Name day. Christian names
Many people wonder what their name and date of birth are. Our article is entirely devoted to the answer. You will learn the name of your patron saint, and information will also be provided on how best to celebrate the name day. This day is incredibly important for every person. So, read the information provided below carefully.
Nowadays, after a long break, more and more people are beginning to revive their interest in their heavenly patrons and name days. But many continue to confuse the concepts of “name day”, “birthday” and “guardian angel day”. Also, often people simply do not think about why they are celebrated, say, today, and not tomorrow or some other day. Even more often, having learned that there are several saints with a certain name, people begin to be at a loss as to which of these saints is the heavenly patron for this or that person. Let's try to understand these questions and find answers to them. These concepts simply need to be distinguished.
Name day, guardian angel day and birthday
I think everyone knows what a birthday is and loves to celebrate it, invite guests and receive gifts. Everything is simple here: a birthday is the day on which a person was born. But let’s think about it, why is it that quite often we call a person “birthday boy” on his birthday? This happens because, thanks to the long atheistic period throughout the post-Soviet space, people simply began to confuse their birthday and their name day, sometimes combining them into one date. However, “birthday” and “name day” are different concepts. It is worth mentioning that before the revolution in Tsarist Russia, name days for Orthodox Christians were a much more important holiday than birthdays. Nowadays they are celebrated much less often. This is due to people's lack of awareness about the significance of name day. But every year the situation changes and more and more people show interest in them and their heavenly patrons. So what is this day? Believers also call it “namesake”. You know the meaning of the words “namesake”, “namesake”? They denote a person who has the same name. So: a certain calendar day on which one or another saint or several saints at once is remembered is the namesake, a holiday for the person bearing the name of the saint who is remembered on that day. In the common people, especially in the western parts of Ukraine and Belarus, name day is often referred to as “the day of the angel”, “the day of the guardian angel”, which, of course, is also not entirely correct. The mistake occurs for the reason that believers sometimes call their saints angels, guardian angels. But this is not a saint, this is precisely an angel, a good spirit, given to a person at baptism by God, so that he would guide the person during his earthly life on the path of salvation. But a person cannot know his personal name, since he is invisible to a person. That is why each guardian angel is not assigned a separate day for his remembrance. But certain days are established on which all heavenly angelic powers are honored.
How to find out the name of the patron saint
So how do you find out when the day of veneration of your saint is set? And what are the patron saints by name and date of birth for each of us? In the end, who decides all this? So, in order: firstly, in order to find out which of the saints is our heavenly patron, we need to look at the Saints, or, as this church-folk calendar is also called, the Book of Months. It is there that the names of all the saints and dates for their memory are written down. And these dates are set by the Church, which canonize this or that person as a saint. Secondly, patron saints are usually identified by name and date of birth. Okay, this is understandable, because we know our name. However, what should we do if several saints with our name are mentioned in the Saints? In this case, we must choose the saint whose memory is celebrated closest to our birthday. It should also be taken into account that the list of saints is constantly updated as more and more saints are glorified. For example, at the Council of Bishops in 2000, the new martyrs and confessors of Russia were glorified, and if a person was baptized before 2000, then the saints by name and date of birth are determined according to the publications of the Saints before 2000. And if after, then the saint is determined from a broader list by date of birth, according to publications of the Saints later than 2000. What if we don’t find a saint with our name in the Saints? For example, what if a person has a non-Christian name? In this case, we must choose a patron saint close in name to ours. So, Dina becomes Evdokia, Angelica becomes Angelina, Zhanna Ioanna, and Svetlana becomes Photinia. But Yuri at baptism is called George. Does this mean that a person is called by this new name in ordinary worldly life? No. In worldly life, he naturally remains Yuri. And in church life, during, say, confession or communion, when identifying himself, he must say his church name: George. When submitting notes about health or repose, the person’s church name is also written. Previously, when they decided to name and baptize a newborn, they usually looked into the Saints and saw which saints the Church honors on this day, and chose a patron saint for the baby by name from this list. It is on the day of the child’s baptism, and not on his birthday. Now this is a forgotten tradition, and in our time few people adhere to it. They are now named mainly in honor of their relatives or in honor of some favorite characters from books or films, but not in honor of saints. This also happens because many do not know which patron saints exist by date of birth and name. Using the example of some names, let’s see how many saints there are per name.
Patron Saint named Andrew
The name Andrey is of Greek origin. Translated, it means “courageous, brave.” Since this name is very common - this was the name of one of the twelve apostles of Christ - then, accordingly, there should be many saints with this name. Let's see if this is true? Let's look at the Saints. Yes, indeed, there are many saints named Andrei. Here they are. Hieromartyr Andrew, Bishop of Ufa (January 8), Martyr Andrew of Lampsaki (May 31), Apostle Andrew the First-Called (July 3, July 13, December 13), Rev. Andrei Rublev, icon painter (July 17), (October 30).
So, as we can see, there is a lot of choice. This is not a complete list. Remember that in order to determine his heavenly patron, Andrei needs to select a saint with the name Andrei from the list that would be closest to his birthday.
Vladimir
What is the patron saint of the name Vladimir? It's Slavic. The first part of the name goes back to the Proto-Indo-European basis and means the word “strength, power.” The second part of the name is borrowed from Germanic languages with the meaning “great, famous.” However, this second part(s) among the Slavs, under the influence of the word “peace,” took on a different meaning corresponding to the indicated word. It turns out that the name Vladimir means the combination “owning the world”; simultaneously peace in the meaning of “Universe, globe”, and peace in the meaning of “silence, peace”. Originally this name was pagan. But after the baptism of Rus', subsequently, the name Vladimir was canonized, since Rus' was baptized by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. There are much fewer saints with this name than in the case of Andrei. Let's look at the Saints. Hieromartyr Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia (February 1), Martyr John-Vladimir, Prince of Serbia (June 4), Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir (July 28), Martyr Priest Vladimir (August 29), Right-Believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich of Novgorod (October 17) .
Name Dmitry
Now we will find out what the patron saint of the name Dmitry is. This Greek name means "dedicated to the goddess Demeter." The established church form of the name is Demetrius. There are also many saints with this name, since the name Dmitry is very common to this day. What saints with the name Demetrius do the Saints mention? Reverend Demetrius Skeuophilax the righteous Dimitri Yuryevsky, son of the blessed Prince Svyatoslav (February 16), passion-bearer the blessed Tsarevich Dimitri of Uglich and Moscow (May 28, June 5, June 16), martyr Demetrius of Kazan (October 15), martyr Dimitri (November 28), righteous Dimitri (December 14).
Alexandra
Let's talk about what the patron saint of the name Alexander is. This feminine is of Greek origin and is translated as “protector of people”, “brave”. There are, frankly speaking, few saints with this name, here they are: Martyr Alexandra of Pontus (April 2), Martyr Alexandra of Rome, Nicomedia, Empress (May 6), Martyr Alexandra of Corinth (May 31, November 19), Venerable Alexandra of Diveyevo (June 26 ), Holy Passion-Bearer Empress Alexandra (July 17). In Russia, by far the most popular saint bearing this name is the Russian Empress, wife of Nicholas II, the last Russian Emperor.
Anna
It is worth talking about the patron saint of the name Anna. If all the previous names we were considering (with the exception of Vladimir) were of Greek origin, then this name is of Hebrew origin, and is translated as “grace, favor, mercy, dear.” This name is biblical. Since the name is very common throughout the world, there are clearly many saints with this name, unlike Alexandra: the prophetess Anna (February 16, December 22, the martyr Anna of Goth (April 8), the blessed Grand Duchess (June 25, August 3, October 15), Venerable Anna of Bithynia (June 26, November 11), Martyr Anna (July 18).
Elena
What are the patron saints of the name Helen? It is of Greek origin. It is interesting that its etymology is still unclear. There were suggestions that it is associated with the sun god Helios or indicates the self-name of the Greeks - Hellenes. However, despite its popularity, there are very few saints with this name. Martyr Elena (January 28), Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Elena (June 3), Martyr Elena, daughter of the Apostle Alpheus (June 8), Venerable Elena of Diveevskaya (June 10), Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, Grand Duchess of Russia, Elena in holy baptism (July 24), Righteous Helena, Queen of Serbia
A little about the icons of patron saints
There are many icons with images of saints. And it is very good if a person has at home or carries with him an image of his heavenly patron saint. You can turn to the saint with any request; our patron saints hear us and help us. In order to choose the right icon with the image of our saint, we need to know about our patron, how he is depicted on the icons, go to the church shop and choose the right one. It will be good if the icon of the patron saint by name will always be next to you. In addition, let’s say that it would be nice to also know at least one prayer addressed to your saint.
How to properly celebrate the patron saint's day?
If you understand the difference between a name day and a birthday, you certainly understand the difference between celebrations. On name day, we, first of all, remember our saints, so that they also remember us. On name day, believers usually go to church, confess and receive communion. But, of course, there are no obstacles to guests, a festive dinner and gifts. But this should not be noisy fun and a feast with alcoholic drinks. It’s better if it’s a sincere conversation, filled with meaning and content. It is worth noting that if your name day falls during Lent, you only need to prepare Lenten dishes. Follow this rule. If your name day falls on a weekday during Lent, it must be moved to Sunday or Saturday.
Some people do not celebrate their name day in any way. This is extremely wrong, because, in addition to the religious overtones, it is also just a good bright day filled with joy.
It is very important from an early age to teach children to celebrate name days, take them to church for communion, and also give them small gifts and arrange a quiet feast with their family. In the future, throughout his life, the child will treat this day as a festive and special one.
And further. Never forget to congratulate your relatives and friends on their name day. Give them small gifts. They will be very pleased with your attention on this day. Visit them whenever possible. Knowing which patron saints your loved ones have by date of birth and name will help you with choosing a gift if you decide to present an icon.
We really hope that this article was useful to you. You know what the patron saints are by name and date of birth, and how to identify them. That's not all. You found out which patron saint you have by name. We also hope that you will find the information on how to celebrate name days interesting. For many people, this is another reason for a feast, which is not right. Now you will know what actions are best to take on this wonderful name day for every person. How to find out the name of the patron saint? It's not that difficult. You just need to show a keen interest.
At all times, the icon has occupied a special place in the life of every believer. With the help of an icon, a person communicates with God, feeling his unity with him. In different situations, people turn to the sacred image with the hope of help from the Almighty. Sometimes, even in seemingly the most hopeless circumstances, a person believes in the power of heaven, and as you know, faith and hope are the most important thing. Icons are truly capable of healing us from serious illnesses and even saving us from death, which can be called a real miracle. In addition, simply by communicating with the Lord through this holy image, people gain peace of mind, strength, harmony and confidence. All people who believe in God have icons in their home. Each of us is given an icon according to our date of birth, the so-called protector icon.
"Sovereign" icon of the Mother of God
Winter birthday people who were born from December 22 to January 20 are guarded by the “Sovereign” icon of the Mother of God. This is one of the revered images of the Mother of God, the main shrine of Russian monarchists. Orthodox Christians stood in huge queues in churches just to touch this miraculous image. They pray to the Queen of Heaven for the health of their relatives, asking her for forgiveness and heartfelt joy, for the opportunity to survive serious illnesses. The icon helps to escape from loneliness and find a life partner, solve money problems, and set you on the right path. They ask the Mother of God for the preservation of Russia, for peace in it, for the protection of the country from various disasters and wars.
Icons of the Mother of God “Burning Bush” and “Vladimir”
The next winter birthday people (January 21 - February 20) are protected by the icons of the Mother of God “Burning Bush” and “Vladimirskaya”. The first is to pray for salvation from fires and various evil disasters. Firefighters, pilots, doctors and military personnel often ask for help in front of this sacred image, seeking its protection. It is believed that if the “Burning Bush” is hung in a house, it will certainly protect it from fire.
In front of the Vladimir icon they pray for the cure of various diseases, especially heart disease. They also pray to her to save Russia from disasters and protect her from enemies. The shrine is capable of reconciling people at war with each other, instilling kindness and faith in their irreconcilable hearts.
Icon of the Iveron Mother of God
For Orthodox Christians who were born from February 21 to March 20, the icon of the Iveron Mother of God is considered their protector. It also has the name “Goalkeeper”, which means that it is better to hang it in your home at the very entrance. This icon mainly helps those who repent of their sins. The “goalkeeper” is often asked to help get rid of troubles, find the right path in life, gain strength and peace, and pray for a bright future. This icon is of great importance for people with problems of both soul and body.
Icon of the Kazan Mother of God
The icon of the Kazan Mother of God is considered the intercessor of those born from March 21 to April 20. They ask her to cure bodily ailments, the main one of which is loss of vision. The Protector helps in difficult life circumstances, gives strength, consolation and peace. She will come to the rescue when you need to make the right choice, and will also protect you from adversity, sorrow and mistakes. Many people say that the Kazan Mother of God came to them in a dream and told them how to avoid trouble or correct what they had done, and pointed the way to good goals. Spouses often ask Our Lady for help in improving their family relationships, in finding harmony and happiness, and pray to her to help them avoid strife and misfortune. The Kazan Mother of God is very supportive towards children.
Icons of the Iveron Mother of God and “Support of Sinners”
The next spring birthday (April 21 - May 20) should seek protection from the icons of the Iveron Mother of God and the “Supportress of Sinners.” The latter is often turned to for the remission of sins, as well as in moments of despair, loss of strength and sorrow. They ask her for spiritual insight, strengthening faith and getting rid of serious illnesses. The icon protects believers from various sorrows and brings them true spiritual relief. In front of the icon they also pray for their loved ones.
Icons of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost,” “Burning Bush” and “Vladimir”
The icons of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost,” “Burning Bush” and “Vladimir” protect those born from May 21 to June 21. People who have lost all hope and faith in anything good, who are confused in themselves, who have lost themselves in this life, turn to the shrine “Seeking the Lost.” They also ask her for the healing of certain diseases, for the well-being and health of children, for healing from vices. Married couples pray for a strong, happy marriage, and single girls for a successful marriage.
Icons of “Joy of All Who Sorrow” and the Kazan Mother of God
The icon “Joy of All Who Sorrow”, as well as the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, help those who celebrate their birthday between June 22 and July 22. The first is especially close to the soul of a believer; she always rushes to the rescue to console, support and help withstand the difficult trials of fate. The icon gives hope to people who find themselves in difficult life circumstances and in a state of despair and sorrow. Prayer in front of a sacred image helps to heal bodily ailments, cope with difficult problems and brings help in various matters.
Saint Nicholas the Pleasant and Elijah the Prophet, icon “Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
Those born from July 23 to August 23 are protected by Saint Nicholas the Pleasant and Elijah the Prophet, as well as the “Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos” icon. Saint Nicholas is a helper in a variety of areas; he will support you in any need and will always protect the believer. His sacred image is a talisman against troubles and adversity. It is believed that it helps even when a person no longer has any hope of salvation.
Elijah the prophet saves people from anger, brings peace to the family and heals from illnesses. It also helps any business end successfully.
Prayer in front of the icon “Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos” helps protect from all troubles and give a feeling of inner security. They also pray to her for an improvement in their financial condition. They ask you to protect your soul, show you the right path, and protect you from various kinds of temptations.
Icons "Burning Bush" and "Passionate"
Those born between August 24 and September 23 ask for help from the Burning Bush and Passionate Bush icons. People turn to the latter to gain strength of spirit, faith and hope, ask to heal mental wounds, drive away heavy, depressing thoughts (especially thoughts of suicide), and relieve worries. They also pray in front of the icon for the protection of their home from natural disasters and fires.
Icons of the Pochaev Mother of God, “Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord” and “Burning Bush”
The icons of the Pochaev Mother of God, “The Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord” and “The Burning Bush” are prayed to by those born from September 24 to October 23. Not only Orthodox Christians pray to the “Pochaev” Icon of the Mother of God, but also Christians of other faiths. This is one of the most revered shrines of Christians. She is asked to guide sinners on the true path, to free them from bad thoughts. They pray to the icon for the health of loved ones, for healing from various ailments, for peace and harmony in the family. It is very important not to forget to say words of gratitude to Our Lady for her help.
It is known that the icon “Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord” has miraculous powers. It helps to cope with incurable diseases, get rid of infertility and chronic headaches, as well as pain in bones and joints.
Icons of the Mother of God “Jerusalem” and “Quick to Hear”
The icons of the Mother of God “Jerusalem” and “Quick to Hear” protect people born from October 24 to November 22. The “Jerusalem” icon of the Most Holy Theotokos will help to recover from illnesses, relieve sadness, sorrow and depression. They also pray before the “Quick to Hear” for healing and help with various serious illnesses. She is asked for spiritual insight, for help in moments of confusion and not knowing what to choose and how best to act.
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Icons of the Mother of God “The Sign” and “Tikhvin”
Believers born between November 23 and December 21 seek protection from the icons of Our Lady of the Sign and Tikhvin. The latter helps babies; it is also called “children’s”. The icon helps children cope with illnesses, patronizes them in all their affairs, and protects them from hardships and troubles. She is also often approached by women who cannot conceive a child. The Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” protects from disasters, attacks by criminals, and saves from fires.
Thus, each of us has icons by date of birth. Prayers in front of sacred images can indeed work miracles, but we must remember that our faith must be conscious and sincere. God bless you!
Everyone has their own guardian angel and their own intercessor icon, which is given from birth. Icons of “Joy to All Who Sorrow” and the Kazan Mother of God are the intercessors of those born from June 22 to July 22. Saint Cyril is their guardian angel.
Using the Kuznetsov writing technique, you can show not only the entire action from beginning to end, but also be present...” Painting a personalized icon takes from 10 days, depending on the size and complexity of the plot. The need for a constant feeling of the invisible Lord's protection and connection with the Highest world gives rise to the need in us to bring the icon into our home, assigning it a worthy place in its space.
Also, the saint of the same name is often considered the heavenly patron, especially revered in the family, regardless of the time of the name day celebration. A personalized icon has great spiritual value for a person, since it depicts his heavenly patron and intercessor. At the same time, let us mention that the home iconostasis must certainly contain images of the Savior and, to the left of Him, the Mother of God.
Color and ornament, like scenes from life, symbolically convey the essence of the saint’s earthly deed and that place at the throne of God, which is now established for him by God forever and ever... It is clear that the icons were painted for three different individuals, three human souls, each of which needs its own spiritual treatment.
The patron saint appears in a person with the first heartbeat at birth and protects us until the moment of death. There are also people who believe in divine powers and treat such power as a magic wand, that is, when making a request, they immediately expect the immediate fulfillment of their desire. Reverend Seraphim of Sarov and Blessed Sylvester protect those who were born on the days from December 22 to January 20.
Those born from February 21 to March 20 are protected by Saint Alexios and Venerable Milentius of Antioch. People born between May 21 and June 21 can recognize the patron saint by date of birth. They are assisted throughout their lives by Saint Constantine and Alexei of Moscow. People born between July 23 and August 23 also have an Orthodox patron saint.
A personal icon is of great spiritual value
Those born from August 24 to September 23 will be helped by John, Paul and Saint Alexandra. Those born between November 23 and December 21 are under the protection of St. Barbara and Blessed Nicholas the Pleasant. Icons for protection - “The Sign” and “Tikhvin”. Angel Day in the Orthodox Church is highly valued, because it is the day of the heavenly intercessor, a saint before a person, whose name is given to a Christian.
A unique site about icons, prayers, esotericism.
As a rule, the day of the heavenly patron is the next day of celebration of the saint whose name the person bears. To determine the name of your heavenly patron, use the Orthodox calendar. All the birthdays of the saints are written in it. And if your name is not in the calendar of the Orthodox calendar, then at baptism a name is always chosen for a person that is very close in sound to yours. Also in the church there are traditional other sounds of names. Example: Victoria - Nika, Svetlana - Fotinia, etc.
Which patron saint protects you?
In the understanding of a believer, a happy family is mutual love, support, respect, and all this is accompanied by the Lord. Families... The complexity of modern life is that it does not allow people to live in peace and relax a little. In Orthodoxy, there has long been a tradition of naming a newborn after a saint.
There are countless icons in churches, and they are all revered
One, the Guardian, protects us from evil and troubles, the other, the holy saint, intercedes for us before God.” Therefore, in the red corner of the house, next to the images of the Savior and the Mother of God, icons of the namesake saints are necessarily placed.
Saint Nicholas the Pleasant and Elijah the Prophet protect those born from July 23 to August 23, and the icon “Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos” protects them. Almost every believer has Orthodox icons in their home, and if someone doesn’t, then these people go to church and pray there. Although an icon is not at all necessary for prayer. Orthodox believers should not forget that their guardian angel is, first of all, a patron saint by name and date of birth.
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Most often, the day of remembrance of a saint is the day of his earthly death, i.e. transition to eternity, meeting with God, to join Whom the ascetic sought.
How to determine the name day
In the church calendar there are several days of commemoration of the same saint, and many saints also bear the same name. Therefore, it is necessary to find in the church calendar the day of remembrance of the saint of the same name as you, closest to your birthday. These will be your name days, and the saint whose memory is remembered on this day will be your heavenly patron. If he has other days of memory, then for you these dates will become “small name days”.
If we want to name a child strictly according to church tradition, then it will be the name of a saint, whose memory is celebrated on the 8th day after the child’s birth. Cm.
When determining a name day, the date of canonization of a saint does not matter, because it only records a fait accompli. In addition, as a rule, it is performed dozens of years after the saint’s transition to the heavenly abodes.
The name received by a person at baptism not only remains unchanged throughout his life (the only exception is the case of accepting monasticism), but also remains after death and passes with him into eternity. In prayers for the deceased, he also remembers their names given in baptism.
Name day and Angel Day
Sometimes name days are called Angel Day. This name day name recalls the fact that in the old days heavenly patrons were sometimes called the Angels of their earthly namesakes; It is incorrect, however, to confuse saints with angels. Name day is the day of remembrance of the saint after whom a person is named, and Angel Day is the day of baptism, when a person is assigned by God. Each baptized person has his own Guardian Angel, but we do not know his name.
Veneration and imitation of one's patron saint
The saint wrote about the prayerful help of the saints: “The saints, in the Holy Spirit, see our lives and our deeds. They know our sorrows and hear our fervent prayers... The saints do not forget us and pray for us... They also see the suffering of people on earth. The Lord gave them such great grace that they embrace the whole world with love. They see and know how exhausted we are from sorrows, how our souls have dried up, how despondency has bound them, and, without ceasing, they intercede for us before God.”
Veneration of a saint consists not only of praying to him, but also of imitating his feat and his faith. “Let your life be according to your name,” said the monk. After all, the saint whose name a person bears is not just his patron and prayer book, he is also a role model.
But how can we imitate our saint, how can we at least follow his example in some way? To do this you need:
- First, know about his life and exploits. Without this, we cannot truly love our saint.
- Secondly, we need to turn to them in prayer more often, know the troparion for him and always remember that we have a protector and helper in heaven.
- Thirdly, of course, we must always think about how we could follow the example of our saint in one case or another.
According to the nature of Christian deeds, saints are traditionally divided into faces (categories): prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, confessors, saints, righteous, holy fools, saints, etc. (see).
The person named confessor or martyr, may well fearlessly profess his faith, act as a Christian always and in everything, without looking back at dangers or inconveniences, in everything he pleases, first of all, God, and not people, regardless of ridicule, threats and even oppression.
Those named after saints, can try to imitate them, exposing errors and vices, spreading the light of Orthodoxy, helping their neighbors find the path to salvation both by word and by their own example.
Reverend(i.e. monks) can be imitated in detachment, independence from worldly pleasures, maintaining purity of thoughts, feelings and actions.
Imitate holy fool- means, first of all, to humble yourself, cultivate selflessness, and not get carried away by acquiring earthly riches. The continuation should be the education of will and patience, the ability to endure the difficulties of life, the fight against pride and vanity. You also need the habit of meekly enduring all insults, but at the same time not being shy about exposing obvious vices, telling the truth to everyone who needs admonition.
Names in honor of Angels
A person can also be named in honor of (Michael, Gabriel, etc.). People named after the archangels celebrate their name day on November 21 (November 8, Old Style), on the day of the Celebration of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers.
If the name is not in the calendar
If the name you were given is not in the calendar, then at baptism the name that is closest in sound is chosen. For example, Dina - Evdokia, Lilia - Leah, Angelica - Angelina, Zhanna - Ioanna, Milana - Militsa. According to tradition, Alice receives the name Alexandra in baptism, in honor of St. passion-bearer Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, who before accepting Orthodoxy bore the name Alice. Some names in the church tradition have a different sound, for example, Svetlana is Photinia (from the Greek photos - light), and Victoria is Nike, both names mean “victory” in Latin and Greek.
Only the names given at baptism are written.
How to celebrate a name day
Orthodox Christians on their name days visit the temple and, having prepared in advance, visit the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
The days of “small name days” are not so solemn for the birthday person, but it is advisable to visit the temple on this day.
After communion, you need to keep yourself from all fuss so as not to lose your festive joy. In the evening, you can invite your loved ones for a meal. It should be remembered that if the name day falls on a fast day, then the holiday treat should be fast. During Lent, name days that occur on a weekday are moved to the next Saturday or Sunday.
Cm. Natalya Sukhinina
What to give for name day
In celebration of the memory of the patron saint, the best gift will be something that contributes to his spiritual growth: an icon, a vessel for prayer, beautiful candles for prayer, books, audio and video CDs with spiritual content.
Prayer to your saint
We should remember the saint in whose honor we receive a name not only on name day. There is a prayer to the saint in our daily morning and evening prayers, and we can also turn to him at any time and in any need. The simplest prayer to the saint:
Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.
Your saint also needs to know.
In addition to the icons of the Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Mother of God, it is advisable to have your own saint. It may happen that you have some rare name, and the icon of your heavenly patron will be difficult to find. In this case, you can buy an icon of All Saints, which symbolically depicts all the saints glorified by the Orthodox Church.
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Patristic sayings about name days
“We began to choose names not according to God. According to God, this is how it should be. Choose a name according to the calendar: either on what day the child will be born, or on what day he will be baptized, or within three days after baptism. Here the matter will be without any human considerations, but as God wills, for birthdays are in the hands of God.
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History and symbolism of the name day celebration
Like many other religious traditions, the celebration of name days was forgotten in Soviet times, moreover, in the 20-30s of the twentieth century it was subject to official persecution. True, it turned out to be difficult to eradicate age-old folk habits: they still congratulate the birthday boy on his birthday, and if the hero of the occasion is very young, they sing a song: “how on ... the name day we baked a loaf.” Meanwhile, name day is a special holiday, which could be called a day of spiritual birth, since it is associated primarily with the sacrament of Baptism and with the names that our heavenly patrons bear.
The tradition of celebrating name days has been known in Rus' since the 17th century. Usually on the eve of the holiday, the birthday boy’s family brewed beer and baked birthday rolls, pies and loaves. On the day of the holiday itself, the birthday boy and his family went to church for mass, ordered a prayer service for health, lit candles and venerated the icon with the face of his heavenly patron. During the day, birthday pies were distributed to friends and relatives, and often the filling and size of the pie had a special meaning, determined by the nature of the relationship between the birthday person and his loved ones. In the evening a festive dinner was held.
The royal name day (Name Day), which was considered a public holiday, was celebrated especially magnificently. On this day, boyars and courtiers came to the royal court to present gifts and take part in a festive feast, during which they sang for many years. Sometimes the king himself distributed the pies. Huge birthday rolls were distributed to the people. Later, other traditions appeared: military parades, fireworks, illuminations, shields with imperial monograms.
After the revolution, a serious and systematic ideological struggle began with name days: the rite of baptism was recognized as counter-revolutionary, and they tried to replace it with “Oktyabriny” and “Zvezdiny”. A ritual was developed in detail, in which the newborn was congratulated in strict sequence by an October child, a pioneer, a Komsomol member, a communist, “honorary parents”, sometimes the baby was symbolically enrolled in a trade union, etc. The fight against “remnants” reached anecdotal extremes: for example, in the 20s, censorship banned K. Chukovsky’s “Tsokotukha Fly” for “name day propaganda.”
Traditionally, name days are attributed to the day of remembrance of the named (namesake) saint, which immediately follows the birthday, although there is also a tradition of celebrating name days on the day of memory of the most famous named saint, for example, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Apostle Peter, St. Alexander Nevsky, etc. etc. In the past, name days were considered a more important holiday than the day of “physical” birth, in addition, in many cases these holidays practically coincided, since traditionally a child was baptized on the eighth day after birth: the eighth day is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven , to which the baptized person joins, while the number seven is an ancient symbolic number denoting the created earthly world. Baptismal names were chosen according to the church calendar (saints). According to the old custom, the choice of name was limited to the names of the saints whose memory was celebrated on the day of baptism. Later (especially in urban society) they moved away from this strict custom and began to choose names based on personal taste and other considerations - in honor of relatives, for example.
Name days turn us to one of our hypostases - to our personal name.
Perhaps to the ancient motto “Know thyself” we should add: “Know thy name.” Of course, a name primarily serves to distinguish people. In the past, a name could be a social sign, indicating a place in society - now, perhaps, only monastic (monastic) names stand out sharply from the Russian name book. But there is also a now almost forgotten, mystical meaning of the name.
In ancient times, people attached much more importance to a name than it does now. The name was considered a significant part of a person. The content of the name was correlated with the inner meaning of a person; it was, as it were, put inside him. The name controlled fate (“a good name is a good sign”). A well-chosen name became a source of strength and prosperity. Naming was considered a high act of creation, guessing the human essence, invoking grace.
In primitive society, a name was treated as a part of the body, like eyes, teeth, etc. The unity of the soul and the name seemed undeniable; moreover, it was sometimes believed that as many names as there were, there were as many souls, so in some tribes before to kill an enemy, it was supposed to find out his name in order to use him in his native tribe. Often names were hidden to prevent weapons from being given to the enemy. Harm and trouble were expected from mistreatment of the name. In some tribes it was strictly forbidden to pronounce (taboo) the name of the leader. In others, the custom was practiced of assigning new names to elders, which gave new strength. It was believed that a sick child was given strength by the name of his father, who was shouted in his ear or even called by his father’s (mother’s) name, believing that part of the parents’ vital energy would help defeat the disease. If the child cried especially a lot, it means the name was chosen incorrectly. Different nationalities have long maintained the tradition of naming “deceptive”, false names: the true name was not pronounced in the hope that death and evil spirits, perhaps, would not find the baby. There was another version of protective names - unattractive, ugly, frightening names (for example, Nekras, Nelyuba and even Dead), which averted adversity and misfortune.
In Ancient Egypt, the personal name was carefully guarded. The Egyptians had a “small” name, known to everyone, and a “big” one, which was considered true: it was kept secret and pronounced only during important rituals. The names of the pharaohs were especially respected - in the texts they were highlighted with a special cartouche. The Egyptians treated the names of the dead with great respect - mishandling them caused irreparable harm to the otherworldly existence. The name and its bearer were one whole: a typical Egyptian myth is that the god Ra hid his name, but the goddess Isis managed to find him out by opening his chest - the name literally ended up inside the body!
For a long time, a change in name corresponded to a change in human essence. New names were given to adolescents upon initiation, that is, upon joining adult members of the community. In China, there are still children's "milk" names, which are abandoned with maturity. In ancient Greece, newly-minted priests, renouncing their old names, carved them on metal tablets and drowned them in the sea. Echoes of these ideas can be seen in the Christian tradition of giving monastic names, when someone who has taken monastic vows leaves the world and his worldly name.
Among many peoples, the names of pagan gods and spirits were taboo. It was especially dangerous to call evil spirits (“cursing”): in this way one could call out the “evil force.” The ancient Jews did not dare to name the Name of God: Yahweh (in the Old Testament - this is the “unspeakable Name”, a sacred tetragram, which can be translated as “I am who am.” According to the Bible, the act of naming often becomes God’s work: the Lord gave names to Abraham, Sarah , Isaac, Ishmael, Solomon, renamed Jacob Israel.The special religious gift of the Jewish people was manifested in a variety of names that are called theophoric - they contain God’s “ineffable Name”: thus, through his personal name, a person connected with God.
Christianity, as the highest religious experience of mankind, takes personal names very seriously. A person’s name reflects the mystery of a unique, precious personality; it presupposes personal communication with God. During the sacrament of Baptism, the Christian Church, accepting a new soul into its bosom, binds it through a personal name with the name of God. As Fr. wrote. Sergius Bulgakov, “human naming and name-incarnation exists in the image and likeness of divine incarnation and naming... every person is an embodied word, a realized name, for the Lord himself is the incarnate Name and Word.”
The purpose of Christians is considered to be holiness. By naming a baby the name of a canonized saint, the Church tries to guide him on the true path: after all, this name has already been “realized” in life as a saint. The one who bears the holy name always keeps within himself the exalting image of his heavenly patron, “helper”, “prayer book”. On the other hand, the commonality of names unites Christians into one body of the Church, into one “chosen people.”
Reverence for the names of the Savior and the Mother of God has long been expressed in the fact that in the Orthodox tradition it is not customary to give names in memory of the Mother of God and Christ. Previously, the name of the Mother of God was even distinguished by a different emphasis - Mary, while other holy wives had the name Maria (Marya). The rare monastic (schema) name Jesus was assigned in memory not of Jesus Christ, but of the righteous Joshua.
The Russian Christian name book has evolved over centuries. The first extensive layer of Russian names arose in the pre-Christian era. The reasons for the emergence of a particular name could be very different: in addition to religious motives, the circumstances of birth, appearance, character, etc. played a role. Later, after the Baptism of Rus', these names, sometimes difficult to distinguish from nicknames, coexisted with Christian calendar names ( up to the 17th century). Even priests sometimes had nicknames. It happened that one person could have as many as three personal names: a “nickname” name and two baptismal names (one obvious, the other hidden, known only to the confessor). When the Christian name book completely replaced the pre-Christian “nickname” names, they did not leave us forever, moving into another class of names - in surnames (for example, Nekrasov, Zhdanov, Naydenov). Some pre-Christian names of canonized Russian saints subsequently became calendar ones (for example, Yaroslav, Vyacheslav, Vladimir).
With the adoption of Christianity, Rus' was enriched with the names of the entire human civilization: with the Byzantine calendar, Greek, Jewish, Roman and other names came to us. Sometimes images of more ancient religions and cultures were hidden under the Christian name. Over time, these names became Russified, so much so that the Hebrew names themselves became Russian - Ivan and Marya. At the same time, one should keep in mind the lofty thought of Fr. Pavel Florensky: “there are no names, neither Jewish, nor Greek, nor Latin, nor Russian - there are only universal names, the common heritage of mankind.”
The post-revolutionary history of Russian names developed dramatically: a massive campaign of “de-Christianization” of the name book was carried out. The revolutionary obscurantism of some sections of society, combined with tough government policies, was aimed at restructuring, and therefore at renaming the world. Along with the renaming of the country, its cities and streets, the people were renamed. “Red calendars” were compiled, new, “revolutionary” names were invented, many of which now sound simply like curiosities (for example, Malentro, i.e. Marx, Lenin, Trotsky; Dazdraperma, i.e. Long live May Day, etc. .). The process of revolutionary name-making, characteristic of ideological revolutions in general (it was known in France at the end of the 18th century, and in Republican Spain, and in the countries of the former “socialist camp”) did not last long in Soviet Russia, about a decade (20-30s ). Soon these names became part of history - here it is appropriate to recall another thought about. Pavel Florensky: “you can’t think of names,” in the sense that they are “the most stable fact of culture and the most important of its foundations.”
The change in the Russian name also went along the line of borrowing from other cultures - Western European (for example, Albert, Victoria, Zhanna) and common Slavic Christian names (for example, Stanislav, Bronislava), names from Greek and Roman mythology and history (for example, Aurelius, Aphrodite , Venus), etc. Over time, Russian society again returned to calendar names, but “de-Christianization” and a break in tradition led to an extraordinary impoverishment of the modern naming book, which now consists of only a few dozen names (the general property of “mass cultures” also played a role - the desire for averaging, standardization ).
Hieromonk Macarius (Markish):
Since ancient times, the custom has been established to give a newly accepted member of the Church the name of a saint. Thus, a special, new connection arises between earth and Heaven, between a person living in this world and one of those who have worthily walked their life’s path, whose holiness the Church has witnessed and glorified with its collective wisdom. Therefore, every Orthodox Christian must remember the saint in whose honor he is named, know the basic facts of his life, and, if possible, remember at least some elements of the service in his honor.
But the same name, especially the common ones (Peter, Nicholas, Mary, Helen), was borne by many saints of different times and peoples; therefore, we have to find out in honor of which saint who bore this name the baby will be named. This can be done using a detailed church calendar, which contains an alphabetical list of saints revered by our Church with the dates of celebration of their memory. The choice is made taking into account the date of birth or baptism of the child, the circumstances of the saints’ life feats, family traditions, and your personal sympathies.
In addition, many famous saints have several days of remembrance throughout the year: this could be the day of death, the day of the discovery or transfer of relics, the day of glorification - canonization. You have to choose which of these days will become the holiday (name day, name day) of your child. It is often called Angel Day. In fact, we ask the Lord to give the newly baptized his Guardian Angel; but this Angel must under no circumstances be confused with the saint after whom the child is named.
Sometimes some difficulties arise when naming a name. There are many Orthodox saints known in history, but not included in our calendars. Among them are the saints of Western Europe, who lived and were glorified even before the fall of Rome from Orthodoxy (until 1054, the Roman Church was not severed from Orthodoxy, and we also recognize the saints revered in it by that time as saints), whose names were acquired from us popularity in recent decades (Victoria, Edward, etc.), but are sometimes listed as “non-Orthodox”. There are also the opposite situations, when the usual Slavic name does not belong to any of the Orthodox saints (for example, Stanislav). Finally, there are also frequent formal misunderstandings related to the spelling of the name (Elena - Alena, Ksenia - Oksana, John - Ivan) or its sound in different languages (in Slavic - Svetlana and Zlata, in Greek - Photinia and Chrysa).
If necessary, the child can be given a baptismal name different from the one recorded on the birth certificate, choosing it, for example, according to consonance (Stanislav - Stakhy, Carolina - Kaleria, Elina - Elena). There is nothing flawed in this: among the Serbs, for example, almost everyone has one name in everyday life and another in baptism. Let us note that in the Russian Church, unlike some other Orthodox Churches, the beloved name Maria is never given in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, but only in honor of other saints who bore this name. You should also know that since 2000, our Church has canonized many of our countrymen and fellow citizens - new martyrs and confessors of the 20th century - and calls on believers to name their children in their honor and memory.
Hello, dear readers of my blog! Do you know your saint or your icon, which you need to worship and ask for protection? But every person has his own intercessor icon! It is given to a person by date of birth.
Name day is more important than birthday
This has always been the case in Rus'. But over the years of atheism, people have lost knowledge about the importance of name days, and now they have again begun to show interest in who protects them in life, which icon to worship.
In this article you will find your Intercessor Icon and your Guardian Angel. And by name a person celebrates his name day, which has always been more important than his birthday.
Nowadays, name days are not celebrated at all, and this is due to a person’s ignorance of the significance of his name, his heavenly patron.
What day is this? Believers call it “namesake”, which is where the word “namesake” comes from, meaning people with the same names.
When is name day celebrated? There is a certain day in the calendar on which one or another saint is remembered, or maybe several saints at once. This day will be a holiday for the person who bears the name of the saint who is honored on this day.
People often think that a saint is their Guardian Angel. But that's not true.
A guardian angel is given to a person at baptism to accompany him through life, guiding him on the path of salvation.
An angel is a good spirit that is invisible and has no name. It is very important for a person to mentally talk with his Angel and consult with him.
You have probably noticed how, after a prayerful appeal to our good mentor, many matters are successfully resolved.
But the Guardian Angel will not abandon us even after earthly life; he will guide us through all the ordeals to God. This is what is written in the canon of the Guardian Angel.
Intercessor icon by date of birth
Those people who are born from December 22 to January 22, the intercessor is the icon of the Mother of God “Sovereign”. The heavenly patron is Saint Sylvester and Venerable Seraphim of Sarov.
Born from January 21 to February 20 are under the protection of Saints Athanasius and Cyril and the icons of the Mother of God “Vladimir” and “Burning Bush”.
An icon of intercession for those who were born from February 21 to March 20, is the Icon of the Iveron Mother of God and Saints Alexius and Milentius of Antioch.
Born from March 21 to April 20 are under the patronage of the Kazan Mother of God icon and saints Sophronius and Innocent of Irkutsk, as well as St. George the Confessor.
The icon “Sure Helper of Sinners” will protect everyone who is born from April 21 to May 20. Saints Stepan and Tamara, Apostle John the Theologian are their heavenly patrons.
If your birthday fell between May 21 and June 21, then your intercessors are the icons “Recovery of the Dead,” “Burning Bush,” and “Vladimir.” Saints Alexei of Moscow and Constantine protect you.
The icons “Joy of All Who Sorrow” and the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God are the intercessors of those who were born during the period from June 22 to July 22. And the heavenly patron is Saint Cyril.
Saint Nicholas the Pleasant and Elijah the Prophet patronize people born during the period from July 23 to August 23. And their protector is the “Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos” icon.
Those people who were born should ask for protection from the “Burning Bush” and “Passionate Bush” icons from August 24 to September 23. Their heavenly patrons are Saints Alexandra, John and Paul.
Those who are born should seek protection from the icons of the Pochaev Mother of God and the “Burning Bush” from September 24 to October 23. Their patron is Saint Sergius of Radonezh.
Saint Paul is the protector of those people who were born from October 24 to November 22. With a request for protection, they should turn to the icons of the Mother of God and the “Quick to Hear”.
Born from November 23 to December 21 should ask for intercession from the icons of the Mother of God “Tikhvin” and “The Sign”. Saint Nicholas the Saint and Saint Barbara are their heavenly protectors.
