Birthday and name day are different holidays in the life of one person. For believers, the day of the angel is more important than the calendar birthday.
Name name: what is it?
In Orthodoxy, this is the day on which the memory of the saint is honored, whose name was received by a person at baptism. On every day of the Orthodox calendar, Orthodox figures and martyrs are commemorated, quite often there can be several of them on one day. When a baby is brought to baptism, he usually receives the name of a saint, whose memory is celebrated on the day of the ceremony. By receiving a name at baptism, a person receives the patronage of his heavenly namesake.
Sometimes name days are called "angel's day", but this is not entirely true. Saint Theodore of Edessa claimed that the Lord gives two angels to every person. The guardian angel protects the ward from evil and misfortune, helps to do good deeds and deeds. People receive a second intercessor after baptism - this is God's saint. He intercedes before God's throne, prays for everyone who bears his name. Saint Theodore believed, as, indeed, all Orthodox Christians, that the prayers of the saints would be heard faster than the prayers of the earthlysinners.
How to determine the name of a saint
When choosing a name for baptism, the priest is guided not by the preferences of his parents or his sympathies, but by the church Orthodox calendar, he is also called the saints.
The modern calendar contains more than two thousand names of saints, whom the church canonized at different times. Many of them have the same names, and the days of celebration are always different, but there are still difficulties. For example, more than a hundred are mentioned in the calendar of Saints John, but only one can be the patron. Therefore, the name day is also one. Name day is the only day of the year when the memory of a particular saint is commemorated.
If at baptism the child was given a name in honor of the martyr Dmitry of Thessalonica (celebrated on November 22 (9 according to the old style)), then only on this day will be the name day (the namesake, the day of the angel).
Today there are many names that are not indicated in the calendar, in this case, at baptism, the closest sounding name is selected. For example, Angelica - Angelina, Alice - Alexandra, Dina - Evdokia, etc. Sometimes names are chosen on the principle of meaning. So, Svetlana at baptism can receive the name Photinia (photos (Greek) - light).
How to find out the date of your name day
It is easy for an uninitiated person to get confused in the holy calendar, but still it is worth deciding which saint is the patron. To do this, you need to find in the church calendar the nearest date of memory with the name of the saint in whose honornamed at baptism. Strict rule: namesake date follows after birthday.
It is worth getting acquainted with the patron saint, reading his life. If you want to honor the saint, turn to him, you need to read the appropriate prayers, akathist, kontakion. There is a certain ritual and rules of worship. Sometimes priests give names at baptism, in accordance with internal church rules, and then the name in the calendar and given during the ceremony may not match.
Old Russian celebration rules
The tradition of celebrating name days began in Russia in the 17th century. According to the old rules, name day is a special day in a person’s life, and they prepared for it with care. Pies and loaves were baked according to a special recipe. On the day of the celebration, the birthday man, together with the whole family, went to the temple, where a prayer service for he alth was ordered in front of the icon of the saint, in whose honor the birthday man is named, candles were placed, and the icon was applied.
By evening, guests gathered for a gala dinner, where godparents were given a place of honor. The main treat was a birthday cake, later the cake became the highlight of the table instead. Candles are not placed in it. At the end of the holiday, each guest received a gift - a pie, kalach. The birthday boy himself gave gifts to his guests. If the namesake day fell on fasting days, the celebration was postponed to any day after it ended.
Name day gifts
Name Day is a spiritual holiday. This day is also donegifts, but they are different from those traditionally given on birthdays. On name days, it is customary to present gifts that help a person turn to the intangible content of life. Personalized icons, Orthodox literature, accessories (vessels for holy water, beautiful candles, amulets, etc.) become the most appropriate with this approach.
Now the custom of giving a “measured” icon is being revived. At the birth of a child, readings of his height are taken, and then an icon of the same size as the growth of the baby is ordered from the master. At the same time, the future name of the cross is first clarified, and the icon is dedicated to the saint in whose honor the baby will be named.
Church ministers and namesake
For every priest, the day when his namesake is celebrated is the day of his spiritual birth. Initiation into the dignity is accompanied by a certain procedure, according to the rules of which the future minister is given a new name, different from the one given at baptism in infancy. Therefore, a birthday for a person who has embarked on the path of serving the Lord is not celebrated at all. The higher the priest stands in the church hierarchy, the more strict the rules for celebrating. Rectors of temples on the day of the namesake serve the Divine Liturgy, a festive service in honor of their patron saint.
Congratulations on a priest's name day can be accompanied by gifts, prayers and heartfelt wishes for long life. As a gift for a church minister, you can present something that will not be burdensome for the giver. It could be a cutfabrics for vestments, church utensils, icons and more significant gifts.
The name day of the Patriarch is a holiday of the entire Orthodox world. On this day, the primate of the Orthodox Church personally serves the liturgy in the main cathedral of the country, the day of his namesake is celebrated with solemn services in all Orthodox churches. This is a great holiday for all the laity and the priesthood.
