Every Orthodox gets the name of the saint in whose honor he was baptized. True, not everyone knows that in fact, after this church sacrament, a person finds his heavenly patron. Do not confuse the guardian angel and the holy protector, because the latter is called to pray before God for his baptized person, to atone for his future sins. Therefore, all believing Christians must remember and honor the day of their patron.
When you can celebrate a holy holiday
Determining the date of your own name day is not always so easy, because in the church calendar there are often more than one or two options for the namesake of one or another saint. So, Polina can celebrate her day as an angel on May 14 or October 17, this date of veneration of the martyr Pelageya of Tarsus. This virgin was elevated to the rank of saints because of her boundless fidelity to Christ. Having renounced the pagan faith of her parents, from a rich but sinful life, Pelageya defended her integrity and preferred martyrdom in the name of God.
In order to celebrate your angel's day, Polina according to the churchThe calendar can also find another number, for example, January 18 is the time of the memory of St. Apollinaria. This saint chose for herself a life in the service of the Lord, and, disguised as a man, lived until her death in the skete of Saint Macarius of Egypt. Her path shows an example of amazing perseverance in achieving her goal, which can serve as another reason to celebrate January 18, the day of the angel. Polina should not only know the name of her heavenly patron, but also honor his memory, be worthy of him.
According to one version, Apollinaris is a derivative of the name of Apollo, the god of the sun in Greek mythology, translated as "small".
Question, when should be the day of the angel? Polina, what date he finds out like this: she is looking for the next feast of the saint from the day she was born. This will be the name day.
Some features of the name day
Not everyone knows how to celebrate the day of remembrance of their divine protector. Name day is a spiritual holiday. The hero of the occasion and his family remember the patron saint, his deeds, thus the heavenly protector does not forget about his ward and pray for him.
On the day of the angel, Polina can go to the temple, confess, take communion, cleanse her heart and thoughts. You need to visit your godparents. Of course, you can arrange a small banquet with friends. The main thing is not to turn the celebration of the memory of the patron saint into a noisy and drunken feast.
It's not always and not so easy for everyone to celebrate the day of an angel - Polina. According to the church calendar, the date may fallduring the celebration of Lent, then you need to put the appropriate dishes on your table, in addition, postpone the celebration to the weekend.
In our country, the custom of celebrating name days has a long history, hundreds of years ago, Christians considered this holiday one of the most important in life, they honored their spiritual patron with reverence. And although many traditions were forgotten during the Soviet era, in recent decades everything has returned to normal. And the spiritual upbringing of the next generation depends on how we observe this tradition now, what example we set for our children.
A gift for your saint's memorial day
Orthodox holiday requires a special offering. When going to a birthday girl, you should not present the same thing as for a birthday, first of all, the present should be for the soul, spiritual enlightenment.
For example, on her angel's day, Polina will be delighted if she is presented with an icon of St. Appolinaria or church candles of an unusual and beautiful shape, a holy book, a chain.
It's a good idea to go to see an Orthodox movie or listen to the church choir singing.
The meaning of the holiday of the day of the angel for Christians
Children need to be introduced to their heavenly protector as early as possible, to explain what it is - the day of the angel. Polina will be glad to see his image, find out what he is famous for, what kind of prayer he should read.
In Christianity, a person's name isthe word is not easy, it is also a way to communicate with God, therefore, earlier the baby was named after the saint, whose celebration day is closer to the date of birth of the child, so that he would take the baby under his protection and atone for his sins before God in the future. Today, almost no one in choosing a name is guided by such rules, but the tradition of knowing and remembering their heavenly patron has remained to this day.
