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d_kakavouli

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dubai_suzie

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Worldwide Greeks Editor

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Patisqua

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About 5 years ago a friend (non Greek) asked me if her granddaughter had a nameday. Her name was Patrice. I explained Patricia is my Anglo name but my Greek name is Paraskevi. Wanting to impress her συμπεθέρη, she asked me if I could let her know when their namedays were. I now have around 40 people on my list. I use namedays.gr ,iconograms, abbamoses.com to source namedays. Wikipedia is a good source for icons. When I cannot find a Greek Orthodox name, I also search Eastern Orthodox church and the Coptic Church. Sometimes I search Catholic saints for names like Xavier and Corona.
Each month I go through my existing namedays and add new names to my list. Abbamoses does not have icons. Some of the names in namedays.gr are a little dodgy. I write about the saint,why they became a Saint and their feast day. Saints can have more than one nameday depending on the Greek Island or province that celebrates the saint. In 2019 i was lucky enough to go to Cappadocia where most of our saints were born, resided, persecuted and became saints. Patricia
 
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nm1999

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About 5 years ago a friend (non Greek) asked me if her granddaughter had a nameday. Her name was Patrice. I explained Patricia is my Anglo name but my Greek name is Paraskevi. Wanting to impress her συμπεθέρη, she asked me if I could let her know when their namedays were. I now have around 40 people on my list. I use namedays.gr ,iconograms, abbamoses.com to source namedays. Wikipedia is a good source for icons. When I cannot find a Greek Orthodox name, I also search Eastern Orthodox church and the Coptic Church. Sometimes I search Catholic saints for names like Xavier and Corona.
Each month I go through my existing namedays and add new names to my list. Abbamoses does not have icons. Some of the names in namedays.gr are a little dodgy. I write about the saint,why they became a Saint and their feast day. Saints can have more than one nameday depending on the Greek Island or province that celebrates the saint. In 2019 i was lucky enough to go to Cappadocia where most of our saints were born, resided, persecuted and became saints. Patricia
THank you so much for sharing. I love the name Paraskevi, it is my aunts name. I will use these saints day calendars to track everyones name days. It is so hard to keep track these days because there aer so many people to keep track of and these days everyone has more unique names in Greece. Cheers :)
 
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k_tsoukalas

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Having a name day is really special. I was baptized under a different name (Kaliope) than my birth certification (Katherine) and I actually celebrate both! I don't think there are really any strict rules, it's all about what we are comfortable with and if our parents had a saint in mind when they named us.
 

cdiix

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Greeks have quite a few beautiful and unusual female names. Now I have started to think about naming my daughter a Greek name. Perhaps it would be unusual enough for my state, and her name would be unique. I was also surprised to hear about the existence of the name calendar for the first time from you. Previously I had only heard of regular calendars. The thing is, I also use one so I don't miss important meetings or events. For example, before Christmas, I need to turn in a large number of reports. So already now I put in my december calendar all the dates when I have to do it. You have children, so maybe you can use a calendar like this so you don't forget about your schedule.
 
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Patisqua

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Having a name day is really special. I was baptized under a different name (Kaliope) than my birth certification (Katherine) and I actually celebrate both! I don't think there are really any strict rules, it's all about what we are comfortable with and if our parents had a saint in mind when they named us.
My sister is Kalliope. Our Mum, although born in Australia (my Grandparents migrated in 1922) like most of her classmates could not spread English when she started school. He name Asimina was translated to Mena. So our Mum gave us Anglicised names. Paraskevi (me) became Patricia. Kalliope became Colleen. Very Irish names.
 

Patisqua

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Greeks have quite a few beautiful and unusual female names. Now I have started to think about naming my daughter a Greek name. Perhaps it would be unusual enough for my state, and her name would be unique. I was also surprised to hear about the existence of the name calendar for the first time from you. Previously I had only heard of regular calendars. The thing is, I also use one so I don't miss important meetings or events. For example, before Christmas, I need to turn in a large number of reports. So already now I put in my december calendar all the dates when I have to do it. You have children, so maybe you can use a calendar like this so you don't forget about your schedule.
All Greek Orthodox parishes (in Australia) produce a calendar with Saints nameday. Cost is usually whatever you can afford. I know the Greek Orthodox church in Hawaii has one. I bought one this year.
Female Greek names are beautiful. Kalliope, Paraskevi, Panayiota, Elefteria, Vasiliki, Ourania...... list goes on and on. Most Greek names have namedays. That's at least 3 presents a year.
 

How much money to give at a Greek wedding?

I am going to be attending a wedding in Greece and am trying to gather information.

Someone in another thread I started about Greek wedding traditions said that Greeks typically give money at a wedding.

Do you know how I would figure out how much to give? What's customary?

Thanks in advance!

Words to Greek Silent Night carol?

I used to sing "Silent Night" in Greek - my mother taught me.

It's a beautiful song in all languages, but I love the Greek.

I thought I'd share a video of the song! I sing it every year with my family - it's become a tradition.

Decorating Greek Paper Boats at Home

I love the Greek tradition of decorating paper boats, and I thought it would be a fun project to do at home for the holidays. Called karavakia, the boats were used as a gift to sailors and as a token of good luck for the new year. It's a popular tradition!

How can I do this at home, any advice? Here is what I think I will do:
  • Make boats out of paper - start by folding a square piece of paper in half diagonally. Then, fold the bottom corners up to the center and glue them down to create a diamond-shaped base. Fold the top corner down about an inch, and glue it down. Fold the two side corners inward towards the center and glue them down. The result should be a paper boat with a triangular sail.
  • Decorate it however I want - I like glitter, ribbons, stickers, etc.... I love glitter!
  • Some traditional ways to decorate - Cut out small triangles from colored paper to create a festive sail, then glue it onto the triangular sail of the boat.
  • Be sure to tie a string to the boat, and your karavákia is ready to be hung up or placed on a windowsill

I found this video with visual instructions for making the paper boats. It's hard to describe with words!

Tips for decorating "to kravati"

I am participating in this tradition soon and am so excited - it will be my first time.

I have no idea what I am doing - what types of things should I do or bring?

Some ideas:

- Flowers
- Money
- Fun items on a theme (I don't know what this means, but someone told me)
- Good luck items

I am not part of the family, just participating.
Share and discuss Greek traditions related to Greek weddings, christenings, dance & holidays!

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