is one of the two main cycles that, running concurrently, comprise the Liturgical year in Roman Catholicism, defined by the General Roman Calendar, and used by a var ...
'', a cycle found in the
General Roman Calendar The General Roman Calendar is the liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgical rite is in use. These cele ...
giving almost each day a few saints, so different names may celebrated on the same day. Traditionally, parents fix the name day of their child at christening, according to the favourite saint in case of different ones (on different days) with the same name, and the child will carry it all along with its life. In the case of multiple given names, the child will celebrate only one, usually the first. In South Italy, the onomastico is given a much higher relevance, and sometimes it is considered more important than the birthday itself. Many parishes used to celebrate the name-day of their
patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
with Mass celebrations, religious processions and also charity festivals. A festival like that, can include a community canteen, food stands or a temporary amusement park, it could last few days and is called sagra, even if the term is broadly used also for non Catholic related town festivals.


Latvia

In
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, name days ( lv, vārda dienas) are settled on certain
date Date or dates may refer to: *Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner ** Group dating *Play date, a ...
s; each day (except for February 29 in a
leap year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or s ...
) is a name day. Usually, Latvian calendars list up to five names each day—around 1,000 names a year. Recently an extended calendar with around 5,000 names was published, and there are also a few extended calendars found on the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
listing names even on February 29. February 29 is a popular date to celebrate name days of people who do not have a name day; another such date is May 22. People who do not have name days in ordinary calendars can enjoy many variations when to celebrate—on February 29 or May 22 and, if they have their name in an extended calendar or in the church calendar, on the date listed there (so in a leap year such a person can choose from 2 to 4 dates when to celebrate). The Latvian name days calendar is updated at one or two-year intervals; anyone can suggest a name for the calendar, usually by sending an application to the State Language Centre (). Celebrations are very much like birthday celebrations. It is popular to celebrate name days in one's workplace—usually, the one that has a name day prepares snacks for well-wishers, and during the day colleagues arrive one after another with flowers, sweets and small presents to greet him. Sometimes, especially in smaller companies, a certain time is set for the main celebrations. It is normal to come to a name day celebration without an invitation. At school one is expected to arrive with candy for classmates and teachers. Celebrating name days at home is similar to celebrating a birthday, although it may vary depending on the period of time between one's birthday and name day; usually, one will eat cake with household members and receive presents. Some families may even celebrate their name days more than their birthdays if the name day falls on a date during a much nicer season. For example: they are more likely to organise a big party for a name day that falls in the summer months- than a birthday during the months with bad weather (late autumn or winter). Name days in Latvia are a precious tradition. There is a lot of joy associated with it and remembering it is a nice gesture.


Mexico and Latin America

The onomastico in Latin America is the day on which, according to Catholic saint worship, is the feast of the saint in honor of which someone was named. It is very common for this term to be used as a synonym for birthdays, but this word refers to the list of the names of the saint, so they are not synonymous. Although (especially years before) by popular tradition the newborn son was named with the name that the Catholic saint indicated for that day, not always the day of someone's birthday coincides with the day of his name. In this way, women called "Rosa" could celebrate their name on the day of Saint Rose of Viterbo in Italy, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne in France or Saint Rose of Lima on August 23 in Peru, women called "Mercedes" celebrate it on September 24 as well as men called "Joseph" celebrate it on March 19, regardless of whether or not they were born on those dates. For the devout their saint day can be more important and significant than their own birthday.


North Macedonia

Name-days ( mk, Именден, ) in
North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
have been celebrated throughout the history of this country. It has some similarities with the other Balkan countries but there are some name days unique for the country. The name days are scheduled according to the
Macedonian Orthodox Church The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid (MOC-AO; mk, Македонска православна црква – Охридска архиепископија), or simply the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) or the Archdiocese o ...
following the
Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...
. Each month there are several name days which are celebrated by the people with the same name. Some of the name-days that are more significant to the history and culture are non-working days for the whole country. At these days everyone is invited or would like to say "}) have enjoyed a celebratory emphasis greater than that of birthday celebrations in parts of Poland. However, birthday celebrations are increasingly popular and important, particularly among the younger generations. involve the gathering and socializing of friends and family at the celebrant's home, as well as the giving of gifts and flowers at home and elsewhere, such as at the workplace. Local calendars often contain the names celebrated on a given day.


Romania

Name days (onomastica) in Romania are associated with the Orthodox Christian saint's celebrations. The celebrations are made very much in the same way as in Greece (see above). Name days are almost as important as birthdays, and those who have the name of that particular saint get celebrated on that day. Some of the more important Name days are January 1: Sf. Vasile (St. Basil), January 7: Sf. Ioan (St. John), April 23: Sf. Gheorghe (St. George), May 21: Sf. Constantin şi Elena (St. Constantine and Helen), June 29: Sf. Petru şi Pavel (St. Peter and Paul), July 20: Sf. Ilie (St. Elias), August 15 and September 8: Sf. Maria (St. Mary), September 9: Sf. Ana (St. Ann), October 14: Sf. Parascheva (St. Paraskeva), October 26: Sf. Dumitru (St. Demetrios), November 8: Sf. Mihail şi Gavril (St. Michael and Gabriel), November 25: Sf. Ecaterina (St. Catherine), November 30: Sf. Andrei (St. Andrew), December 6: Sf. Nicolae (St. Nicholas), December 27: Sf. Stefan (St. Stephen). Persons (especially women) who have no saint name or who only have a flower name celebrate their name day on Palm Sunday (( in Romanian, which roughly translates as the Flowers Day). This name day is unfixed and is celebrated each year on the last Sunday before Orthodox Easter.


Russia

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...
celebrate name days (russian: именины, translit=imeniny) separately from birthdays. Some calendars note name days, but usually one must address a special name-day calendar. Celebrations range from the gifting of cards and flowers to full-blown celebrations similar to birthday parties. Such a celebration begins with attendance at the divine services marking that day (in the Russian tradition, the
All-Night Vigil The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches consisting of an aggregation of the canonical hours of Compline (in Greek usage only), Vespers (or, on a few occasions, Great Compline), Matins, and the F ...
and
Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of C ...
), and usually with a festive party thereafter. Before the
October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
of 1917, Russians regarded name days as important as, or more important than, the celebration of birthdays, based on the rationale that one's baptism is the event by which people become "born anew" in Christ. The
Russian Imperial family The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to t ...
followed a tradition of giving name-day gifts, such as a diamond or a pearl. References to name days in Russian literature and theatre include the entire first act of
Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
's '' Three Sisters'', where Irina celebrates her name day,
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
's ''
Eugene Onegin ''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Евгений Оне́гин, ромáн в стихáх, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ɐˈnʲeɡʲɪn, r=Yevgeniy Onegin, roman v stikhakh) is ...
'' with the celebration of Tatiana's name day, and
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
's ''
War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...
'', Book I, where both the mother and the youngest daughter of the Rostov family (referred to as Natalya and Natasha, respectively) celebrate their name day. Although the name day (/) celebration is not as popular as a birthday celebration, the Russian word for a person having a birthday (/) is still /, literally "a person whose name day is being celebrated").


Slovakia

In Slovakia name days ( sk, meniny) are widely celebrated. Name days are more often celebrated than birthdays in workplaces, presumably because it is simpler to know the date since most calendars contain a list of name days, which can also be found in the header of daily newspapers. Celebrations in elementary schools are different from those within the family, as the celebrant gives candies to his or her classmates. Within the family, birthday-like celebrations are often held with cakes, presents and flowers. Flowers are sometimes sold out for popular name days. In the past, the law did not allow parents to choose any name for their child. That has changed, although it is still common to choose but name from the name day list in the calendar. The original list was the
Roman Catholic calendar of saints The General Roman Calendar is the liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and mysteries of the Lord ( Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgical rite is in use. These ce ...
, but changes have been made to reflect the present-day usage of names.


Slovenia

Name days ( sl, god) were widely celebrated and preferred over
birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many re ...
celebrations, until after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the advent of
Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
. In
rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...
areas as well as among certain strata of town people the custom of celebrating name days lasted longer. Nowadays, while the tradition has not been obliterated, name days are celebrated mostly among older people.


Spain

Until recently, name days in Spain ( es, onomásticos or ) were widely celebrated. ''Onomásticos'' are not limited to saints but also include the celebration days of the different representations of the
Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
. For example, the name day of a woman named Carmen would be July 16, day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Currently, ''onomásticos'' are still remembered in more traditional families, but are not generally celebrated with festive parties and presents as they were in the past. To celebrate name days, practising Catholics typically attend mass and have some intimate family celebration. In Spain, children often take sweets or cake to school to share with their classmates.


Sweden

From the 18th century onwards, names used by the royal family were introduced to the Swedish list of name days, followed by other common names. In 1901 a comprehensive modernisation was made to make the list up to date with current names. The monopoly on almanacs, held by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, expired in 1972 and so did the official name day list. Competing name day lists began to emerge but the official list was still in general use until 1986 when the consensus of a new list with three names on each day was reached. This list was revised in 1993 and reduced to two names on each day. However, widespread dissatisfaction with the list prompted the
Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III of Sweden, Gustav III, is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish lang ...
to compile a new two-name list which was finally accepted and brought into use in 2001. Although it does not have the official status of the 1901 or older lists, it is now universally used in Sweden.


Ukraine

Name days in Ukraine ( uk, день ангела, lit=angel's day) are usually associated with
Ukrainian Orthodox The history of Christianity in Ukraine dates back to the earliest centuries of the history of Christianity, to the Apostolic Age, with mission trips along the Black Sea and a legend of Saint Andrew even ascending the hills of Kyiv. The first C ...
, Ukrainian Orthodox (Moscow Patriarchate), and Ukrainian Catholic churches celebrations of a day when a saint was born.


See also

*
Calendar of saints The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
* Celebrate Your Name Week *
Slava (tradition) Slava ( sr-Cyrl, Слава, lit=Glory, Celebration, ) is a tradition of the ritual of glorification of one's family's patron saint, found mainly among Serbian Orthodox Christians. The family celebrates the Slava annually on the saint's feast ...
*
Swedish calendar The Swedish calendar ( sv, Svenska kalendern) or Swedish style ( sv, Svenska stilen) was a calendar in use in Sweden and its possessions from 1 March 1700 until 30 February 1712 (see below). It was one day ahead of the Julian calendar and ten da ...


References


External links

*
My Name Day. Calendar with names.
The new edition of first name day calendar. USA and Canada. Name days are based on both Saint's days and American history. *
International nameday API
International Name Days API - programmatic access to name days for multiple countries. *
Name days for 15 countries
by date. * How to sa
Happy Name Day
in Latvian. * The first name day calendar in which most of the name days are based on both Saint's days and American history was published in the United States in 1982 and all of its original pages are viewable on calendar's 1982 Edition page

*

by date. *
Swedish Name Days
by date. *
Name Day Calendar
by country/date. *
Calendar Ortodox
by month/date. *
French and American Name Days
by month/date. *
Hungarian Name Day Calendar
by month/date. *
Czech Name Day Calendar
by month/date. *
Hungarian Name Day Search Engine
- search by date, forename, nickname. {{Authority control