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 name days. This day is incredibly important for every person. So, please read the information below carefully.
In our time, more and more people, after a long break, begin to revive 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 wonder which of these saints is the patron saint 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 about what a birthday is and loves to celebrate it, convene guests and receive gifts. Everything is simple here: birthday is the day on which a person was born. But let's think about it, why is it that quite often a person is called a “birthday man” on his birthday? This happens because, thanks to a long atheistic period throughout the post-Soviet space, people simply began to confuse the birthday and the day of 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 the Orthodox were a much more important holiday than birthdays. Nowadays, they are celebrated much less frequently. This is due to the ignorance of people about the significance of the 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 designate it with the word "the namesake". Do you know the meanings of the words "namesake", "teza"? They denote a person who has the same name. So: a certain calendar day, on which one or another saint or several saints are remembered at once, is a name day, festive for a person bearing the name of the saint who is remembered on this day. In the common people, especially in the western parts of Ukraine and Belarus, the name day is often referred to as “the day of the angel”, “the day of the guardian angel (guardian angel)”, which, of course, is also not entirely correct. The mistake occurs for the reason that believing people sometimes call their saints angels, guardian angels. But this is not a saint, this is precisely an angel, a good spirit, given by God to a person during baptism, so that he would instruct a 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. Therefore, for each guardian angel, a separate day is not assigned for his remembrance. But certain days have been established, on which all heavenly angelic forces are honored.
How to find out the name of the patron saint
So how do you find out, and when is the day of veneration of your saint appointed? And what are the patron saints by name and date of birth for each of us? After all, 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 into the Saints, or, as this church-folk calendar is also called, the Months. It is there that the names of all the saints and the dates for their memory are recorded. And these dates are set by the Church, which ranks this or that person as a saint. Secondly, patron saints are usually identified by name and date of birth. Well, this is understandable, because we know our name. However, what should we do if several saints with our name are mentioned in the Saints at once? In such a case, we must choose the saint whose memory is honored closest to our birthday. It should also be noted that the list with saints is constantly updated, as more and more saints are glorified. For example, at the Bishops' Council 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 earlier than 2000. And if after, then the saint is determined from a wider list by date of birth, according to the publications of the Saints later than 2000. But what if we don’t find a saint with his own name in the Saints? For example, 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 in ordinary worldly life is called by this new name? No. In worldly life, of course, he remains Yuri. And in church life, at, say, confession or communion, calling himself, he must give the church name: George. When submitting notes about health or repose, the church name of a person is also written. Previously, when they decided to name and baptize a newborn, they usually looked into the Saints and looked at the memory of 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 baptism of the child, and not on the day of his birth. Now this is a forgotten tradition, and in our time, few adhere to it. They now name them mainly in honor of their relatives or in honor of some favorite characters in 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 in one name.
Saint patron named Andrew
The name Andrew is of Greek origin. In translation, it means "courageous, brave." Since this name is very common - that was the name of one of the twelve apostles of Christ - then, accordingly, there should be a lot of saints with that name. Let's see, is that right? Let's take a look at Saints. Yes, indeed, there are many saints named Andrew. Here they are. Hieromartyr Andrew, Bishop of Ufa (January 8), Martyr Andrew of Lampsakia (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, the choice is rich. This is far from a complete list. Remember that Andrew, in order to determine his heavenly patron, needs to choose a saint named Andrew from the list, which would be the closest to his birthday.
Vladimir
What is the patron saint named Vladimir? It is 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 the Germanic languages \u200b\u200bwith the meaning "great, famous." However, this second part (-mers) among the Slavs, under the influence of the word "peace", took on a different meaning, corresponding to the specified word. It turns out that the name Vladimir means the combination "owning the world"; at the same time the world in the meaning of "the Universe, the globe", and the world in the meaning of "peace, peace". The original 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 take a look at 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 which patron saint named Dmitry. 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 kind of saints with the name Demetrius do the Saints mention? Saint Demetrius Skevophylax, the Righteous Demetrius of Yuryevsky, son of the Right-Believing Prince Svyatoslav (February 16), Passion-bearer, Right-Believing Tsarevich Demetrius of Uglich and Moscow (May 28, June 5, June 16), Martyr Demetrius of Kazan (October 15), Martyr Demetrius (November 28), Righteous Dimitri (December 14).
Alexandra
Let's talk about which patron saint is named after Alexander. This female is of Greek origin and is translated as “protector of people”, “brave”. There are, frankly, 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), St. Alexandra Diveevskaya (June 26 ), Holy Martyr 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 which patron saint named Anna. If all the previous names we are considering (with the exception of Vladimir) were of Greek origin, then this name is Hebrew, and translates as "grace, favor, mercy, dear." This name is biblical. Since the name is very common throughout the world, there are, of course, many saints with this name, unlike Alexandra: prophetess Anna (February 16, December 22, martyr Anna Gotfskaya (April 8), right-believing Grand Duchess (June 25, August 3, October 15), St. Anna of Bithinskaya (June 26, November 11), Martyr Anna (July 18).
Elena
What are the patron saints named after Elena? It is of Greek origin. Interestingly, 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 - the Hellenes. However, despite their popularity, there are very few saints with this name. Martyr Elena (January 28), Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena (June 3), Martyr Elena, daughter of the Apostle Alpheus (June 8), Rev. Elena Diveevskaya (June 10), Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, Grand Duchess of Russia, in holy baptism Elena (July 24), Righteous Elena, Queen of Serbia
A little about the icons of patron saints
There are many icons depicting 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. 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 know at least one prayer addressed to your saint.
How to 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 the name day, we, first of all, remember our saints so that they also remember us. On the day of the name day, believers usually go to the temple, confess and take communion. But, of course, there are no obstacles for guests, a gala dinner and gifts. But it should not be noisy fun and a feast with alcoholic drinks. It is better if it is a sincere conversation filled with meaning and content. It is worth noting that if your name day falls during Lent, you need to cook only Lenten dishes. Follow this rule. If your name day falls on a weekday in Lent, they 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 religious overtones, it is also just a good bright day filled with joy.
It is very important to teach children from an early age to celebrate name days, take them to church for communion, and also give them small gifts and arrange a quiet feast with the family. In the future, the child throughout his life will treat this day as a festive and special one.
And further. Never forget to congratulate your relatives and friends on their birthday. Give them small gifts. Your attention on this day will be very pleasant to them. 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 helpful to you. You know what patron saints are by name and date of birth, as well as how to identify them. That's not all. You found out which patron saint is named after you. We also hope that you will find interesting information on how to celebrate name days. For many people, this is another reason for a feast, which is not right. Now you will know what actions are best done on this day of his name day, wonderful for every person. How to find out the name of the patron saint? It's not that hard. You just need to show a keen interest.
At all times in the life of every believer, the icon occupied a special place. 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 the help of the Almighty. Sometimes, even, it would seem, in 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, just 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 homes. Each of us is given an icon by date of birth, the so-called protector icon.
"Sovereign" icon of the Mother of God
Winter birthdays, who were born from December 22 to January 20, are guarded by the "Reigning" 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, ask 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, guide on the right path. They ask the Mother of God for the preservation of Russia, for peace in it, for protecting the country from various disasters and wars.
Icons of the Mother of God "Burning Bush" and "Vladimirskaya"
The following winter birthdays (January 21 - February 20) are protected by the icons of the Mother of God "Burning Bush" and "Vladimirskaya". First they pray for salvation from fires, from various evil disasters. Firefighters, pilots, doctors and the military often ask for help in front of this sacred image, seeking protection from it. It is believed that if the "Burning Bush" is hung in the house, then it will certainly save it from fire.
Before the icon "Vladimir" they pray for the cure of various diseases, especially heart disease. They also pray to her to save Russia from disasters, to protect it from enemies. The shrine is able to reconcile people who are at war with each other, instill kindness and faith in their irreconcilable hearts.
Icon of the Iberian Mother of God
For the Orthodox, who were born from February 21 to March 20, the icon of the Iberian Mother of God is considered the protector. It also has the name "Goalkeeper", which means that it is better to hang it in your house 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 brighter future. This icon is of great importance for people with problems, 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 who were born from March 21 to April 20. They ask her to cure bodily ailments, the main of which is loss of vision. The protector helps in difficult life circumstances, gives strength, comfort and peace. She will come to the rescue when it is necessary to make the right choice, as well as save from adversity, sorrows and mistakes. Many say that the Kazan Mother of God came to them in a dream and said how to avoid trouble or correct what they had done, showed the way to good goals. Spouses often ask the Mother of God for help in improving their family relationships, in finding harmony and happiness, they pray for her to help them avoid strife and misfortune. The Kazan Mother of God is very supportive towards children.
Icons of the Iberian Mother of God and "Guide of the Sinners"
The next spring birthdays (April 21 - May 20) should seek protection from the icons of the Iberian Mother of God and the "Guide of the Sinners". The latter is often referred to for the remission of sins, as well as in moments of despair, loss of strength and grief. They ask her for spiritual insight, to strengthen faith and get rid of serious illnesses. The icon protects believers from various sorrows and brings them true spiritual relief. Before the icon, they also pray for their loved ones.
Icons of the Mother of God "Search for the Lost", "Burning Bush" and "Vladimirskaya"
Icons of the Mother of God "Search for the Lost", "Burning Bush" and "Vladimirskaya" 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 "Joy of All Who Sorrow" and Kazan Mother of God
The Joy of All Who Sorrow icon, as well as the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, help those who celebrate their birthday from June 22 to July 22. The first is especially close to the soul of a believer, she is always in a hurry to help, to console, support and help endure the difficult trials of fate. The icon gives hope to people who find themselves in difficult life circumstances and who are in a state of despair and sorrow. Prayer before 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, the icon "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos"
Those born from July 23 to August 23 are protected by St. Nicholas the Pleasant and Elijah the Prophet, as well as the icon "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos". Saint Nicholas is an assistant in various fields, he will support in any need and always protect the believer. His sacred image is a talisman against troubles and hardships. 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 diseases. It also helps any business to end successfully.
Prayer before the icon "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos" helps to protect from all troubles and give a sense of inner security. They also pray before her for an improvement in their financial condition. They ask to protect the soul, indicate the right path, protect from various kinds of temptations.
Icons "Burning Bush" and "Passionate"
Those born in the period from August 24 to September 23 ask for help from the icons "Burning Bush" and "Passionate". They turn to the latter for gaining strength of mind, faith and hope, they are asked to heal spiritual wounds, drive away heavy, depressing thoughts (especially thoughts of suicide), and relieve them of their worries. They also pray before 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"
Those born from September 24 to October 23 pray to the icons of the Pochaev Mother of God, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Burning Bush. The "Pochaev" icon of the Mother of God is prayed not only by the Orthodox, but also by 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. The icon is prayed 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 thanks to the Mother of God 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 the 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 heal from illnesses, relieve sadness, sorrow and depression. They also pray before the "Skoroshlushnitsa" for healing and help with various serious illnesses. She is asked for spiritual insight, for help in moments of confusion and ignorance of what to choose and how best to act.
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Icons of the Mother of God "The Sign" and "Tikhvinskaya"
Believers born in the numbers from November 23 to December 21 seek protection from the icons of the Mother of God “The Sign” and “Tikhvinskaya”. The latter helps babies, it also has the name "children's". The icon helps children cope with illnesses, patronizes in all their affairs, 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, saves from fires.
Thus, each of us has icons by date of birth. Prayers before sacred images are really capable of working miracles, but it must be remembered 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 of All Who Sorrow" and the Kazan Mother of God - intercessor of those born from June 22 to July 22. Saint Cyril is their guardian angel.
In the “Kuznetsov’s letter” technique, one can show not only the entire action from beginning to end, but also be present ... ”. Writing a nominal icon takes from 10 days, depending on the size and complexity of the plot. The need for a constant feeling of God's invisible protection and connection with the Higher World gives rise to the need in us to bring the icon into our home, having determined for it a worthy place in its space.
Also, the saint of the same name, who is especially revered in the family, regardless of the time of the celebration of the name day, is often considered the heavenly patron. A nominal icon has a great spiritual value for a person, since his heavenly patron and intercessor is imprinted on it. At the same time, we mention that in the home iconostasis there must certainly be an image of the Savior and to the left of Him - the Mother of God.
Color and ornament, like hagiographic scenes, symbolically convey the essence of the earthly feat of the saint and the place at the throne of God, which is now established for him by God forever and ever ... It is clear that the icons are written for three different individuals, three human souls, each of which needs its own spiritual healing.
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 asked, they immediately expect the immediate fulfillment of their desire. The Monk Seraphim of Sarov and Blessed Sylvester protect those who were born on the days from December 22 to January 20.
Those born between February 21 and March 20 are protected by Saint Alexis and Saint 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 St. Constantine and Alexei of Moscow. There is also an Orthodox patron saint for people born on July 23 - August 23.
Nominal icon - a 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 Saint Barbara and Blessed Nicholas the Pleasant. Icons for protection - "The Sign" and "Tikhvin". The day of the Angel in the Orthodox Church is very much appreciated, because this is the day of the heavenly intercessor, the saint before the 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 the celebration of the saint, whose name the person bears. To determine the name of your heavenly patron, use the Orthodox calendar. It contains all the birthdays of the saints. And if your name is not in the calendar of the Orthodox calendar, then at baptism for a person a name is always chosen that is very close in sound to yours. Also in the church there are traditional other soundings 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. Family... The complexity of modern life lies in the fact that it does not allow people to live in peace and relax a little. In Orthodoxy, there has long been a tradition to name a newborn with the name of a saint.
There are countless icons in temples, and they are all revered
One, the Guardian, protects us from evil and troubles, the other, the 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 does not, 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 primarily a patron saint by name and date of birth.
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Most often, the day of memory of a saint is the day of his earthly death, i.e. the transition to eternity, meeting with God, to commune with Whom the ascetic aspired.
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 memory of the saint named with you, the closest after the day of your birth. 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 the child strictly according to church tradition, then this will be the name of a saint whose memory is celebrated on the 8th day after the birth of the child. Cm.
When determining the name day, the date of the canonization of the saint does not matter, because it only fixes a fait accompli. In addition, as a rule, it takes place dozens of years after the transition of the saint to heavenly abodes.
The name received by a person at baptism not only remains unchanged throughout his life (the only exception is the case of becoming a monk), but is also preserved after death, passes with him into eternity. In prayers for the dead, he also remembers their names given in baptism.
Name day and Angel Day
Sometimes name days are called Angel Day. This name name recalls 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 whose name the person is named, and Angel Day is the day of baptism, when a person is assigned by God. Each baptized has his own Guardian Angel, but we do not know his name.
Honoring and emulating one's patron saint
About the prayerful help of the saints, the monk wrote: “Saints, in the Holy Spirit they see our life and our deeds. They know our sorrows and hear our ardent 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 we are exhausted from sorrows, how our souls have dried up, how despondency has bound them, and, without ceasing, they intercede for us before God.
The veneration of the saint consists not only in praying to him, but also in imitation of his feat, his faith. “Let your life be by 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? For this you need:
- First, to know about his life and exploits. Without this, we cannot sincerely love our saint.
- Secondly, you need to turn to them with prayer more often, know the troparion to him and always remember that we have a protector and helper in heaven.
- Thirdly, of course, we should always think about how we could follow the example of our saint in this or that case.
By the nature of Christian exploits, saints are traditionally divided into faces (ranks): prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, confessors, reverend, righteous, holy fools, faithful, etc. (see).
The person who bears the name confessor or martyr, it is quite possible to fearlessly confess their faith, to act like a Christian always and in everything, without looking back at dangers or inconveniences, in everything to please, first of all, God, and not people, regardless of ridicule, threats and even oppression.
Those who are named after saints may try to imitate them, denouncing errors and vices, spreading the light of Orthodoxy, helping their neighbors find the way to salvation both by word and by their own example.
Reverend(i.e. monks) can be imitated in detachment, independence from worldly pleasures, keeping the purity of thoughts, feelings and actions.
Imitate holy fool- means, first of all, to humble yourself, to cultivate selflessness in yourself, not to be carried away by the acquisition of earthly riches. The continuation should be the education of will and patience, the ability to endure the difficulties of life, the struggle with 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 after angels
Also, a person can be named after (Michael, Gabriel, etc.). People named after the archangels celebrate their name day on November 21 (November 8 according to the old style), on the day of the Celebration of the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael of God and other incorporeal Heavenly Powers.
If the name is not in the calendar
If the name that you were called 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, Jeanne - John, Milan - Militsa. According to tradition, Alice receives the name Alexandra in baptism, in honor of St. Passion-bearer Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, before the adoption of 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 Nika, both names in Latin and Greek mean "victory".
Only the names given in baptism are written in.
How to celebrate name day
Orthodox Christians visit the temple on their name days and, having prepared in advance, the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
The days of "small name days" are not so solemn for the birthday man, 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 the festive joy. In the evening, you can invite loved ones to a meal. It should be remembered that if the name day falls on a fast day, then the festive treat should be fast. In Great Lent, name days that occur on a weekday are transferred to the next Saturday or Sunday.
Cm. Natalya Sukhinina
What to give for a birthday
In celebration of the memory of the patron saint, the best gift would be something that contributes to his spiritual growth: an icon, a vessel for, beautiful candles for prayer, books, audio and video discs of spiritual content.
Prayer to your saint
About the saint, in whose honor we receive a name, we must remember not only on the name day. In the daily morning and evening there is a prayer to the saint, 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.
You also need to know your saint.
In addition to the icons of the Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Virgin, it is desirable to have your own saint. It may happen that you bear 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 birthdays
“We began to choose names not according to God. By God, this is how it should be. Choose a name according to the holy calendar: either on what day the child will be born, or on which it is baptized, or in the interval and 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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The history and symbolism of the celebration of name days
Like many other religious traditions, the celebration of name days in Soviet times was forgotten, moreover, in the 20-30s of the twentieth century it was subjected to official persecution. True, it turned out to be difficult to eradicate age-old folk habits: they still congratulate the birthday man on his birthday, and if the hero of the occasion is very young, they sing a song: “as on ... name day we baked a loaf”. Meanwhile, name day is a special holiday that 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 of the same name bear.
The tradition of celebrating name days has been known in Rus' since the 17th century. Usually, on the eve of the holiday, the family of the birthday boy brewed beer, baked birthday cakes, pies and loaves. On the day of the holiday itself, the birthday man with his family went to church for mass, ordered a prayer service for health, put candles and kissed the icon with the face of his heavenly patron. In the afternoon, birthday cakes were distributed to friends and relatives, and often the filling and size of the cake had a special meaning, determined by the nature of the relationship between the birthday man and his relatives. In the evening there was a festive dinner.
The tsar's name-days (Tezoname Day), which were considered a public holiday, were celebrated especially splendidly. On this day, the boyars and courtiers came to the royal court in order to bring gifts and take part in a festive feast, at which they sang for many years. Sometimes the king personally handed out pies. Huge birthday cakes 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 “Oktyabrins” and “Stars”. A ritual was developed in detail, in which the newborn was congratulated in strict sequence by the Octobrist, the pioneer, the Komsomol member, the communist, “honorary parents”, sometimes the baby was symbolically enrolled in the trade union, and so on. The fight against "survivals" reached ridiculous extremes: for example, in the 1920s, censorship banned K. Chukovsky's "Fly-Tsokotukha" for "propaganda of name days."
Traditionally, name days are attributed to that day of memory of the named (named) saint, which follows immediately after the birthday, although there is also a tradition of celebrating name days on the day of memory of the most famous saint of the same name, for example, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Apostle Peter, St. Alexander Nevsky, etc. e. In the past, name days were considered a more important holiday than the day of “corporal” birth, in addition, in many cases these holidays practically coincided, because traditionally the 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 saints whose memory was celebrated on the day of baptism. Later (especially in urban society) they abandoned this strict custom and began to choose names, guided by personal taste and other considerations - in honor of relatives, for example.
Name days turn us to one of our incarnations - to a personal name.
Perhaps to the ancient motto "Know thyself" one should add: "Know thy name." Of course, the 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 nomenclature. But there is also a mystical meaning of the name, almost forgotten now.
In ancient times, people attached much more importance to the name than now. The name was considered a significant part of a person. The content of the name correlated with the inner meaning of the 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, the name was treated as a part of the body, like eyes, teeth, etc. The unity of the soul and the name seemed undoubted, moreover, it was sometimes believed that as many names as there are so many souls, therefore, in some tribes, before to kill the enemy, it was supposed to find out his name in order to use it in his native tribe. Often the names were hidden in order not to give weapons to the enemy. Harm and trouble were expected from bad treatment with a name. In some tribes it was strictly forbidden to pronounce (taboos) the name of the leader. In others, it was customary to assign new names to the elders, giving them new strength. It was believed that the sick child was given strength by the name of the father, who was shouted into the ear or even called him by the name of the father (mother), believing that part of the vital energy of the parents would help overcome the disease. If the child cried especially much, then the name was chosen incorrectly. Different nationalities have long preserved the tradition of naming “deceptive”, false names: the true name was not pronounced in the hope that death and evil spirits might 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 all, and a "big" one, which was considered true: it was kept secret and was pronounced only during important ceremonies. The names of the pharaohs enjoyed special reverence - in the texts they were distinguished by a special cartouche. With great respect, the Egyptians treated the names of the dead - improper handling of them caused irreparable harm to otherworldly existence. The name and its bearer were one whole: the Egyptian myth is characteristic, according to which the god Ra hid his name, but the goddess Isis managed to find out by opening his chest - the name literally turned out to be inside the body!
From time immemorial, the change of the name corresponded to the change of the human essence. New names were given to teenagers at initiation, i.e., 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 old names, carved them on metal plates and drowned them in the sea. Echoes of these ideas can be seen in the Christian tradition of naming monastic names, when a person who has taken tonsure leaves the world and his worldly name.
Many nations tabooed the names of pagan gods and spirits. It was especially dangerous to call evil spirits (“cursing”): in this way it was possible to call out “evil force”. The ancient Jews did not dare to call the Name of God: Yahweh (in the Old Testament it is the “ineffable Name”, the sacred tetragram, which can be translated as “I am who I 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 to Israel.The special religious gift of the Jewish people manifested itself in a variety of names that are called theophoric - they contain God's "indescribable Name": this is how a person contacted God through his personal name.
Christianity, as the highest religious experience of mankind, takes personal names with all seriousness. The name of a person reflects the sacrament of a unique, precious personality, it implies personal communication with God. During the sacrament of Baptism, the Christian Church, accepting a new soul into its bosom, connects it through a personal name with the name of God. As he wrote about Sergei Bulgakov, “human naming and name-incarnation exists in the image and likeness of the divine incarnation and naming… every person is an incarnate word, a realized name, for the Lord himself is the incarnate Name and Word.”
The purpose of Christians is holiness. Naming the baby with the name of a canonized saint, the Church tries to direct him on the true path: after all, this name has already “realized” in life as a saint. The bearer of the holy name always keeps in himself the exalting image of his heavenly patron, "helper", "prayer book". On the other hand, the community 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 distinguished even by a different accent - Mary, while other holy women 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 the 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 is explicit, the other is hidden, known only to the confessor). When the Christian name book completely supplanted the pre-Christian "nickname" names, they did not leave us for good, 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 (eg Yaroslav, Vyacheslav, Vladimir).
With the adoption of Christianity, Rus' was enriched with the names of all human civilization: with the Byzantine calendar, Greek, Jewish, Roman and other names came to us. Sometimes under the Christian name, images of more ancient religions and cultures were hidden. 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 Jewish, Greek, Latin, or Russian names - there are only universal names, the common property of mankind."
The post-revolutionary history of Russian names evolved dramatically: a mass campaign of "de-Christianization" of the name-word was carried out. The revolutionary obscurantism of some sections of society, combined with a tough state policy, was aimed at reorganizing, and therefore at renaming the world. Along with the renaming of the country, its cities and streets, people were renamed. “Red calendars” were compiled, new, “revolutionary” names were invented, many of which now sound just like curiosities (for example, Malentro, i.e. Marx, Lenin, Trotsky; Dazdraperma, i.e. Long live May Day, etc. .). The process of revolutionary name-creation, 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 the property 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 personal name also followed 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 name-book, which now consists of only a few dozen names (the general property of "mass cultures" also played its role - the desire for averaging, standardization ).
Hieromonk Macarius (Markish):
From ancient times it has been customary to give a newly received 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 worthily passed his life path, whose holiness the Church testified and glorified with her conciliar mind. Therefore, every Orthodox must keep in mind the saint after whom 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 from the common ones (Peter, Nikolai, Maria, Elena), was worn 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 the detailed church calendar, which contains an alphabetical list of saints revered by our Church with the dates of the celebration of their memory. The choice is made taking into account the date of birth or baptism of the child, the circumstances of the feat of life of the saints, family traditions, and your personal sympathies.
In addition, many well-known saints have several days of remembrance during the year: it can be the day of death, the day of finding or transferring relics, the day of glorification - canonization. You have to choose which of these days will become a holiday (name day, name day) of your child. It is often referred to as Angel Day. Indeed, we ask the Lord to give the newly baptized his Guardian Angel; but this Angel must by no means be confused with the saint after whom the child is named.
Sometimes when giving a name there are some difficulties. 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 Church of Rome was not separated from Orthodoxy, and we also recognize the saints venerated in it by that time as saints), whose names we acquired from us popularity in recent decades (Victoria, Edward, etc.), but are sometimes listed as "non-Orthodox". There are also reverse situations when the usual Slavic name does not belong to any of the Orthodox saints (for example, Stanislav). Finally, there are often formal misunderstandings associated with the spelling of the name (Elena - Alena, Xenia - Oksana, John - Ivan) or its sound in different languages (in Slavonic - Svetlana and Zlata, in Greek - Photinia and Chris).
If necessary, the child can be given a baptismal name that is different from the one recorded on the birth certificate, choosing it, for example, by consonance (Stanislav - Stakhiy, Karolina - 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. Note that in the Russian Church, unlike some other Orthodox Churches, the beloved name Mary 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 been counting as saints many of our countrymen and fellow citizens - the 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 should be worshiped, asked 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 their knowledge of 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 name days, which were always more important than a birthday.
Nowadays, name days are not celebrated at all, and this is due to a person’s ignorance about the significance of his name, his heavenly patron.
What is this day? Believers call it "namesake", hence the word "namesake" came from, denoting people with the same names.
When are name days 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 festive for a person who bears the name of a saint who is honored on this day.
Often people think that a saint is their guardian angel. But it's not.
A guardian angel is given to a person at baptism to accompany him through life, instructing 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, to consult with him.
You probably noticed how after a prayerful appeal to our good mentor, many things are successfully resolved.
But the Guardian Angel will not leave us even after earthly life, will lead us through all the ordeals to God. So it is written in the canon to 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 "Reigning". The heavenly patron is St. Sylvester and St. 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 "Vladimirskaya" and "Burning Bush".
Intercessor icon for those who were born from February 21 to March 20, is the Icon of the Iberian Mother of God and Saints Alexy and Milenty of Antioch.
born from March 21 to April 20 are under the patronage of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and Saints Sophrony and Innocent of Irkutsk, as well as George the Confessor.
The icon "The guarantor of sinners" will protect everyone who is born from April 21 to May 20. Saints Stepan and Tamara, the Apostle John the Theologian are their heavenly patrons.
If the birthday fell on the period from May 21 to June 21, then your intercessors are the icons "Search for the Lost", "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 intercessors for those who were born in the period from June 22 to July 22. And the heavenly patron is St. Cyril.
Saint Nicholas the Pleasant and Elijah the Prophet, patronize people born in the period from July 23 to August 23. And their protector is the icon "Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos".
Asking for protection from the icon "Burning Bush" and "Passionate" is necessary for those people who were born from August 24 to September 23. Their heavenly patrons are Saints Alexander, John and Paul.
Seeking protection from the icons of the Pochaev Mother of God and the Burning Bush should be those who from September 24 to October 23. Their patron is Saint Sergius of Radonezh.
Saint Paul is the protector of those people who are 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 Listener.
born from November 23 to December 21 should ask for intercession from the icons of the Mother of God "Tikhvin" and "Sign". Saint Nicholas and Saint Barbara are their heavenly protectors.
