Name day. Christian names. What are name days and angel day: what is the difference and how to celebrate them? October 1 is the day of which saints
Name days and angel's day are holidays that are modern Russia It is not customary to celebrate widely due to a tradition that was once lost. They have lost their significance due to confusion of concepts. Many people associate these holidays with a person’s birthday. In order to understand what name day and angel day are, you need to pay attention to your own name, date of birth, as well as the history of Christianity.
What are name days?
A birthday is the moment of the physical birth of a new person, but this fact has nothing to do with name days. The latter find their mysterious meaning and power only after the newborn is named during baptism in the church. Therefore, name days are considered the day of spiritual birth, when a child is given the name of a certain saint. He becomes the heavenly patron of a person for life.
In Rus', to find out a person’s name, they asked: “What’s your holy name? After a baby is baptized, he not only has a guardian angel. It is generally accepted that name day and angel day are one and the same. Name days are celebrated on the day of the Saint in whose honor the person is named. It often happens that this holiday coincides with a birthday or they are separated by a short period of time. This is explained by the fact that the born child was named in honor of the great martyr. IN modern society children are given names that are not in the calendar (Orthodox calendar). Then the baptismal priest chooses his second name, corresponding to the day of christening.
Angel Day
This holiday is strictly individual. It so happened that it is celebrated by a baptized person named after the saint during the sacrament. For example, if a baby (girl) received and she was born on the twentieth of November, then her patron saint will be Persian. In this case, the day of the angel according to the church calendar should be celebrated on the third of December. It happens that religious parents choose the name of their favorite saint in advance and name their child after him.
On the day of the angel, it is customary to visit churches and temples, take communion, confess, and instill in children the knowledge of the need to honor their heavenly patron. This is special Orthodox holiday, which cannot be celebrated exactly like a birthday. If a person is religious, then it is advisable to celebrate the day of the angel not only with a feast, for example, with family or friends, but also with communion, going to church, and doing good deeds. If the holiday falls during Lent on weekdays, the meal should be moved to Saturday or Sunday.
What is name day and angel day for believers? This is the reading of prayers to the patron saint. During the meeting of the day of the angel, it is obligatory to show sincerity, the desire to receive forgiveness, and true repentance for sins. Lack of self-interest, humility and repentance, kindness to others and to oneself - this is what it means to be under the protection of higher powers and receive help from them.
How were name days celebrated in Rus'?
Many people are interested in the question: “What are name days and how to celebrate them?” The tradition of celebrating this day dates back to the seventeenth century. In Rus' they prepared for name days in advance. At home they brewed beer and made pies special recipes, rolls, loaves. On the name day the whole family mandatory I attended church, took communion, ordered and read prayers to the patron saint for health, and lit candles. In the evening, a festive dinner was held for the birthday boy, to which honorary guests - godparents - were also invited. The table decoration was served without candles. Before the guests left, the birthday boy handed out baked goods to everyone: rolls and pies with special fillings (cabbage, potatoes, etc.), which meant characteristic features relatives.
Angel's Day and Name Day - what is the difference between these holidays? But it did not exist in Rus', since the birthday boy was equally respectful to the patron and accepted gifts. Among church officials and royal persons, name days were called namesakes, which were widely celebrated.
Name days in the 21st century
IN modern world Name days and Angel's Day gradually began to lose their common features. First, the newborn is given the name that the parents like best. After some time, the baby is baptized according to Christian customs (or this procedure is skipped altogether if the parents are atheists - in this case, the name given at birth does not change). It happens that the day of baptism and name day do not coincide, then the two holidays lose their relationship.
Today, many people don’t know what name day and angel day are, so they don’t celebrate them in any way. It is customary to pay more attention to one’s own birthday and the meaning of the name given at birth. Some parents and adults organize small parties in honor of their name days. This is correct if a person is baptized and named after a saint.
Difference between Name Day and Angel's Day
In Christianity, Angel's Day and name day are synonymous. However, there are still minor differences. When a baby is born, according to modern church rules, after forty days he should be brought to the temple for the rite of baptism. Previously, they took the choice of a name very seriously and looked at the Orthodox calendar. If a child was born on the day of a certain saint, he was given that name. The parents believed that this was pleasing to God.
Angel's Day and Name Day - what is the difference between these holidays? For Christians there is no difference, since it did not have much significance. The main thing is that during the process of baptism a spiritual connection was established between the child and the patron saint. It turned out that the baby’s christening and name day coincided, and the line between these concepts gradually blurred. Epiphany water in the font cleanses the newborn, and the Lord gives the person a guardian angel at this moment. That is why the baptism procedure is also called patronage from above.
The meaning of name days in Christianity
What are name days for Christians? In religious Orthodox families, they were considered a more important holiday than the day a child was born. The reason is the naming of the baby after a holy person, which gives the baby the right to receive spiritual and physical help, support, and intercession from the patron. Along the way, the newborn receives a guardian angel, who is still the same saint. It was believed that celebrating name days once a year and honoring your angel is the duty of a baptized person.
The rite of baptism in Rus' was usually carried out seven days after birth (at present, after 40 days). The number 7 has a sacred meaning for Christians. During this time, the creation of the world continued. In every Orthodox family, name days were celebrated widely and tribute was paid to the patron saint. Before the advent of Christianity, a name was given to a child, taking into account the circumstances of his birth, appearance, eye and hair color, and character.
Determining the date of name day and angel day
Today, more than two thousand Christian names of holy people who have been canonized are known. Name days in October, as in other months of the year, play an important role in a religious sense. Before choosing a name for the baby (for the baptismal ceremony), pay attention to the following point: many saints have various dates honors, but the same names. To correctly determine the name day, select the closest date in Orthodox calendar, which is celebrated as the day of remembrance of the saint. It should follow the baby's birthday. What is name day and angel day for a modern person if he knows nothing about these holidays? You can answer this question yourself if you have a great desire to pay tribute to your guardian angel.
Name day in October
Finding out about your angel day is quite simple. To do this, just look at the Orthodox calendar. Name days in October are celebrated by everyone who bears the names of saints canonized by the church. Male: Alexey, Alexander, Andrey, Arkady, Anatoly, Boris, Bogdan, Vladimir, Veniamin, Vyacheslav, Grigory, Gabriel, Vladislav, Valentin. Among women, Sofia, Ulyana, Alina, Anna, Veronica, Vera, Taisiya, Irina, Zinaida, Tatyana celebrate their name days in October.
From the ancient Greek name Alexios - “protector”.
Women's name days on October 1 according to the church calendar
- - from the ancient Greek name Euphrosyune - “fun”, “joy”.
- - from the ancient Greek name Eirene - “tranquility”, “peace”, “peace”.
- - from the ancient Greek name Sophia - “wise”, “wisdom”, “knowledge”.
Name of the day October 1 – Miroslava
The name Miroslav is Slavic and comes from the words “peace” and “glory”. The presence of the word “peace” in the name shows belonging to the military class. Only noble people could be called this way - not just boyars, but boyars who held any kind of power in the “world”. In those days, the world was called a community or military squad. But the world was also called “the force that controls time and space.”
The names of military commanders also began with “peace.”
Ending a name with “slava” showed the person’s popularity.
It turns out that Miroslava is a noble mistress, to whom the secrets of managing people, time and space have been revealed. And indeed, Miroslava can do a lot: including looking the age she wants. In the worst case, she is called a “woman without age” - she can be considered to be in her early twenties, in her thirties, and so on. Everyone falls in love with her, so it is sometimes difficult for Miroslava to make a choice. You can hear her called an “intoxicating woman” or “ideal”.
The rising sun will help Miroslav get rid of misfortunes on October 1. Having made herself comfortable and closing her eyes, Miroslava can imagine how light penetrates her soul along with the rays of the rising sun. This light spreads throughout the body and destroys bad energy and evil thoughts.
Astrological sign Venus in silver brings happiness.
Stars in the sky dream of good luck.
New Year's toys seen in a dream on name day night promise worry over trifles. Broken Christmas tree decorations mean that anxiety will drag on. If the dreamer decorates christmas tree in a dream is a sign that the things he so hoped for will bring too much trouble. Electric garlands sparkling with multi-colored lights mean that the business will be crowned with success, but the result will not be what the dreamer expected. Lights burning on a Christmas tree in a dream on a name day means profit; if they go out, there will be no profit. Christmas tree tinsel is a disappointment in friends, the appearance of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden is neutral news.
Men's and women's name day September 1 according to the church calendar. Who is celebrating Angel Day today? Complete list of female and male names and their meanings in the Orthodox calendar 2019!
Men's name day September 1 |
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| August | The name Augustus originally meant the title of emperor. Over time, it became a personal name, the meaning of which conveys the meaning of this title - “noble”, “awe-inspiring”, “majestic”. This title was held by the sole ruler of the empire. Whoever bore the title of Caesar, which also later became the personal name Caesar, had limited powers. The name Augustus is mentioned only in the Catholic calendar. IN Orthodox calendar the name Augustine is present. |
| Feofan | Translated from Greek it means “Epiphany”. On this day the memory of St. Theophan the New of Athos is celebrated. |
| Agape | Agap is considered a short form of the names Agathon, Agapit, Agapius. Comes from the Greek word “agape”, which means “love”. The Orthodox calendar mentions several saints and martyrs with this name. |
| Timofey | The name is of Greek origin from the word "timotheos", which translated means "who worships God." |
| Pitirim | Derived form of the name Peter. On this day they celebrate the memory of Saint Pitirim, Bishop of Velikoperm, Ustvym, who preached Christianity among the pagan Voguls and Zyryans. Most of them then accepted the Christian faith. Their leader Asyku, who became enraged, killed Pitirim. |
| Callistratus | The name is of Greek origin. Translated it means “beautiful warrior.” |
| Andrey | Translated from ancient Greek (Andreas), the name means “brave”, “courageous”. There is another translation: “man”, “man”. On this day they celebrate the memory of the martyr Andrew Stratilates, who was a Roman military leader under Emperor Maximian. |
Name days on September 1 are celebrated by men who bear the names: August, Theophanes, Timofey, Agap, Pitigrim, Kallistrat and Andrey. Birthday girls are women named Thekla (Tekla).
Choosing a name is a very important and responsible event that leaves an imprint on a person’s entire future life. Therefore, before you name your child, you need to know what the name means. This is necessary not only for the parents of the baby, but also for any adult who wants to know more about their name.
The church calendar points to October 1 as the feast day of St. Arcadius, Bishop of Novgorod. In 2019, on October 1, Hilarion and Remus also celebrate their name day. Birthday boys, of course, will receive their gifts today, but women's birthdays are more significant - Arina, Irina, Ariadne, Euphrosyne and Sofia.
The boys are protected by Arkady, bearer of the names of St. Arkady of Novgorod and the angel Arkady. Men's name days they cope modestly, with obligatory veneration of the great saint. Girls have more guardians, but the bishop was a great man, famous for his good deeds, although not much is known about him. Those whom he has bestowed with his grace will not be left without protection.
There is little exact information about the saint - from his life it is known that he was born in Novgorod. There, at a very young age, Arkady took monastic vows at the Yuryev Monastery.
The pious monk, inspiring people with his sermons, quickly became a deacon and then a presbyter. His youth did not prevent him from soon being elevated to the rank of abbot.
People envied Arkady - he was accused of envy and communication with the devil, and was expelled from the monastery. Prince Izyaslav Mstislavich himself, brother of the Novgorod prince Vsevolod, became the saint's patron. Arriving in the city, he heard a lot of stories about the young monk, so he personally appointed him abbot to the monastery next to Yuryev - Panteleimonov.
In 1153, Arkady built the Assumption Monastery, and for the next five years he was abbot there. In 1158, after the death of the Novgorod bishop, he was unanimously elected as the next ruler.
Arkady was consecrated on August 10, and, according to ancient tradition, was transferred to live in the bishop’s house long before that.
A shepherd from God, he often settled quarrels both between ordinary people and between princes. The venerable bishop died in September 1165. The mourning Novgorodians buried the saint in the St. Sophia Cathedral, where his relics are still kept.
(225 votes: 4.4 out of 5)Name day- a day of remembrance, which was given to a person at. Every day is dedicated to the memory of a saint (most often more than one). The list of saints' days of remembrance is at.
Most often, the day of remembrance of a saint is the day of his earthly death, i.e. transition to eternity, meeting with God, to join Whom the ascetic sought.
How to determine the name day
In the church calendar there are several days of commemoration of the same saint, and many saints also bear the same name. Therefore, it is necessary to find in the church calendar the day of remembrance of the saint of the same name as you, closest to your birthday. These will be your name days, and the saint whose memory is remembered on this day will be your heavenly patron. If he has other days of memory, then for you these dates will become “small name days”.
If we want to name the child strictly according to church tradition, then this will be the name of the saint, whose memory is celebrated on the 8th day after the birth of the child. Cm.
When determining a name day, the date of canonization of a saint does not matter, because it only records a fait accompli. In addition, as a rule, it is performed dozens of years after the saint’s transition to the heavenly abodes.
The name received by a person at baptism not only remains unchanged throughout his life (the only exception is the case of accepting monasticism), but also remains after death and passes with him into eternity. In prayers for the deceased, he also remembers their names given in baptism.
Name day and Angel Day
Sometimes name days are called Angel Day. This name day name recalls the fact that in the old days heavenly patrons were sometimes called the Angels of their earthly namesakes; It is incorrect, however, to confuse saints with angels. Name day is the day of remembrance of the saint after whom a person is named, and Angel Day is the day of baptism, when a person is assigned by God. Each baptized person has his own Guardian Angel, but we do not know his name.
Veneration and imitation of one's patron saint
The monk wrote about the prayerful help of the saints: “The saints, in the Holy Spirit, see our lives and our deeds. They know our sorrows and hear our fervent prayers... The saints do not forget us and pray for us... They also see the suffering of people on earth. The Lord gave them such great grace that they embrace the whole world with love. They see and know how exhausted we are from sorrows, how our souls have dried up, how despondency has bound them, and, without ceasing, they intercede for us before God.”
Veneration of a saint consists not only of praying to him, but also of imitating his feat and his faith. “Let your life be according to your name,” said the monk. After all, the saint whose name a person bears is not just his patron and prayer book, he is also a role model.
But how can we imitate our saint, how can we at least follow his example in some way? To do this you need:
- First, know about his life and exploits. Without this, we cannot truly love our saint.
- Secondly, we need to turn to them in prayer more often, know the troparion for him and always remember that we have a protector and helper in heaven.
- Thirdly, of course, we must always think about how we could follow the example of our saint in one case or another.
According to the nature of Christian deeds, saints are traditionally divided into faces (categories): prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, confessors, saints, righteous, holy fools, saints, etc. (see).
The person named confessor or martyr, may well fearlessly profess his faith, act as a Christian always and in everything, without looking back at dangers or inconveniences, in everything he pleases, first of all, God, and not people, regardless of ridicule, threats and even oppression.
Those named after saints, can try to imitate them, exposing errors and vices, spreading the light of Orthodoxy, helping their neighbors find the path to salvation both by word and by their own example.
Reverend(i.e. monks) can be imitated in detachment, independence from worldly pleasures, maintaining purity of thoughts, feelings and actions.
imitate holy fool- means, first of all, to humble yourself, cultivate selflessness, and not get carried away by acquiring earthly riches. The continuation should be the education of will and patience, the ability to endure the difficulties of life, the fight against pride and vanity. You also need the habit of meekly enduring all insults, but at the same time not being shy about exposing obvious vices, telling the truth to everyone who needs admonition.
Names in honor of Angels
A person can also be named in honor of (Michael, Gabriel, etc.). Christians named after the archangels celebrate their name day (November 8, Old Style), on the day of the Celebration of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers.
If the name is not in the calendar
If the name you were given is not in the calendar, then at baptism the name that is closest in sound is chosen. For example, Dina - Evdokia, Lilia - Leah, Angelica - Angelina, Zhanna - Ioanna, Milana - Militsa. According to tradition, Alice receives the name Alexandra in baptism, in honor of St. passion-bearer Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, who before accepting Orthodoxy bore the name Alice. Some names in the church tradition have a different sound, for example, Svetlana is Photinia (from the Greek photos - light), and Victoria is Nike, both names mean “victory” in Latin and Greek.
Only the names given at baptism are written.
How to celebrate a name day
Orthodox Christians on their name days visit the temple and, having prepared in advance, visit the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
The days of “small name days” are not so solemn for the birthday person, but it is advisable to visit the temple on this day.
After communion, you need to keep yourself from all fuss so as not to lose your festive joy. In the evening, you can invite your loved ones for a meal. It should be remembered that if the name day falls on a fast day, then the holiday treat should be fast. During Lent, name days that occur on a weekday are moved to the next Saturday or Sunday.
Cm. Natalya Sukhinina
What to give for name day
In celebration of the memory of the patron saint the best gift the birthday boy will have something that can contribute to his spiritual growth: an icon; vessel for, container for and; beads; high-quality wax candles or lamp for home prayer; books, audio and video recordings of spiritual content; headscarf and headscarf (this is the headdress of married women); a trip to a pilgrimage.
Prayer to your saint
We should remember the saint in whose honor we receive a name not only on name day. There is a prayer to the saint in our daily morning and evening prayers, and we can also turn to him at any time and in any need. The simplest prayer to the saint:
Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.
Your saint also needs to know.
In addition to the icons of the Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Mother of God, it is advisable to have your own saint. It may happen that you are wearing some rare name, and the icon of your heavenly patron will be difficult to find. In this case, you can buy an icon of All Saints, which symbolically depicts all the saints glorified by the Orthodox Church.
Patristic sayings about name days
“We began to choose names not according to God. According to God, this is how it should be. Choose a name according to the calendar: either on what day the child will be born, or on what day he will be baptized, or within three days after baptism. Here the matter will be without any human considerations, but as God wills, for birthdays are in the hands of God.
saint
History and symbolism of the name day celebration
Like many other religious traditions, the celebration of name days was forgotten in Soviet times, moreover, in the 20-30s of the twentieth century it was subject to official persecution. True, eradicate the centuries-old folk habits It turned out to be difficult: they still congratulate the birthday boy on his birthday, and if the hero of the occasion is very young, they sing a song: “how on... the name day we baked a loaf.” Meanwhile, name day is a special holiday, which could be called a day of spiritual birth, since it is associated primarily with the sacrament of Baptism and with the names that our heavenly patrons bear.
The tradition of celebrating name days has been known in Rus' since the 17th century. Usually, on the eve of the holiday, the birthday boy’s family brewed beer and baked birthday rolls, pies and loaves. On the day of the holiday itself, the birthday boy and his family went to church for mass, ordered a prayer service for health, lit candles and venerated the icon with the face of his heavenly patron. During the day, birthday pies were distributed to friends and relatives, and often the filling and size of the pie had a special meaning, determined by the nature of the relationship between the birthday person and his loved ones. In the evening a festive dinner was held.
The royal name day (Name Day), which was considered a public holiday, was celebrated especially magnificently. On this day, boyars and courtiers came to the royal court to present gifts and take part in a festive feast, during which they sang for many years. Sometimes the king himself distributed the pies. Huge birthday rolls were distributed to the people. Later, other traditions appeared: military parades, fireworks, illuminations, shields with imperial monograms.
After the revolution, a serious and systematic ideological struggle began with name days: the rite of baptism was recognized as counter-revolutionary, and they tried to replace it with “Oktyabriny” and “Zvezdiny”. A ritual was developed in detail, in which the newborn was congratulated in strict sequence by an October child, a pioneer, a Komsomol member, a communist, “honorary parents”, sometimes the baby was symbolically enrolled in a trade union, etc. The fight against “remnants” reached anecdotal extremes: for example, in the 20s, censorship banned K. Chukovsky’s “Tsokotukha Fly” for “name day propaganda.”
Traditionally, name days are attributed to the day of remembrance of the named (namesake) saint, which immediately follows the birthday, although there is also a tradition of celebrating name days on the day of memory of the most famous named saint, for example, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Apostle Peter, St. Alexander Nevsky, etc. d. In the past, name days were considered a more important holiday than the day of “physical” birth, in addition, in many cases these holidays practically coincided, since traditionally a child was baptized on the eighth day after birth: the eighth day is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven. , to which the baptized person joins, while the number seven is an ancient symbolic number denoting the created earthly world. Baptismal names were chosen according to the church calendar (saints). According to the old custom, the choice of name was limited to the names of the saints whose memory was celebrated on the day of baptism. Later (especially in urban society) they moved away from this strict custom and began to choose names based on personal taste and other considerations - in honor of relatives, for example.
Name days turn us to one of our hypostases - to our personal name.
Perhaps to the ancient motto “Know thyself” we should add: “Know thy name.” Of course, a name primarily serves to distinguish people. In the past, a name could be a social sign, indicating a place in society - now, perhaps, only monastic (monastic) names stand out sharply from the Russian name book. But there is also a now almost forgotten, mystical meaning of the name.
In ancient times, people gave the name much higher value than now. The name was considered a significant part of a person. The content of the name was correlated with the inner meaning of a person; it was, as it were, put inside him. The name controlled fate (" good name — good sign"). A well-chosen name became a source of strength and prosperity. Naming was considered a high act of creation, guessing human essence, invocation of grace.
In primitive society, a name was treated as a part of the body, like eyes, teeth, etc. The unity of the soul and the name seemed undeniable, moreover, it was sometimes believed that as many names as there were, there were as many souls, therefore in some tribes before to kill an enemy, it was supposed to find out his name in order to use him in his native tribe. Often names were hidden to prevent weapons from being given to the enemy. Harm and trouble were expected from mistreatment of the name. In some tribes it was strictly forbidden to pronounce (taboo) the name of the leader. In others, the custom was practiced of assigning new names to elders, which gave new strength. It was believed that a sick child was given strength by the name of his father, who was shouted in his ear or even called by his father’s (mother’s) name, believing that part of the parents’ vital energy would help defeat the disease. If the child cried especially a lot, it means the name was chosen incorrectly. Various nationalities have long maintained the tradition of naming “deceptive”, false names: the true name was not pronounced in the hope that death and evil spirits, perhaps, would not find the baby. There was another version of protective names - unattractive, ugly, frightening names (for example, Nekras, Nelyuba and even Dead), which averted adversity and misfortune.
IN Ancient Egypt personal name was carefully guarded. The Egyptians had a “small” name, known to everyone, and a “big” one, which was considered true: it was kept secret and pronounced only during important rituals. The names of the pharaohs were especially respected - in the texts they were highlighted with a special cartouche. The Egyptians treated the names of the dead with great respect - mishandling them caused irreparable harm to the otherworldly existence. The name and its bearer were one whole: a typical Egyptian myth is that the god Ra hid his name, but the goddess Isis managed to find him out by opening his chest - the name literally ended up inside the body!
For a long time, a change in name corresponded to a change in human essence. New names were given to adolescents upon initiation, that is, upon joining adult members of the community. In China, there are still children's "milk" names, which are abandoned with maturity. In ancient Greece, newly-minted priests, renouncing their old names, carved them on metal tablets and drowned them in the sea. Echoes of these ideas can be seen in the Christian tradition of giving monastic names, when someone who has taken monastic vows leaves the world and his worldly name.
Many nations have taboo names pagan gods and spirits. It was especially dangerous to call evil spirits (“cursing”): in this way one could call out the “evil force.” The ancient Jews did not dare to name the Name of God: Yahweh (in the Old Testament - this is the “unspeakable Name”, a sacred tetragram, which can be translated as “I am who am.” According to the Bible, the act of naming often becomes God’s work: the Lord gave names to Abraham, Sarah , Isaac, Ishmael, Solomon, renamed Jacob Israel. The special religious gift of the Jewish people was manifested in a variety of names, which are called theophoric - they contain God’s “ineffable Name”: thus, through his personal name, a person connected with God.
Christianity, as the highest religious experience of mankind, takes personal names very seriously. A person’s name reflects the mystery of a unique, precious personality; it presupposes personal communication with God. During the sacrament of Baptism, the Christian Church, accepting a new soul into its bosom, binds it through a personal name with the name of God. As Fr. wrote. Sergius Bulgakov, “human naming and name-incarnation exists in the image and likeness of divine incarnation and naming... every person is an embodied word, a realized name, for the Lord himself is the incarnate Name and Word.”
The purpose of Christians is considered to be holiness. By naming a baby the name of a canonized saint, the Church tries to guide him on the true path: after all, this name has already been “realized” in life as a saint. The one who bears the holy name always keeps within himself the exalting image of his heavenly patron, “helper,” “prayer book.” On the other hand, the commonality of names unites Christians into one body of the Church, into one “chosen people.”
Reverence for the names of the Savior and the Mother of God has long been expressed in the fact that in the Orthodox tradition it is not customary to give names in memory of the Mother of God and Christ. Previously, the name of the Mother of God was even distinguished by a different emphasis - Mary, while other holy wives had the name Maria (Marya). The rare monastic (schema) name Jesus was assigned in memory not of Jesus Christ, but of the righteous Joshua.
The Russian Christian name book has evolved over centuries. The first extensive layer of Russian names arose in the pre-Christian era. The reasons for the emergence of a particular name could be very different: in addition to religious motives, the circumstances of birth, appearance, character, etc. played a role. Later, after the Baptism of Rus', these names, sometimes difficult to distinguish from nicknames, coexisted with Christian calendar names ( up to the 17th century). Even priests sometimes had nicknames. It happened that one person could have as many as three personal names: a “nickname” name and two baptismal names (one obvious, the other hidden, known only to the confessor). When the Christian name book completely replaced the pre-Christian “nickname” names, they did not leave us forever, moving into another class of names - in surnames (for example, Nekrasov, Zhdanov, Naydenov). Some pre-Christian names of canonized Russian saints subsequently became calendar ones (for example, Yaroslav, Vyacheslav, Vladimir).
With the adoption of Christianity, Rus' was enriched with the names of the entire human civilization: with the Byzantine calendar, Greek, Jewish, Roman and other names came to us. Sometimes images of more ancient religions and cultures were hidden under the Christian name. Over time, these names became Russified, so much so that the Hebrew names themselves became Russian - Ivan and Marya. At the same time, one should keep in mind the lofty thought of Fr. Pavel Florensky: “there are no names, neither Jewish, nor Greek, nor Latin, nor Russian - there are only universal names, the common heritage of mankind.”
The post-revolutionary history of Russian names took a dramatic turn: a massive campaign of “de-Christianization” of the name book was carried out. The revolutionary obscurantism of some sections of society, combined with harsh government policy, was aimed at restructuring, and therefore at renaming the world. Along with the renaming of the country, its cities and streets, the people were renamed. “Red calendars” were compiled, new, “revolutionary” names were invented, many of which now sound simply like curiosities (for example, Malentro, i.e. Marx, Lenin, Trotsky; Dazdraperma, i.e. Long live May Day, etc. .). The process of revolutionary name-making, characteristic of ideological revolutions in general (it was known in France at the end of the 18th century, and in Republican Spain, and in the countries of the former “socialist camp”) did not last long in Soviet Russia, about a decade (20-30s ). Soon these names became the property of history - here it is appropriate to recall another thought about. Pavel Florensky: “you can’t think of names,” in the sense that they are “the most stable fact of culture and the most important of its foundations.”
The change in the Russian name also went along the line of borrowing from other cultures - Western European (for example, Albert, Victoria, Zhanna) and common Slavic Christian names (for example, Stanislav, Bronislava), names from Greek and Roman mythology and history (for example, Aurelius, Aphrodite , Venus), etc. Over time, Russian society again returned to calendar names, but “de-Christianization” and a break in tradition led to an extraordinary impoverishment of the modern name book, which now consists of only a few dozen names (this also played a role general property“mass cultures” - the desire for averaging, standardization).
Hieromonk Macarius (Markish):
Since ancient times, the custom has been established to give a newly accepted member of the Church the name of a saint. Thus, a special, new connection arises between earth and Heaven, between a person living in this world and one of those who have worthily walked their life’s path, whose holiness the Church has witnessed and glorified with its collective wisdom. Therefore, every Orthodox Christian must remember the saint in whose honor he is named, know the basic facts of his life, and, if possible, remember at least some elements of the service in his honor.
But the same name, especially the common ones (Peter, Nicholas, Mary, Helen), was borne by many saints of different times and peoples; therefore, we have to find out in honor of which saint who wore given name, the baby will be named. This can be done using detailed church calendar, which contains an alphabetical list of saints revered by our Church with the dates of celebration of their memory. The choice is made taking into account the date of birth or baptism of the child, the circumstances of the life feat of the saints, family traditions, your personal sympathies.
In addition, many famous saints have several days of remembrance throughout the year: this could be the day of death, the day of the discovery or transfer of relics, the day of glorification - canonization. You have to choose which of these days will become the holiday (name day, name day) of your child. It is often called Angel Day. In fact, we ask the Lord to give the newly baptized his Guardian Angel; but this Angel must under no circumstances be confused with the saint after whom the child is named.
Sometimes some difficulties arise when naming a name. There are many Orthodox saints known in history, but not included in our calendars. Among them are saints Western Europe, who lived and were glorified even before the fall of Rome from Orthodoxy (until 1054, the Roman Church was not severed from Orthodoxy, and we also recognize the saints revered in it by that time as saints), whose names became popular among us in last decades(Victoria, Eduard, etc.), but are sometimes listed as “non-Orthodox”. There are also the opposite situations, when the usual Slavic name does not belong to any of the Orthodox saints (for example, Stanislav). Finally, there are also frequent formal misunderstandings related to the spelling of the name (Elena - Alena, Ksenia - Oksana, John - Ivan) or its sound in English. different languages(in Slavic - Svetlana and Zlata, in Greek - Photinia and Chrysa).
In the Russian Church, unlike some other Orthodox Churches, the beloved name Maria is never given in honor of Holy Mother of God, but only in honor of other saints who bore this name. You should also know that since 2000, our Church has canonized many of our countrymen and fellow citizens - new martyrs and confessors of the 20th century - and calls on believers to name their children in their honor and memory.
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