All over the world, people celebrate birthdays, congratulate each other on Angel Day. This article details how the name day is named exactly where the celebration of this personal celebration came from, as well as a small name day calendar. So what is it?
Name day is the day of the saint or patron saint in whose honor the person was named.
Born without a name
According to Christian laws, name days are the day of your Guardian Angel. It is worth considering that name days and birthdays can be on different days. What is the reason for this? Modern parents do not always strictly follow the Orthodox calendar, and call their children not by the name of the Saint born on this day, but by any other name.
To somehow baptize a child with the name of the Saint on the day of which he was born, the Orthodox Church proposes to give a middle name during the baptism of the child.
And the child was called the Earl ...
Why do parents refuse the Orthodox name? Unfortunately, the fashion for names, as in principle fashion, has changed from generation to generation. The church has existed for 2,000 years now, so most names are no longer used in our time. But modern parents also have strange tastes for names. For example, in one of the registry offices of our country, workers registered newborns with such names as Graf, Kit, Mister, Peace.
Most of all, the boys were unlucky, since their name in adulthood will become the patronymic of their children. Psychologists argue that such strange names can play a trick on the psyche of a child, especially if the name is absolutely not associated with his character.
Times and Names
For example, the Orthodox name day is celebrated on January 10 by people with such names as Glycerius, Gorgonius, Dorofei, Zeno, Ignatius, Indis, Mardonius, Yefim, Migdoniy, Nicostratus, Peter, Nikanor, Simon, Secundus, Theophilos. But the women’s name day on that day at Antonia, Babylon, Theophilos, Domna and Agafya. All these names are Old Slavonic, and at present they can either not be used at all, or be changed to the Western European style. But in the Orthodox calendar, you can also find dates that coincide with modern names. For example, the birthday of girls on February 23 is celebrated by Anna, Galina and Valentina. The names of the boys are also interesting. Name day (men) on the Defender of the Fatherland Day is celebrated by Anton, Arkady, Vasily and Ivan.
Baptism and name
It turns out that according to the rules of Trebnik (Ch. 2), the name for the child should be chosen on the eighth day after the birthday, but in Russia this tradition did not take root, and basically the name is chosen by the date of birth. There is also a tradition to name the day of the baptism of the child, since in antiquity the eighth day from birth and the day of baptism, as a rule, coincided.
Now, as you know, the sacrament of baptism is preceded by the registration of a newborn in the registry office. It happens that the name given to the child is not on the Orthodox calendar. In this case, the clergyman rewrites the name, and its meaning does not change. For example, Yegor in Slavonic George, Pauline - Appolinaria, and Denis - Deonisy. If there are no matches with the Orthodox calendar and the name cannot be chosen, parents are given the right to name themselves. At baptism, communion and confession are usually held, and after these rites, a middle name is given to the person.
Different nameday traditions
Nameday calendar is a calendar familiar to us with dates and names of Saints born on this day. You can find the opposite, a list of names and dates in the year that apply to them. For example, the Catholic nameday calendar is built in exactly the same way as the Orthodox, and those names of Saints that are revered in both religions are marked with a special sign.
But Jewish names differ in that a person is always given two names. The first for cult rites, it is also used in the synagogue. A middle name is given in honor of the mother. Jewish historians include those originating in Hebrew and Yiddish. But also many Greek names apply to them.
In the Muslim faith, when criticizing a child, much attention is paid to the meaning of the name. It is believed that names with a righteous meaning will give a good and clean life to a person. It is also important that the Muslim family belongs to one or another trend of this religion, many of them exclude some names. For example, among Shiites, one cannot find such names as Usman and Abu Bakr.
Secret name
Spelling the name of the Holy according to Christian teaching obliges a person to become like his life, to do good deeds and deeds. Therefore, in order for parents to understand what name to choose in the Orthodox calendar and which way to send their child, it is worth studying the life of holy people. If the name is passed down from generation to generation, this indicates that the ancestors honor this Saint, and it contains an obligation to the clan.
Name day is one of the important parts of a person’s life, and if parents decide not to give a name according to the Orthodox calendar, a person can always come to church and ask for a second name. This is baptism — a once-in-a-lifetime procedure. Previously, a child was necessarily given a middle name at baptism by the church. It could be secret: only parents and godparents could know about it. At present, the church takes this less strictly. Parents are allowed to give a name without adhering to the Orthodox calendar.
The relationship of name and person
The censure of the church name is directly related to the sacrament of baptism. In the Orthodox world, it is believed that during this rite a person dies for a sinful life. During baptism, the priest drives away the dark forces from man and invokes the forces of light. During prayer, a person is called with the name with which he will go to heaven, and it is under this name that they recognize him there.
It is believed that the name is directly related to human energy. When pronouncing the name of a person in our minds, an image arises that can be good or not very good.
Thus, a signal is energetically delivered to the person we are thinking about. So in Christianity, in particular, it is said that the name given to a person in honor of the Holy helps him cope with the bad energy sent by other people.
Angel Name
We can say that name day is not a triumph, but the veneration of the Angel, who helps you from the very baptism. Therefore, there is a difference between celebrating a birthday and a name day (if they are on different days). First of all, believers go to the temple to confess and receive communion. Of course, you can set the table for close and dear people, but not a noisy feast, as is customary on a birthday, but quiet communication for spiritual unity. If the celebration falls on Lent, then the name day is postponed until next Saturday or Sunday.
Many believers say that the name given to the child at birth determines his fate, therefore they are advised to always adhere to the Orthodox calendar of names. If you call a child by the name of a person who left a bad mark in history or was executed that day, then such a negative energy connection can last throughout life. At the same time, the adage given in honor of the Holy will give the Guardian Angel to the person who will help him in times of adversity.