Name day, birthday, Angel Day - when are they celebrated?
Birthday This is a special day for each of us. Someone is looking forward to it, for someone it is symbolic, and someone tries not to notice it - the years go by too quickly.
But there is one more day in the year, which earlier, in the old days, was revered more than a birthday - this is name day. Remember from childhood - “As on ... name day we baked a loaf ...”.
Name day or is it Angel Day?
name day
This day is directly related happy memory of the saint whose name was given to us at baptism. In the church calendar, every day is dedicated to the memory of a saint and, most often, more than one. By the way, in Orthodoxy there is such an index of these days by the days of the year - Months or saints.
It often happens that at baptism the baby is given a name, but on the day of baptism a saint with that name is not commemorated. Or saints with that name are revered, almost every month. For example, with the name Maxim, saints are venerated: three days each in January, May, August, September, two days each in February, March, April, October, December, and four days in November.
How then to find YOUR name day?! Very simple. In the church calendar, find the day of memory of the saint with your name, which is closest after your birthday. He will be the day of your Name Day.
Day Angel
We figured out the birthdays. When is Angel Day celebrated? Or is it the same thing?
And here, most often out of ignorance, many will say - of course, the same thing!
Ah, no! Angels are heavenly patrons who are given to us at baptism. These are our Guardian Angels! Guardian Angels do not have names, they are called incorporeal Heavenly Forces. In Orthodoxy, only a few names of the dominant angels are mentioned, of which the Archangel Michael (in translation - who is like God) is the second after God. And angel's day church calendar celebrated only once a year November 21 (old style - November 8). This day is marked in Christmas time - Cathedral of the Archangel Michael and other incorporeal Heavenly Powers.
For you and me, Angel Day is day of our baptism.
Therefore, someone can celebrate their birthday, name day, and Angel Day on the same day. And for someone, most often it happens, there will be much more reasons to celebrate!
Note. Perhaps someone wants to turn to their Guardian Angel, but does not know how to do it, here are excerpts from the Holy Books:
Prayers to the Guardian Angel
Troparion, tone 6:
Angel of God, / my holy guardian, / keep my stomach in the fear of Christ God, / fix my mind in the true path, / and hurt my soul to the love of the heavens / let it be guided by you / I will receive great mercy from Christ God.
Kontakion, tone 4:
Appear mercifully to me, / holy angel of the Lord, my guardian, / and do not leave the filthy me, / but enlighten me with the untouchable light / and make me worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.
From the morningprayer rule:
"Holy Angel, stand before my soul and my passionate life, do not leave me, a sinner, depart from me below for my intemperance. Do not give place to the evil demon to possess me by the violence of this mortal body; strengthen my distressed and thin hand and guide me Hey, holy angel of God, guardian and patron of my accursed soul and body, forgive me all, insult you with great insults all the days of my stomach, and if I have sinned this past night, cover me on this present day, and save me from every temptations of the opposite, let me anger God in no sin, and pray for me to the Lord, let him confirm me in His fear, and show me worthy of His servant of goodness. Amen.
From the evening prayer rule:
"Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all, the fir-tree I have sinned this day: and deliver me from all the wickedness of my enemy. May I anger my God in no sin: but pray for me, a sinner and unworthy servant, as if worthy of me, show the goodness and mercy of the all-holy trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ, and all the saints, amen.
The sacrament of baptism is still one of the most secret rites performed by the church. This is an equal blessing for all Christians, giving a person a name that he will carry through his whole life, which will influence his fate. After all, it is known that the name book consists of the names legalized by the church that belong to the saints. Naming the child by one name or another, the parents, as it were, call on the saint to protect their baby. No wonder it says in Scripture: "Rejoice, for your names are written in Heaven!". That is, the church believes that the Christian name is the blessing of God.
Through the rite of baptism, all Christians today bear the names once chosen by Jesus. One can read in the Bible about Jesus' warnings about keeping the name as given. I.e we are talking Precisely about the preservation of the verbal formula.
When they began to call children at baptism the names of holy martyrs, the apostles taught that this was done not for the sake of repeating the martyr's path, but for the glory of those who went through it and for the sake of the name itself. The bottom line is this: it is impossible not to admit that at least one of the prophecies of the Bible came true - Jesus Christ gave names to all Christians.
Different peoples have the same names, with slight fluctuations in spelling and pronunciation, which resulted from adapting them to national characteristics. The rest is a translation into the local language of a name that came from the same time and was used earlier. For example, the name Agathon (kind) corresponded to the Slavic Dobrynya, Peter - to the ancient Russian Stone. The Hebrew name Thomas corresponds to Latin name Thomas and the Greek name Didim, which then transformed into the name Dmitry and means "twin".
Baptism is a ritual of naming. The first Christians changed their name. A person who is undergoing the rite of baptism enters the water without a name, and the priest at this time drives away the dark forces with a prayer and calls on the forces of Light to take the person under their care and calls the name by which they recognize him. Light forces should help a baptized person.
Naming children during baptism with the names of martyrs who suffered for the faith, it was believed that after death the saints found themselves at the throne of the Lord and had the opportunity to ask for mercy for their “wards”.
The old custom of naming children after heroes and gods was continued. At first, there were no special rules according to which a person who accepts the Christian faith chose a saint whose name he was baptized. This was the person whose deeds were closest to him or touched some strings of his soul, or that person lived nearby.
In the 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII, who was one of the most enlightened people of his time, introduced the calendar, which became known as the Gregorian, officially approved the custom of giving the names of saints and martyrs at baptism. The name of a person was now given at the moment when he accepted Christianity, as well as newborns whose parents were Christians.
This is the rite of baptism. First, the priest read the prayer three times. Then he also called the Holy Spirit three times, consecrated the water that was in the baptismal font. In this water, he immersed the baby (with the head) three times. It was difficult for adults to find a large font, so the clergyman who performed the sacrament sprinkled the new believer with blessed water three times. Water is not just a symbol of purification. Plunging into the water, a person, as it were, died and then resurrected, but already as a Christian.
The newly born is given a new name - Christian, and from now on the patron saint can ask the Lord for forgiveness and mercy for a person. The Holy Spirit enters the newly made Christian through holy water and a drop of special incense - myrrh oil, which the priest applies to the forehead of the person being baptized. It means the blessing of the Lord and the equality of all before the Lord.
After the sacrament of baptism is performed, the saint whose name is chosen for the child or adult becomes his heavenly patron.
If your saint has several days of remembrance during the year (for example, there are about thirty saints with the name Alexander, John - more than eighty), then the next day of remembrance of the saint after your birthday will be your name day, while the rest of his memory days are called small name days .
The list of names and their calendar (Saints), as well as the process of choosing a name, were subject to fairly strict rules. In addition to the fact that the name must have been in the Saints, it must have been one of those whose day is celebrated without fail in the interval between the first and eighth birthdays of the child.
The child could only be called by the name that was indicated in the Saints on the day of his birth. With the help of this church calendar, the days of memory of saints were determined, with which the name of the child coincided. Most often, the child was named in honor of the saint, whose memorial day fell on the birthday or the day of the naming, as well as the day of baptism. For girls, a shift of several days was allowed if there were no days of remembrance of holy women. At the same time, the name chosen for baptism did not always coincide with the name given to the child at birth. However, with this choice, birthday and name day most often coincided and merged into one in consciousness. Until now, we call birthdays of those who celebrate a birthday.
In another case, the child was named according to a vow in honor of a certain saint, who was chosen in advance and prayed to him even before the appearance of the child. Then the name day was celebrated on the day of memory of this saint of God, and if the day of memory was celebrated several times a year, then on the day closest to the birthday. Now this method of naming is rarely used, but the tradition of celebrating name days has remained.
However, those who decide to be baptized still have the opportunity to take the name of a saint or a righteous man, whom a person considers close to himself in spirit and a role model.
It must be remembered that in the church calendar the dates are indicated according to the old style (according to the secular calendar New Year comes from January 1, and according to the church - from January 14). Therefore, 13 must be added to each date in the church calendar in order to match the secular calendar.
The first Saints, translated from Greek, were short, and their translation was imperfect, because during the correspondence the names were not translated and analyzed, but simply phonetically transmitted, without explanation. Our talented people did this instead of negligent scribes and looked for analogies in them with their native, native Russians.
At first, the attitude towards the preservation of the names that were given earlier was loyal, and the Old Slavonic names and the new ones coexisted together for quite a long time. But after the 14th century, names that were not included in the Saints were banned.
Only in the 17th century, Patriarch Nikon made a number of church reforms, one of which concerned the unification of names, since there were many discrepancies in their pronunciation. Some names of Greek origin were similar to native Russian ones, some were distorted and had many variants. In order to put things in order and simplify the use and choice of names, new translations of name books were made, which approved the church spelling of names and showed the difference between a worldly name and the one that a person received at baptism. This tradition has survived to this day and has a special, sacred meaning when taking the schema, taking tonsure, dedicating oneself to the service of the church. A person leaves the world and turns to the spirit, changing his life and his place in it along with his name. The name of the righteous remains unchanged so as not to lose its sacred meaning.
Thus intertwined national Slavic traditions, pagan beliefs, Christian tradition and social development names, which led to the naming traditions that exist today. The wisdom of the people, the meaning of Christian philosophy and ancient, pre-Christian knowledge are the basis of Russian names. Many people believe that there is some higher meaning in all this, not yet fully understood, but having great value for a person.
After the revolution, the creation of new names was intensively promoted, which took place along with the persecution of the church. By decree of January 23, 1918, baptism was abolished and replaced by civil registration. The church was separated from the state. Parents were encouraged to use new names that reflected the "new time". Most of them, of course, were ugly and absurd, like Revput and Traktorina. But there were also melodic ones, for example, Vilen, Oktyabrina, Iskra. For some reason, they didn't stick.
Since 1924, “new calendars” began to appear in various forms: tear-off calendars and individual manuals, articles in newspapers and magazines with lists of new names that were proposed to replace the old, canonical ones. But the bulk of people, despite the fashion and revolutionary consciousness, were in no hurry to part with what had become familiar. Many canonical names, of course, fell into disuse, leaving those that have withstood the test of time and fire.
After all the upheavals, the church no longer requires dogmatic adherence to traditions.
The great figure Pope John Paul II proclaimed the equality of all religions and announced the official position of the Catholic Church, which repents of its former sins and pride and considers religions to be different only due to other ways of recognizing the One Lord.
Today, Orthodoxy no longer insists on choosing a name at baptism, which is in the interval of seven days from the birth of a child. The choice of name can be anything, even if the saint is not canonized by the Orthodox Church. But most often, in order to choose a heavenly intercessor, in this case they give a name that is consonant with the name of the one who is being baptized. On the other hand, since according to the current legislation, baptism must be preceded by civil registration of a newborn, the parents themselves choose the name of the child, which fits into the birth certificate.
The registry office departments quite clearly control the correct spelling (and pronunciation) of the full name given to the child, but if the name under which the child is registered is not in the Orthodox calendar, this does not mean that the name should be changed at baptism. It is quite possible that, out of ignorance, the parents gave the child an Orthodox name, but in a non-Russian (Western European or local) form. In this case, you should simply translate it into the Church Slavonic form and baptize under this name. For example, the girl Zhanna will most likely be baptized as John, Pauline as Apollinaria, Martha as Martha, Denis as Dionysius, etc. In the case when such a correspondence cannot be established (for example: Edward, Elvira, Karl, Oktyabrina) , the priest recommends that parents or the person being baptized himself choose an Orthodox name (preferably close in sound), which will henceforth be his church name.
It is also important to know that in their pronunciation, the civil and church names often differ somewhat: Ivan - John, Fedor - Theodore, Sergey - Sergius (emphasis on the first syllable), Alexei - Alexy (emphasis on the second syllable, as in a civil name) .
Thus, the child receives two names. It has long been believed that a person should have two names, one of which no one should know, only godparents and father. This is done so that no one can jinx you, cause damage, because the name has great energy power, and any use of it in magic can harm the person to whom it belongs. The naming is done by the priest, who blesses the person being baptized and reads a special prayer over him.
Choosing a name according to the canons of the church is the choice of a heavenly intercessor, so you should definitely know the day of your name day and the history of your saint in order to turn to him with prayers and use his protection.
At all times, the name of a Christian was considered holy, and from childhood, children were taught to respect their name. Thus was born the tradition of giving the baptized the name of a saint, who thus becomes his heavenly patron and intercessor. This expressed the experience of the Church as a "Community of Saints": the conviction that the only true purpose and calling of man is holiness.
It is necessary to distinguish between a heavenly patron and a guardian angel.
Guardian Angel - does not have a name and flesh and is given at the time of baptism, accompanies a person and teaches him the understanding of Good and Evil. Such a lesson is determined for him by the Almighty. He should offer prayers every day, understanding his work. You should ask for guidance on the righteous path, for protection from temptations, for prompting the right decisions in life and for support in good undertakings.
A heavenly intercessor is a saint whose name is given to a person at baptism. Many have not one patron, but several. Knowing their stories, you yourself will determine which of them are closer to you and whom you can consider your intercessors. It is a common practice that the name day is considered to be the day of the memory of the saint, which is closest to the date of birth. But the church does not insist on this. And yet, all the saints who have the same name with you should be known and remembered. To do this, refer to the name day calendar, which is presented in our book.
The name of the person in Orthodox tradition It has considerable importance. It is mentioned during the performance of the Sacraments, it is also pronounced during prayers.
At the birth of a child, Orthodox Christians try to choose a name for him, which can be found in, because only these names are used when the baby is baptized. Even St. Theophan the Recluse said that the name must be chosen in God's way. Namely: “Choose a name according to the holy calendar: either on what day the child will be born, or on what day it is baptized, or at intervals, or 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.
According to the charter of the Church, the rite of naming must be performed even before Baptism (on the 8th day from the birth of the child). However, today, due to the indulgences that are given to modern Christians, most often the naming occurs on the day of Baptism itself, before the rite of pronouncement.
According to the recommendations that the Orthodox Church has established for those who are being baptized, it is advisable to choose a name according to the Saints before the 40th day from the birth of the child. Of course, the ideal option is to name the newborn with the name of the saint on whose day he was born.
To make it clearer, let's take a small example. If the child was born on August 5, then the boy can be called Trofim, Theophilus, Theodore, Michael, Andrei or Appolinarius. Unfortunately, on this day there are no indications for the remembrance of the holy women. If parents don’t like these names, then you can look at the Monthly Book for another 40 days in advance and pick up the saint whose name your baby will be named.
There are cases when parents had a vow that they gave to this or that saint, or they especially feel his protection and, as a token of their gratitude and reverence, would like to name the child by his name. This is allowed. But before performing Baptism, it is advisable to discuss this fact with the priest.
Unfortunately, parents do not always initially think about the life of a child in Christ, in the womb Orthodox Church. Therefore, it is very often possible to come across a situation when, in the worldly life of a baby, parents called the name that is not in the Saints. In this case, there is no need to despair. It is imperative to contact the temple and find out, perhaps your name is still considered Orthodox, it just has a slightly different sound. For example, Polina - Appolinaria, Jeanne - John, Martha - Martha, Jan-John, Yegor-George, etc.
If even after a conversation with a priest, you understand that the chosen name is not found in any way in the Saints, and it is already officially registered (or an adult is baptized), then at Baptism you need to choose either a consonant name, or the name of a saint whom you especially revere.
An Orthodox name is given to a person once during the order of giving a name and no longer changes under any circumstances.
18.1. How to determine who your saint is? It is necessary to find the saint of the same name in the calendar, and if there are several of them, then choose the one whose memorial day follows the first after the birthday. 18.2. How to determine the name day? The name day is the day of memory of the saint of the same name, the closest after the birthday. 18.3. Name day and Angel's day - is it the same thing? No. The Guardian Angel is given by God to every person at Baptism, he has no name. And the saints, in whose honor people are given names, are their patrons. The day of memory of the saint, whose name a person bears, is a name day. The Day of the Angel is the day of the Baptism of a person, and the day of the memory of all the incorporeal Heavenly Powers can also be called the Day of the Angel (November 21, according to a new style).
Each person has his own Guardian Angel, and the same saint can be the patron of many people with the same names.
18.4. How should you spend your birthday?
- On this day, you need to go to Church, take communion, submit notes about the health and repose of your relatives, order a prayer service to your patron saint.
The best thing to do on the name day is reading the life of your saint and other spiritual books, as well as performing deeds of piety.
18.5. How to choose a name for a baby?
- The baby is usually called the name of the saint, whose memory is celebrated by the Church on the eighth day after his birth, on the birthday itself or on the day of Baptism. But you can choose the name of any saint whose memory is celebrated shortly after the baby's birthday.
18.6. What if the child has a non-Orthodox name?
- If the name under which the child is registered is not in the Orthodox calendar, this does not mean that at Baptism his name should be changed. It is quite possible that out of ignorance, the parents gave the child an Orthodox name, but in its Western European or local form. In this case, the priest usually translates it into the Church Slavonic form and baptizes under this name, having previously informed the parents of the person being baptized or himself.
Here are examples of such translations: Angela - Angelina; Jeanne - John; Oksana, Aksinya - Xenia; Agrafena - Agrippina; Polina - Appolinaria; Lukeria - Glyceria; Egor - George; Yang - John; Denis - Dionysius; Svetlana - Fotina or Fotinia; Martha - Martha; Akim - Joachim; Roots - Cornelius; Leon - Leo; Thomas - Thomas.
In the event that it is not possible to establish such a correspondence (for example, such names as Eduard, Elvira, Karl do not have them), the priest recommends that parents or the person being baptized himself choose an Orthodox name (better close in sound), which will henceforth be his church name.
18.7. What if a person with a non-Orthodox name does not remember the name with which he was baptized?
- This problem should be addressed to the priest. He will read a prayer for the naming of a name in honor of the saint that the person chooses. Communion with a new name, and it will become legal.
18.8. Can a child be named after their father?
- Can. But it is good to choose a name according to the rules of the Church (see the answer to question 18.5).
A practical guide to parish counseling. St. Petersburg 2009.
Each of us probably remembers the famous song about name days and loaves that parents and friends sang to us in childhood. But does everyone know what this holiday is?
Name day is an important day for a Christian. Some people believe that this is our birthday. However, this is not always the case. In this article, we will figure out what an angel's day is, how to determine the date of this celebration and how to celebrate it.
What holiday is it
At the beginning life path each of us is given a name that plays an important role. Many people even believe that it can influence fate! Christians give a lot great importance person's name.
Name day is a unique Christian holiday. It is believed that if a person is not baptized, then his soul is not guarded by a keeper from heaven. After the sacred rite of baptism, the Lord sends us a protector, and the date of our baptism symbolizes the spiritual birth of the individual.
Name days are also sometimes called namesake days. This word came to us from Ancient Russia, where it denoted the day of the angel of a high-ranking person or royal person. Today, this name of the holiday is considered obsolete, so it is very rarely used by the people.
Why do people often confuse name days with birthdays, and what is the difference between these two holidays? The fact is that our ancestors did not face the problem of choosing a name for their child. Previously, in Russia, the name of the newborn was chosen by the clergyman according to the Orthodox church calendar, otherwise called "saints".
In such a calendar, for each day of the month, the names of saints are indicated, whose feast day falls on that date. Here for anyone Orthodox name you will also find its meaning and origin story. The priest chose the name of the child in honor of the saint, whose memory was honored on the baby's birthday.
Some religious families still use orthodox calendar names to decide what to name your child. The calendar is updated annually as saints are canonized. If not a single saint is venerated on the birthday of a daughter or son, then the parents look at the nearest numbers on the calendar following the day the baby was born.
The first day of the angel, following the date of your birth, is also called "big name days." As a rule, it is on this date that a person celebrates his angel day. The remaining days of memory of saints bearing this name are called "small name days." Some people note them too.
If you want to name a child with a non-Orthodox name that is not in the calendar, then for baptism the priest will offer to choose a name that is consonant or similar in meaning. For example, if the child's name is Yegor, he will be christened George, Angelica will become Angelina, and Dina will be Evdokia.
How is Angel Day celebrated?
Since ancient times, name days have been considered by Christians special holiday which was very different from the others. It was not spent as an ordinary weekday, it was dedicated to a saint who bears the same name and protects a person throughout his life.
The birthday person must visit the church, take communion and pray to the saint in whose honor he is named, and light a candle for him. On this day, it is necessary to confess and thank God for all the blessings bestowed.
As a rule, the celebration of the day of the angel does not involve a large number of guests. Home organized festive table, for which only the closest friends and family members gather. It doesn't have to be a noisy drinking and dancing party. Such a celebration is usually quite sincere and calm.
Since this holiday was widely celebrated in Ancient Russia, it is possible to decorate the place of celebration with appropriate antique-styled items. Entertainment and menus can be thought up, also relying on old traditions.
Another interesting tradition is that the loaf is not cut with a knife, but broken over the head of the birthday man. And if a lot of bread crumbs fall on his head, then the coming year will bring a lot of happiness.
According to church canons, only red wine should be present on the table from alcoholic beverages. The rest of the alcohol at the celebration is inappropriate.
Be sure to invite your godparents for the holiday, because it is they who are responsible for the person before God. They are entitled to the most delicious pieces of the pie, as these guests are especially honored at the festive table.
Gifts that are customary to give a person on angel's day should be associated with the name. These can be nominal figurines, mugs or amulets, an icon with a patron saint or a book about him.
Often the room is decorated with images of a guardian angel. Some birthday people even memorize a prayer dedicated to their saint in order to read it before the start of the meal as a token of gratitude to their patron.
This is how Christians celebrate big name days. On small name days, they rarely arrange a festive table and accept gifts. Usually on such a day, Christians just go to church to pray.
Angel Day is a bright Christian holiday. And although name days have ceased to be so popular today, many people are still anxiously awaiting the onset of this day, attending church, celebrating the celebration, accepting and giving gifts. It is in the power of every person and the entire Christian people to revive this bright and good tradition. Author: Maria Shcherbakova