Greek Traditions Community

How do you choose a name day?

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mastichas09

Active member
I am wondering how you guys all choose a name day to celebrate. For example, I have a friend named John, and there are multiple saints that have that name. He said he chose the saint that resonated the most with him. I have another friend, also named John, who celebrated a different one because that is the one that the parents had selected. How do you know what the right choice is?
 
Well... it depends on the devotion that some people express to some Saints. Maybe some parents experience difficulties with having children, so they pray to a specific Saint and when a child is finally born, they give him his name.
 
Athanasios Koukopoulos said:
Well... it depends on the devotion that some people express to some Saints. Maybe some parents experience difficulties with having children, so they pray to a specific Saint and when a child is finally born, they give him his name.
Click to expand...
This is a good insight! I've seen it happen, too, where the child was very sick when he or she was born, so parents chose a saint they prayed to in order to help the child recover. I ended up being named after the saint associated with one of my names - Kaliope - which was my maternal grandmother's name. My birth certificate is Katherine, though, so I actually celebrate both.
 
These are interesting perspectives! I guess it all depends on the situation...
 
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I’ve always loved the tradition of celebrating name days. In my family, they’re just as meaningful as birthdays, and sometimes even more fun because they bring everyone together in a different way.

When a big name day comes around, especially one that several family members share, we often turn it into a full family gathering. For example, on a name day like Nick/Nikolas, where there might be multiple people celebrating, it becomes almost like a mini family holiday. Someone hosts, there’s plenty of food, and everyone comes by to wish the celebrants “chronia polla.”

I also like the simplicity of the tradition. Even if there isn’t a big gathering, people still call or send messages to acknowledge the day.

Do you celebrate name days in your family? And are there certain ones that turn into larger celebrations because several people share the name?

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