Deciding what the long-awaited baby will be called is a very responsible matter. Parents always want only the best for their son or daughter, and therefore they choose their name very carefully. After all, it has long been known that its value affects the fate of a person. But even this is sometimes not the determining factor. Now parents want to choose the most beautiful, unusual name. And before, everything was completely different. The newborn was called according to the holy calendar. The little man who was born received the name of that saint whose memory was honored on his birthday or on the day of christening. It was this reverend who became the patron of new life, accompanied his namesake in his path. Therefore, modern parents should think about who will be next to their beloved child in the most difficult times.
But, as you know, in the Christian Church there are many saints. Many of them bear the same name. Even the seemingly rare name of Valery in the calendar can be found twice. This is May 6 and June 20 (April 23 and June 7 in the old style). One could say that Valery’s birthday is celebrated on the church calendar twice a year. But this is not so. The patroness of the girl will be only one saint. Therefore, it is worth a little better to learn about the lives of those women whom the Church ranked as saints.
Queen Valeria
The girl was forcibly married to the cruel pagan Maximian, who later became emperor. After his death, the new emperor - Maximin - wished to marry Valeria. And for the refusal, he exiles her and her mother - Tsarina Alexandra - to Syria, where they lived until his death. With the ascension to the throne of the new ruler, women wanted to return to their native Nicomedia. After all, according to rumors, Licinius did not hate Christians, but was even favorable to them. But these conversations were false. The treacherous Licinius ordered the execution of the exiles. Their headless bodies were thrown into the sea.
Their name day Valeria, named in honor of this queen, may be celebrated on May 6.
Valeria of Caesarea
Another saint who bore this proud name was the martyr Valeria of Caesarea. She was born a pagan. But after meeting with an unknown Christian, she came to true faith. This prompted her to settle in solitude and spend all her time in prayers for those who are mistaken in their beliefs, and those who have converted to Christianity and are being persecuted. Her faith in Christ was so strong that it helped her withstand the brutal torture of the Gentiles, forcing her to renounce the true God.
Her memory is honored on June 20. It is on this day that Valeria's name day is celebrated. A girl named after this saint can safely count on her help. By the way, Valeria of Caesarea is also known as Kaleria. And although according to the civilian documents Valeria and Kaleria are completely different people, according to the holy calendar these are two versions of the same name.
But it is quite possible that the parents named the daughter just like that, without thinking about who will be her patron. When, in this case, celebrate Valeria's name day? The patroness will be the saint whose memorial day follows the date of birth of the girl.
Valeria’s name day is a worthy occasion to pay attention to this unusual, strong, fair, brave, bright and cheerful woman or girl. Indeed, before the day of remembrance of the patron saint was much more important than his birthday. It was then that they gathered guests, brewed beer and baked kalachi. Of course, now this significance is no longer attached to this holiday, and they prefer to celebrate Valeria's nameday in a quiet home environment, but they will still appreciate the sincere participation and congratulations.