How do you celebrate your Nameday!?

[Tsarina]

I've met a lot of people who celebrate their Nameday, and other who don't. Most of the people who did celebrate their Nameday happened to be Russian. I learned that the Russian tradition is huge on making ones patronal feast day big.

So, tell me how you celebrate this day! :angel:

Personally, my husband and I do an Akathist to the Saint who's name I bear, sing the Troparion and light a candle all day in front of my Patron Saint. My friends usually come over, they come with religious gifts, we eat and then read the story of the Saint.

:pink:

God Bless!

[nutroll]

My nameday is this Friday. My dad used to give me gifts on that day when I was a kid, but that eventually came to an end. Since then there has been no official celebration, but I still remember it as a special day, and this year I get to go to church because my priest is having a liturgy for St. Matthew. Last year it was scheduled but got called off.

[ClementofRome]

My nameday is this Friday. My dad used to give me gifts on that day when I was a kid, but that eventually came to an end. Since then there has been no official celebration, but I still remember it as a special day, and this year I get to go to church because my priest is having a liturgy for St. Matthew. Last year it was scheduled but got called off.

You could always show up as Mr. Banana-Fish holding-bucket holding-sheep shoe man! That is very celebratory! ^_^

[Tsarina]

My nameday is this Friday. My dad used to give me gifts on that day when I was a kid, but that eventually came to an end. Since then there has been no official celebration, but I still remember it as a special day, and this year I get to go to church because my priest is having a liturgy for St. Matthew. Last year it was scheduled but got called off.

I really hope that there will be a Church service for my Patron Saint next year, I would love to attend it and it would make the Patronal celebration even more sweet! :D

I'm happy for you that you get to go this year to Church to celebrate the Divine service which commemorates your Patron Saint. What a wonderful way to start the day.

[DavidBryan]

I go to church! My namesday is almost always on the Sunday after Nativity (Prophet David), except when Nativity's on a Sunday (then it's on the 26th).

I pray the Akathist to Prophet David the Sat. night before, wife usually gets me something Orthodox-y...meal somewhere nice...

[Theophorus]

My SF said to take the children out for ice cream or something special, and try to get them to Church on their names day.

Mine was this past Sunday, so that was nice.

[Emmanuel-A]

My nameday is on the 25th of december, so I usually celebrate my nameday with turkey and chestnuts, a decorated tree and presents in the chimney.

The thing is that people barely remember it's my nameday that day :cry: , it's not easy to share one's nameday with the celebration of an event as important as Jesus Christ's birth.

[Monica, child of God]

Since I am the only Orthodox in my home, I buy or make something nice to eat that we can share as a family. I don't tell my husband what it is for though. Since my name day is always during the season of Pascha, it feels very bright and special.

My son is not Orthodox (yet) but his birthday is on January 6th. I think of Theophany as his unofficial name day. I used to take him to DL but now, he really shouldn't miss school especially after the long holiday. When they are younger, it is a little easier to skip an extra day.

M.

[Xpycoctomos]

I'm pretty bad at it. I always forget when it is (Sept 13th?). When I remember (or acutally reaize it) at the last minute, I try to make it a point to go to the local Greek parish where they have a piece of a relic of St John Chrysostom, a gift from the Vatican. I say a little prayer and then go home.

For my kid(s), I would like to make it a special day with some simple celebratory act (like a special mean and some ice cream as said above) and a special prayer to the Saint in Question. Something small with just the family and maybe the godparents if they could make it.

Hmm.. that sounds good.

Xpy

[Xpycoctomos]

I know in Spain people celebrate their name day (religious or not) by treating their friends to a drink at the pub or a meal or whatever. Is there anything similar in France still common in the culture today? If so, do you still follow that? Do you just do that on your old saint day (from when you were Catholic) or is your saint day still the same? Or do you respect both of them?

[Emmanuel-A]

I know in Spain people celebrate their name day (religious or not) by treating their friends to a drink at the pub or a meal or whatever. Is there anything similar in France still common in the culture today? If so, do you still follow that? Do you just do that on your old saint day (from when you were Catholic) or is your saint day still the same? Or do you respect both of them?

Celebration of namedays are not so common in France nowadays. Birthdays have become the only thing.

I kept my catholic name (Emmanuel) when I became orthodox so my nameday is and has always been on Chrismas.

[nutroll]

I'm pretty bad at it. I always forget when it is (Sept 13th?). When I remember (or acutally reaize it) at the last minute, I try to make it a point to go to the local Greek parish where they have a piece of a relic of St John Chrysostom, a gift from the Vatican. I say a little prayer and then go home.

For my kid(s), I would like to make it a special day with some simple celebratory act (like a special mean and some ice cream as said above) and a special prayer to the Saint in Question. Something small with just the family and maybe the godparents if they could make it.

Hmm.. that sounds good.

Xpy
Today is the feast of St. John Chrysostom. We had an evening liturgy for him at my church last night. He reposed on September 14th, but since that's already one of the major feasts of the Church, his feast day got moved. So if you're on the New Calendar, happy nameday!

[Xpycoctomos]

Today is the feast of St. John Chrysostom. We had an evening liturgy for him at my church last night. He reposed on September 14th, but since that's already one of the major feasts of the Church, his feast day got moved. So if you're on the New Calendar, happy nameday!
uh... are you serious? I always did something in Sept. lol. That's funny. What (an embarrassing) coincidence. LOL Thanks!

[Xpycoctomos]

And so it is!
http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/calendar.asp?Y=2007&M=11
Happy Saint Day to me!

[Xpycoctomos]

I guess this is how I celebrate it then. Teach and selfishly lament over the fact that the nativity fast begins tomorrow.

Xpy

[nutroll]

This is the last paragraph from the OCA website's life of St. John Chrysostom, which is up today.


"Although he died on September 14, St John's celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. St John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30."

So whoop it up today and celebrate like crazy. Party like it's 1999 and whatnot.

[nutroll]

Well we each have our own ways of celebrating things. Apart from going to church for my nameday, I will spend most of the day painting, interspersed with bouts of frustration over not being able to get all the little things done that I have to do in the next couple weeks.

[theoforos]

I've got two name days to celebrate: the Lutheran one and the Orthodox one. :) I usually get more congratulations on my Lutheran name day because there are more Lutherans and the Lutheran calendar is the one most people follow, and I sometimes bring some cakes or pastries to work on my Lutheran name day, at least if someone notices it's my name day and starts begging for a treat in the honor of my name day (it's the same thing also if they know when your birthday is, they can start demanding you bring a cake or something). Most people don't pay any attention to the Orthodox calendar, but it has happened, too, because newspapers and some public calendars mention also the Orthodox name days. But the problem is they don't understand how the Orthodox calendar works. I've been demanded to bring cakes to work in the spring on the day of a Saint with the same name, although my name day is in the fall.:)

On my Orthodox name day I try to go to church or to read an akathist. This year I even got to go to liturgy on my name day, and not just vespers the day before.

[Ioan cel Nou]

My saint's day is literally the day after my birthday, so we don't actually have a separate celebration of any kind. In Romania it's a big deal, often bigger than birthdays, but being in Britain both myself and my wife seem to have just naturally kept it more low key. At least that means that I don't get served vodka with my breakfast on November 27th (and yes I've known that to happen on people's saint's days). I'm not actually sure, though, what people do when their saint's day falls in a fast (as mine always does). Anyone know? Do people relax the fast for a day? I mean, I seriously can't imagine a Romanian saint's day celebration without alcohol.

James

[Xpycoctomos]

I've got two name days to celebrate: the Lutheran one and the Orthodox one. :) I usually get more congratulations on my Lutheran name day because there are more Lutherans and the Lutheran calendar is the one most people follow, and I sometimes bring some cakes or pastries to work on my Lutheran name day, at least if someone notices it's my name day and starts begging for a treat in the honor of my name day (it's the same thing also if they know when your birthday is, they can start demanding you bring a cake or something). Most people don't pay any attention to the Orthodox calendar, but it has happened, too, because newspapers and some public calendars mention also the Orthodox name days. But the problem is they don't understand how the Orthodox calendar works. I've been demanded to bring cakes to work in the spring on the day of a Saint with the same name, although my name day is in the fall.:)

On my Orthodox name day I try to go to church or to read an akathist. This year I even got to go to liturgy on my name day, and not just vespers the day before.
I thought the Finnish Orthodox Church had a special dispensation by the EP that allows you to keep the same calendar (even Pascha) as the Lutheran one. Can you set me straight here?

Xpy

[Xpycoctomos]

My saint's day is literally the day after my birthday, so we don't actually have a separate celebration of any kind. In Romania it's a big deal, often bigger than birthdays, but being in Britain both myself and my wife seem to have just naturally kept it more low key. At least that means that I don't get served vodka with my breakfast on November 27th (and yes I've known that to happen on people's saint's days). I'm not actually sure, though, what people do when their saint's day falls in a fast (as mine always does). Anyone know? Do people relax the fast for a day? I mean, I seriously can't imagine a Romanian saint's day celebration without alcohol.

James
Same in Spain, lol.

[xenia]

I'm the only Orthodox person in my family and on top of that, my parish is Old Calendar. As it happens, Nativity, my name day and my earthly birthday are all more or less the same time. My family was always in the habit of fixing a nice meal on my birthday so I just leave the Nativity decorations from the family's western Christimas up, put the icon of St. Xenia on the table and eat birthday cake. It's a pretty festive day which the whole family enjoys thanks to my daughter's fantastic cooking. My *husband and I come home from Liturgy on Nativity and the house is already smelling like a yummy non-lenten meal. And there's a birthday cake which seems fitting for Nativity. I try to have small presents (spiritual book, candle) for the guests.

(*He's not Orthdox yet but he comes to church)

[Mary of Bethany]

My nameday is June 4th, which this year was on a Sunday, so that was nice. Sometimes it's during the Apostles' Fast. Most times, I don't do anything, because no one around me is Orthodox and knows nothing about it. I wonder if there is an Akathist to Mary of Bethany?

Mary

[Akathist]

I have the same names day as Xenia. But we are new Calender. So, my names day is after Christmas.

In our parish we are OCA but we don't put much emphasis on names day.

I am the only Orthodox in my family so there is no one else to honor it with me.

I have tried to schedule my "house blessing" on or near my names day sine it is in the "house blessing" season. That is the closest I have come to honoring it.

[theoforos]

I thought the Finnish Orthodox Church had a special dispensation by the EP that allows you to keep the same calendar (even Pascha) as the Lutheran one. Can you set me straight here?

Xpy

Yes, that's correct, but you know, the Lutherans celebrate certain things on different days than the Orthodox, e.g. St. Michael the Archangel is in September in the Lutheran calendar but in November in the Orthodox calendar. I mean, even if it's November 15 today in both the Lutheran and the Orthodox calendar in Finland, the Lutheran calendar probably has a different name in it for today than the Orthodox calendar. But of course there are also things that are celebrated on the same day in both calendars, e.g. Christmas is Dec. 25 and St. Nicholas is Dec. 6 in both calendars.