In Russia, the tradition has long been rooted to give a name to a newborn baby according to the calendar. Saints are a list of names of Christian saints with dates of life, (if known) distributed over the calendar. In the old days, it usually happened like this: immediately after the baby was born, the baby's mother and older relatives began to study the calendar in search of a suitable name for a new family member.
Every day of the year, the Church commemorates many Christian saints, from the times of the early, undivided Church, to the new martyrs of the 20th century who were recently glorified. These names are proclaimed by the priest at the liturgy every day, thereby the Church asks the intercession of the saints of God for those who pray at that moment in the church, and for all Orthodox Christians.
If the baby's birthday did not have a suitable name - euphonic, sufficiently modern, satisfying the tastes of both parents and other family members, then the search continued on the following calendar days. Today, in many believing families, the name for the child is chosen this way. In the event that on the day closest to the child's birthday, the memory of a famous, widely revered saint falls, and this name is liked by the parents, they usually stop at it.
For example, December 6 - the memory of Blg is celebrated. led. book Alexander Nevsky, a boy born in early December, or on the same day, can be given the name Alexander, then his heavenly patron will be the holy noble Prince Alexander Nevsky. Name day - December 6.
On December 7, we honor the amazing saint of the beginning of the 3rd century - the great martyr Catherine. The girl, who was born in early December, can be named after her Catherine.
It often happens that parents have chosen a name for their child before Baptism. If this is a Christian name, then you can be baptized with it. It is necessary to look at the calendar when the memory of the saint closest to the birthday of the saint with this name is celebrated, this day will be the name day of the child, and the saint will be the heavenly patron. For example, there are a lot of saints named John. Let's say the spouses decided in advance: if a son is born, we'll call it Ivan, and the child was born on July 1. In the coming days, the Church glorifies the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (July 7), also, July 2 - the memory of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, etc. It is possible John, but in honor of a specific saint, to whom the soul lies.
There is one important point here. Choosing a heavenly patron for a child, we do not just choose a beautiful name that somehow attracts us, we choose a certain image behind which stands the inner spiritual essence of the person, her fate.
“A child should be dedicated, or rather, entrusted to the preservation, protection, and prayers of the saint whose name is given to him. Parents would have to choose a saint who means something to them, that is, whose life amazed them in some way or who is somehow connected with the conception of this child. In old Russia (this is probably still being done sometimes), a child was baptized in the name of the saint on whose day the christening took place. There is some sense in this, provided, again, that it will not be a nickname, but it will be, as it were, the consecration of a new church in the name of a given saint. of the saint, what is in him, what amazes them not by the euphony of the name, but by the inner appearance, why do they want their child to be under the protection of this saint, or, in any case, that this saint especially prayed for him. Therefore, the name of the child can be of great importance "(Anthony, Metropolitan of Sourozh)
Outstanding church leaders of the synodal period of the Russian Church provide explanations of this issue that are close in meaning.
“The Holy Church, knowing that few are capable of calling names from themselves that bring blessings with them, has established a wonderful custom from the saints to borrow names that, by the grace of the saints, are always noble and capable of bringing blessings with them. But moreover, it is especially good for the baby, who is given the name of a saint not only according to custom, but by faith and love for the saint. " Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow
Rename or double name
In case the child received a name at birth, which is not in the calendar, in Orthodoxy there is another way of choosing a heavenly patron: on the day of Baptism. If the day of christening is marked in the calendar in the memory of a saint with a consonant name, the priest can offer the parents with him and baptize the child. For example, girls with the names Alice, Arina, can be baptized as Alexandra, Ariadne or with other similar names that are mentioned in the calendar on this day.
Jan and Joan are usually baptized as John. Angela, in church transcription - Angelina. Yuri, is often baptized as George. Of course, the parents and the godson himself, when receiving an adult, have the right to choose at their own discretion a patron saint, and take the name at baptism in his honor. One can speak of a double name only in this sense: in everyday life, a person will be called a familiar name, sometimes it remains in documents, while in church life it will be called differently. Often, friends in the temple know parishioners by their baptismal names, with him a Christian participates in the sacraments, they write him in notes. With this name, a person will appear at the judgment of God. This Russian custom reflects the essence of the sacrament of Baptism: a person is born again and receives a new name.
It is impossible to be baptized with a double name, for example, Anna Sophia, in Orthodoxy.
We emphasize once again that the choice of a name according to the calendar is a custom established by people, you can be baptized with any name, if a person achieves holiness and is canonized, a new name will probably be added to the Russian calendar.
Biblical naming traditions
In ancient times, believing peoples attached a serious, sometimes mystical meaning to the choice of a name. From the stories told in the Bible, it can be understood that there were certain tendencies in the naming of the name. For example, the following episode from the Gospel of Luke allows us to learn about one of the traditions.
“On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the baby, and they wanted to name him, after his father's name, Zechariah. To this his mother said: no, but call him John. And they said to her: There is no one in your kinship who is called by this name. "(Luke 1; 59-61)"
In the Old Testament world, it was customary to call children by a name that was already in the family. This custom is still alive today. And today, it is not uncommon for a family where in each generation, one of the family members is called one, especially revered name. In some Christian cultures, for example in the Balkans, this is associated with the veneration of a family saint.
Another tradition is clearly traced, especially mysterious and incomprehensible. The name was given to a person by Revelation from God.
This is how the Holy Prophet John the Baptist received the name, the name of Jesus Christ was announced to the Virgin Mary by an Angel. Apostle Paul received a new name at Baptism, according to Revelation from above. The Old Testament peoples had a clear understanding that a person's name reflects his deep essence, his mission - that is, his purpose in this life.
The most amazing thing is that this tradition continues today. For example, in the biography of the Georgian elder Gabriel (1929-1995), an ascetic and confessor of our time, such a case is described. A childless couple came to Fr. Gabriel, asking him to pray for the gift of a child.
The elder blessed them to serve a prayer service to the Holy Prophet John the Baptist several times, after a while the woman learned that she was expecting a baby. The couple were sure that a boy would be born. Not remembering themselves for joy, they rushed to Fr. Gabriel for the blessing to name the child Gabriel, in his honor. To which the elder replied:
- Queen Tamara was a woman and why is she worse than others?
A girl was born and grateful parents named her Tamara.
Name day and patron saint
The modern church usually issues a Baptismal Certificate to a newly converted Christian, which indicates the date of Baptism, the name of the patron saint and the day of the name day. In the event that there is no evidence, and there is no way to find out in honor of which saint the person was baptized, you need to find according to the calendar the day closest to the birthday, marked by the memory of the saint of the same name. This saint is supposed to be honored as his patron, if no clarifying information can be obtained.
The name day is also called the day of the Angel. This is the common name for the day of veneration of the patron saint. The Guardian Angel is given by God to every baptized person for protection and assistance in spiritual life, but most importantly - for testifying about all the deeds of a person, already accomplished in the Christian title. Good deeds will be an excuse for a person at God's judgment, but if there are much more evil deeds, the Angel will be powerless to help his ward.
The saint in whose honor the name is given is a real, earthly person who lived in a specific historical time, attained holiness and canonized by the Church - that is, canonized. In a sense, this is also an Angel, because it is said about the saints that they are like Angels in heaven, (Matt, 22; 30) but this is a different person.
To understand how to treat your heavenly patron. you can refer to the figurative interpretation (given above), Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Vladyka Anthony says that a person named after a saint is likened to a temple in honor of this saint - a living temple. Throughout his life - by thoughts, actions, words, a person is called to glorify this name, behind which there is a great personality. Of course, we are not talking about mechanical imitation, but in difficult moments of life, in moments of choice, the image of this saint, with certain personal characteristics, can stand before the mind's eye as a reference point, as a series of weighty arguments in favor of certain actions.
It is important for every believer to know the biography of his heavenly patron, it is advisable to find in the life of the saint something especially suitable in a personal life situation, which could become a life credo or, in modern language, internal motivation in making fateful decisions.
Prayer to heavenly patron:
"Pray to God for me, holy saint of God (the name of the saint), as I zealously run to you, an ambulance and prayer for my soul."
Prayer to the Guardian Angel:
"To the angel of God, my guardian are holy and, given to me from God in heaven, I earnestly pray to you: you enlighten me this day, and save me from all evil, instruct me to do a good deed and direct me to the path of salvation. Amen."
How to celebrate Angel Day
The Church recommends celebrating the day of the Angel, first of all, by participating in the sacraments. On this day, it is advisable, if possible, to confess and receive the Holy Mysteries. Family and friends of the birthday person can, as a gift. order in the church, on the day of the Angel, a special mention at the liturgy or serve a prayer service for the health of the birthday person.
In the family circle, name days were traditionally widely celebrated. In old Russia, it was customary to invite godparents and a spiritual father, they were given the most honorable place at the festive table. After congratulations, all the guests, led by the priest, sang "many years" to the birthday man
"A prosperous and peaceful life, health, salvation, and in all good haste, God grant, now the same-name Thy servant (thy servant)" the name of the rivers ", and save him (her) for many years!" - the confessor of the birthday man solemnly proclaimed and the guests sang merrily: - "Many years!"
Today, there are many Christian souvenirs, soulful literature, icons and much more in church shops; you can easily choose a gift for Christening or name day, as a sign of attention and love, to a loved one or a work colleague. Of course, on the day of the Angel, any others, including household gifts, will be appropriate. For relatives, the name day of a family member is, first of all, another family holiday, which means a joyful occasion to get together for loving people, to communicate, strengthening family ties.
Angel Day is a spiritual holiday. Not initiated into the sacrament of baptism asks the question: what is a name day? The answer is discouraging by its simplicity: striving to be better and kinder. In order to become worthy of your name, you need to create for the good and work on the education of will.
On the day of the name day, they thank Christ and the Mother of God, the heavenly patron and guardian angel. It is believed that the saint of the same name is called to ask for a Christian before God. On a special day, a person is purified and strengthened spiritually.
The secular name in the modern world often does not coincide with the church understanding. At baptism, they give a consonant Orthodox name: Alice - Alexandra, Dina - Evdokia, Milan - Militsa.
At churches in parish libraries, people come to understand what a name day is. Reading Orthodox literature, they learn about the life of the same-named saint. It happens that parents call their children by the name of a saint revered in the family.
In Russia, after the adoption of Christianity in 988, the name of the canonized saint was given at baptism. The list of the names of the saints is called Months. At the moment it contains more than 1,000 names of different origins (Latin, Greek).
As far as possible, the birthday was not named to a wide circle of acquaintances. But the date of the name day became known thanks to the church calendar. In ancient times, the day of naming was celebrated on the 8th day after the birth of a child.
For baptism, they come to church with a child on the fortieth day after birth. It is allowed to name a child according to the calendar on the day of baptism. The Orthodox calendar contains information on the days of memory of the saint and the dates of church holidays.
The number of male names prevails over the number of female names, therefore they draw an analogy and write down similar names for girls and boys: Apollinaris - Polina, Anastasiy - Anastasia.
There are several names in one day. For many years, the names of different historical figures were recorded in the calendar on the same date, because there are more names than days in a year.
So, the male name John, which means "the grace of God" in Hebrew, is celebrated in honor of:
- Forerunner and Baptist - January 20, March 9, April 7;
- Apostle - May 21, July 13, October 9;
- saint - February 9 and 12.
The female name of Alexander is translated from Greek and has the meaning "courageous", this name was borne by:
- martyr - April 2, May 6 and 31, November 19;
- Monk Martyr - November 11;
- nun - March 23.
Dates are selected according to the new style.
The same names of the same saint are found on different days of remembrance (birthday, day of repose or acquisition, transfer of relics). Different people with the same names are numbered among the saints - there are more people than names.
Parents or clergymen choose the name of the saint whose memory is celebrated on the child's birthday. According to the established rules, the first holiday in honor of the memory of the holy saint of God is considered the birthday of the newborn.
The remaining days of remembrance are called small name days. When the baby has learned to speak meaningfully, adults teach the child to pray to the saint during the day and before bedtime. The saint becomes a heavenly patron and an adult who has received the sacrament of baptism.
In 2000, the new martyrs and confessors of Russia were glorified. After the Bishops' Council adopts the list of names, young parents choose a saint whose commemoration date is closer to the birthday of their son or daughter.
Church calendar celebration
In Soviet times, the celebration of the name day and everything related to the church was banned. Today, as before, here and there in the houses they sing: "How on ... name day we baked a loaf." The celebration began in the 17th century.
If you look deep into history, you can find the fact that the namesake of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Maria Feodorovna bore the status of public holidays.
An adult believer goes to church on the day of the name day to commune with grace. The Christian prepares for confession and communion.
On the day of the angel, a thanksgiving service to the saint of the same name is ordered. When the day of the angel coincides with the day of fasting, the celebration is transferred to non-fasting days or the days of breaking the fast.
From early hours, pies and rolls of oval, octagonal, rectangular shapes are baked, and during the day they are distributed to godfathers and relatives. The tradition has survived to this day. Family and closest people share the evening meal with the birthday man.
They wish the birthday man a long life, a peaceful flow of life in happiness, peace of mind. The evening celebration takes place with quiet speeches and in a relaxed atmosphere. Children, seeing how the special day is passing, will already transfer the custom of celebrating the day of the angel to their families. Name days will become a traditional day, which in future generations will be remembered and loved.
Young people book a trip and spend angel day in holy places.
Celebration gifts
For an Orthodox person, not a day goes by without prayer. While giving a gift, thoughts and images radiate goodness.
Determine what to give for the birthday boy. A large selection of gifts is available in the church shop. The correct option is a personalized icon in the form of a book. The icons are embroidered with beads. Carved and hand-painted icons are found for gifts. A shelf for icons will do. The right choice is considered a book, the content of which is spiritual.
The godparents do not ask themselves what to give the godchildren for the day of the angel. Gifts are presented in the form of recordings on disks, it can be an Orthodox film or music recorded in churches and monasteries.
You can donate church utensils for the name day: bowls for holy water, lamps.
A gift made with your own hands will resonate with the birthday person. A metric is embroidered on the canvas with the name of the child, date of birth and name day. They sign a personalized postcard made in the original style and colorfully decorated. Children are given useful gifts: a blanket, socks, blouses.
Secular gifts include figurines of angels made of ceramic or cotton fabric.
Engraved boxes and medallions will delight women. The Bible will be a worthy gift for men. They give a certificate with the history of the origin of the name.
Immediately before Baptism, it is customary in church practice to make catechumens - a deep and comprehensive explanation of the meaning and foundations of the Orthodox faith. In many churches, public talks with future godparents are held in advance, if possible.
should be visited. Before the sacrament, all candles are lit, the priest walks around the temple or baptismal house and reads three prayers: a prayer on the baby's birthday, a prayer for naming a name in
the eighth day and the prayer of the 40th day (mother's prayer). To perform Baptism, the baby is completely undressed, while the godparents hold him in his arms, wrapped in swaddling clothes, while reading the prayers. If it's cold, it is allowed to leave the baby in clothes, but slightly open his chest, arms and legs.
The presence of the child's mother at the Christening is allowed only after the priest has read the fortieth day prayer of permission. But some priests read it at the beginning and, thus, allow the mother to participate in the Sacrament, while others - at the end, and then the mother should not even go into the temple (it is allowed to stand in the vestibule). Both are allowed by the Church: when reading the mother's prayer is the decision of the priest. After these prayers, the priest asks the recipients and the godson to turn their faces to the west (symbolically, this is the abode of Satan). And, turning to the godparents, he asks questions three times, which also need to be consciously answered three times. Since baby
cannot grasp the essence of the questions, his godparents make vows for him.
First, the priest asks:
Do you renounce Satan, and all his works, and all his service, and all his pride?
Godfathers should answer:
I deny it.
Then the priest says:
Blow and spit on him (as a sign of extreme contempt).
After that, the priest tells him to turn his face to the east, to the Lord, and asks:
Are you in harmony with Christ?
Godfathers should answer:
I combine.
With this response, the recipients confess loyalty to the Lord for the godson. Then they recite the Creed prayer, which must be memorized, and then the priest reads the Great Litany, during which he blesses the oil and water in the font. For invincibility in the fight against Satan, before plunging into the font, the priest anoints the baby with Holy oil with the words:
God) The name is the oil of joy in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Anointing the breast, he says:
For the healing of soul and body.
Anointing the ears:
To the hearing of faith.
On hands:
Your hands have created me and have created me.
On foot:
To walk him (her) in Thy footsteps (Thy commandments).
18.7. What if a person with a non-Orthodox name does not remember the name with which he was baptized?
- With this problem it is necessary to contact the priest. He will read a prayer for naming a name in honor of the saint whom the person will choose. Communion with a new name, and it will become legal.
18.8. Can a child be named after his father?
- Can. But it is good to choose a name according to the rules of the Church (see answer to question 18.5).
A Practical Guide to Parish Counseling. St. Petersburg 2009.
When considering names in the Russian cultural tradition, it is possible to single out a historically established group of names closely related to Russian religion and culture. This group of names is usually called church, Orthodox or canonical names. Most of these names are inscribed in the church calendar, which, in addition to names, mentions the dates of the memory of the saints who glorified each name. Some of the church names are of Greek origin; there are also Hebrew, Latin and Slavic names.
In past centuries, church names included only those names that were named for children at baptism, and those that were taken by monks during tonsure. Over time, the group of church names supplanted the group of non-canonical names from frequent use. Orthodox names have become very popular when parents choose personal names for children. Church names, which gradually entered into wide use, began to acquire a pronunciation that was more convenient for the Russian people.
In the church tradition, during the sacrament of baptism, the child is given a second name, which becomes his amulet and also participates in the formation of a person's fate. It is under this new name that the baby appears before the heavenly forces and God, with him is born for the second time, but already as a member of a religious community.
For choosing a baptismal name the day on which a person was born and the day on which he was baptized into the Christian faith play a key role. It is believed that only the closest people and the godson himself can know this name, since it has a mysterious power, much more important than the mundane.
What are the principles by which such an important attribute of every believer is chosen? It's actually pretty simple. A baptismal name can only be the name of a saint who is famous for his good gifts, sermons or martyrdom for his faith. Usually, the name of the saint is used, the day of celebration of which falls on the birthday, the day of the baptism of the child or the coming calendar days. It is this righteous person who becomes the child's intercessor before God, and you can turn to him with prayers for health or well-being.
It is also common to baptize a new member of the community in the same name that his parents gave him at birth, but only in the case when a righteous person with the same name appears in the calendar. In addition, often a secular name has some differences from the same canonical. In this case, the canon is assigned to a person as baptismal: instead of Ivan - John, instead of Nelly - Neonilla, and so on.
The baptismal name may not coincide with the worldly name even in cases where the baby received an unusual name from his parents, which is not in the calendar. Then it is customary to call the most consonant option: Robert - Rodion, Karina - Catherine, Alice - Alexandra and the like. If this is the case, then it is preferable to consult with a priest who will help you prepare in advance for the sacrament and choose the most appropriate name.
Church names without fail have a certain meaning stemming from their Latin, Slavic, Greek or Hebrew roots. These values may relate to character traits, the appearance of a person. For example, Gabriel is the fortress of God, Arseny is courageous, Vasilisa is regal, Pavel is small. It is believed that these features, to a greater or lesser extent, both literally and figuratively, pass to the intended person and characterize his character and further destiny.
, as already mentioned, defines the patron saint in heaven, who will accompany (like the guardian angel) a person in life and even after death, accompanying to God.
That's why choosing a baptismal name so important to every believer and his children. Chosen and agreed with the priest, the name is assigned at the baptism ceremony with a special prayer, which assigns him to the godson. Based on the fact that Christians perceive baptism as a second birth, it is worth saying that this day is just as important as the day of birth. Therefore, in the orthodox tradition, name days (the day of remembrance of the patron saint) were always celebrated very solemnly. On the same day, prayers were offered up for a long life, happiness and health of the birthday man, protecting him from all troubles and misfortunes.
The child's church name is closely related to his godparents, who from the moment of the sacrament are considered responsible for his spiritual education and instilling the foundations of religion. According to tradition, godparents must necessarily be of the same faith in which their ward is baptized, and not be married to each other. Even if your family is not very religious, but tries to comply with the basic prescriptions of the doctrine, then you can choose just good people as godparents who will help you in the difficult task of raising a child and will always be ready to help him with advice and deed, instilling high moral qualities. That is, their participation in the baby's life should not be formal, but full.
Thus, at baptism (and the Orthodox Church recommends holding it as early as possible), the child is given a second name that is directly related to the saint or martyr who distinguished himself by his faith and deeds. From that moment on, this saint will help a person in life, patronize, protect from evil and intercede before the Heavenly Sovereign. There are certain rules for choosing a baptismal name to help you choose the most suitable option. With this, you can turn to the church priest. It is believed that the name itself, its roots and sound have a profound impact on the life of the betrothed, his character traits or appearance. We are always ready to offer you our best ideas in the field of professional
After the birth of a child, an important event awaits in his life - giving him a name. This is the first thing you need to baptize a child. Parents should think about what name the baby will wear in advance. Nevertheless, it often happens that, looking at the baby, the mother realizes that the chosen name does not suit the baby, and he is given a different name. It happens that the naming of a name is even included in the duties of the godmother, if the parents cannot decide for a long time.
This is not accidental, because the name carries a special grace, meaning and content. When naming a child, our ancestors also reflected in the name the character traits or circumstances of the baby's birth (for example, Bogdan is God-given, Lyudmila is dear to people). After the baptism of Russia, names of Jewish, Latin and Greek origin became very common in our country, as they tried to name children in honor of the great Christian saints. Each such name is consecrated in the memory of the saint who bore it. And now, when choosing a name for a baby, you need to remember that we call him not for beauty or fashion, but so that the baby becomes like a saint in life who bore this name and became his patron saint after Baptism.
What name should a child be baptized with?
In order to choose which names you can baptize girls and boys with, just look at the Months. It is printed in every Orthodox calendar, it lists male and female names according to the calendar. As a rule, the name for the baby is chosen as follows:
1. Look, the memory of which saints falls on a child's birthday or days next to it.
2. They look at the memory of which saints falls on the day of the baby's baptism or next to it.
3. Choose a name for the baby in honor of the saint revered in the family.
4. Give the child a "vowed" name. For example, my mother prayed for a long time to St. Nicholas that the Lord would give her a child, and promised to name him Nicholas.
Is the name in baptism a different name?
There is a belief that a child should have two names: one is for people, the second in baptism is a secret name. It is believed that this way the child will have protection from unkind people. From the point of view of the Church, this is unreasonable: in prayers we mention the names of relatives and friends, and if everyone had secret names, there would be confusion. The name that a Christian bears has already been sanctified and therefore it is a protection from evil spirits for a person.
Still, can a child be baptized under a different name? This is possible, first of all, when the baby has already been named, but his name is not in the calendar.
What name to baptize a child with if the name is not in the calendar?
Not always, if we did not find the name of the child in the calendar, this means that he is not there, it just may contain an archaic form of the name, a little unusual for us. For example, such a common name for us Ivan in the calendar is recorded as John, Denis - Dionysius, Egor - Gregory, Ulyana - Juliania, Yana, Zhanna - John, Polina - Appolinaria, Yuri - George, Veronica - Virineya, Angela - Angelina, Oksana, Aksinya - Xenia, Marta - Martha, Thomas - Thomas, Lilia - Leah, Ilona - Elena, Svetlana - Fotina, Zlata - Chris. You can consult a priest about this.
Under what names should we baptize children who have already been named by non-Orthodox names?
Under what name should a child be baptized, if, nevertheless, his name is really non-Orthodox? You can choose an Orthodox name similar to it in the calendar. For example, Diana can be called Digna or Anna, Alice or Olesya - Vasilisa or Alexandra, Alina - Alexandra or Inna, Karina - Cleopatra or Kira, Stanislav - Svyatoslav, Arthur - Artemy, Victoria - Quiz, Arina - Ekaterina, Marina, Timur - Timofei , Eduard - George (there is also the ancient saint Edward, although his name is not found in the calendar), Milan - Anna, Ratmir - Roman. And Inna can be baptized under the name Inna, only he bore this name of a saint, later girls began to be called that name.
If you did not manage to find in the calendar a name similar to what you gave the baby, you can simply choose the name of the saint whose memory falls on the day of the baby's baptism or any name according to the calendar that you like.
Our ancestors did not have such a problem as choosing a name for a newborn. Today, in some families, it comes to a scandal, since dad wants to name his son Jordan, mom Apollo, and grandparents dream of Vanechka. But in the old days everything was decided by the Orthodox church book, which was called "Saints". Parents came to church, and the priest offered a choice of several names of Christian saints, whose memory was honored on the baby's birthday. And if now parents want to make a choice in this particular way - how to choose a name for a child according to the calendar?
How to choose the right name according to the calendar?
Birthday, Angel day, name day ... Many people confuse these concepts and congratulate them on their birthday on the name day. In fact, a birthday is the day on which a person was born, and name day is the day of remembrance of the saint after whom he was named. The second name of the name day is the day of the Angel or the day of the namesake. Previously, these days were almost the same for everyone, but now they practically do not. Despite this, some people began to celebrate Angel Day along with their birthday.
The Holy Calendar contains about 1,700 different names. Most of them are for men, moreover, they are mostly out of use. This is not surprising, because many names for modern people seem ridiculous, for example, Popiy, Mnasen, Kurduva or Yazdundokta.
If you decide to name the newborn according to the calendar, remember the following:
- It is best to choose a name for the baby of the saint who is honored on his birthday. For example, your child was born on February 1st. You are truly lucky, because according to the calendar, the newborn can be called by the following names: Arseny, Gregory, Henry, Louise, Euphrasia, Mark, Makar, Meletius, Savva, Theodosia, Fedor or Januarius.
- If you have a boy, and on this day there are no names for a male representative, then the modern church usually advises to look a few days ahead. You can do the same if you don't like the proposed name (or names) at all.
- A baptismal name is given once in a lifetime and does not change again (the exception is that the name changes when taking monastic vows and when changing faith).
- Recently, some parents have given their children double names: one is secular, and the other is church. Someone does this on purpose, but someone accidentally - just at birth the baby is given a non-Orthodox name, and in the church the parents find out that under the name, for example, Stella or Camilla, the child cannot be baptized. In this case, the priest invites parents to choose an Orthodox name for the baby - close or consonant with the "passport".
- If the saint, after whom you named the baby, is venerated several times a year, then the day of the Angel is the next name day after the day birth.
From antiquity to our times
The Orthodox book "Saints" is nothing more than a complete list of all the names of the saints honored by the Orthodox Church. The second title of this book is "Months", as it describes the whole year, day after day, month by month.
Giving a name to a child according to the calendar is an ancient tradition of many peoples. The Slavs were no exception in this. People believed that when a baby receives the name of a saint who is revered on the day of his birth or baptism, he will have a happy and long life. At the same time, it was not advisable to call the child the name of the great martyr - then a hard life is destined for him, full of hardships and suffering.
If several saints were commemorated on the child's birthday, then the parents could choose a name from several suggested by the priest. If the name was one, then the parents, alas, had no choice. People did not dare to count the churches. Later, if no saint was commemorated on the birthday of the new man, or the name really did not like it, the parents began to "increase" the list of names: it was possible to consider the names of the saints whose memory is celebrated on the eighth or fortieth day after the birth of the child. The fact is that our ancestors believed that the name of the newborn should be given no earlier than the eighth day, and the sacrament of Baptism had to be performed on the fortieth day.
"Months" were used until the 1917 revolution. With the advent of Soviet power, when churches began to be exterminated en masse, and religion was prohibited, the tradition of naming children according to the calendar was abandoned. Nowadays, parents have become much more likely to turn to the Orthodox calendar in order to choose a name for their child. Many believe that it will make the baby happy, and the saint, after whom he was named, will become the patron and guardian angel for the child. And some parents just follow modern fashion, because today an old or unusual name is "the last word". So children with the names Luke and Akulina, Spiridon and Evdokia, Illarion and Pelagia meet in kindergartens and schools.
Calendar of names according to the holy calendar for each month
Name days in January
Names in February
Names in March
April names
Names in May
Names in June
The sacrament of baptism is still one of the most intimate rituals conducted by the church. This is an equal blessing for all Christians, endowing a person with a name that he will carry through his whole life, which will influence his fate. After all, it is known that the name book consists of the names legalized by the church and belonging to the saints. Calling the child by one name or another, the parents, as it were, call on the saint to protect their baby. No wonder the Scripture says: "Rejoice, for your names are written in Heaven!" That is, the church believes that the Christian name is a blessing of God.
Through the baptismal ceremony, all Christians today bear the names that were once chosen by Jesus. In the Bible, you can read about Jesus' warnings about keeping the name in the form given to them. That is, we are talking about preserving the verbal formula.
When they began to call children at baptism by the names of the holy martyrs, the apostles taught that this was done not for the sake of repeating the martyr's path, but for the glory of those who passed it and for the sake of the name itself. The bottom line is this: it must be admitted that at least one of the Bible's prophecies came true - Jesus Christ gave names to all Christians.
Different peoples have the same names, with minor fluctuations in spelling and pronunciation, which resulted from their adaptation to national characteristics. The rest is a translation into the local language of the name that came from the same time and was used earlier. For example, the name Agathon (good) corresponded to the Slavic Dobryna, Peter - to the Old Russian Stone. The Hebrew name Thomas corresponds to the Latin name Thomas and the Greek name Didim, which was then transformed into the name Dmitry and means "twin."
Baptism is a ritual of giving a name. The first Christians changed their name. A person who undergoes the rite of baptism enters the water without a name, and the priest at this time by prayer drives away the dark forces and calls on the forces of Light to take the person under their wing and names the name by which they recognize him. Light forces should help a baptized person.
Naming children at the time of baptism by the names of the martyrs who suffered for the faith, it was believed that after death the saints found themselves at the throne of the Lord and had the opportunity to ask for mercy for their "wards."
The ancient custom of naming children after heroes and gods has continued. At first, there were no special rules according to which a person who accepts the Christian faith would choose a saint, in whose name he was baptized. This was the person whose deeds were closest to him or touched some strings of his soul, or that person lived nearby.
In the 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII, who was one of the most enlightened people of his time, introduced the calendar, which became known as Gregorian, and officially approved the custom of giving the names of saints and martyrs at baptism. The name was now given to a person at the moment when he converted to Christianity, as well as to newborns whose parents were Christians.
The rite of baptism is as follows. First, the priest read the prayer three times. Then he also called the Holy Spirit three times, blessed the water that was in the baptismal font. In this water, he immersed the baby (with the head) three times. It was difficult for adults to find a large font, so the priest who performed the sacrament sprinkled the new convert with consecrated water three times. Water is not just a symbol of purification. Submerging in water, a person seemed to die and then rose again, but already as a Christian.
The newly born is given a new name - Christian, and henceforth the patron saint can ask the Lord for forgiveness and mercy for a person. The Holy Spirit enters the newly made Christian through holy water and a drop of special incense - myrrh oil, which the priest applies to the forehead of the baptized person. It means the blessing of the Lord and the equality of all before the Lord.
After performing the sacrament of baptism, the saint, whose name is chosen for a child or adult, becomes his heavenly patron.
If your saint celebrates several days of remembrance during the year (for example, there are about thirty saints with the name Alexander, John - more than eighty), then the next day of remembrance of the saint after your birthday will be your name day, the rest of his days of remembrance are called small name days ...
The list of names and their calendar (Saints), as well as the process of choosing a name itself, were subject to fairly strict rules. In addition to the fact that the name must have been in the Holy Calendar, it had to be one of those, the day of which is celebrated without fail in the interval between the first and eighth birthday of the child.
The child could only be called by the name that was indicated in the Holy Calendar on his birthday. With the help of this church calendar, the days of remembrance of the saints were determined, with which the name of the child coincided. Most often, the child was named in honor of the saint, whose memory day fell on the birthday or the day of giving a name, as well as the day of baptism. For girls, a shift of several days was allowed if there were no days of remembrance of the holy wives. Moreover, the name chosen for baptism did not always coincide with the name given to the child at birth. However, with such a choice, the birthday and name day most often coincided and in the minds merged together. Until now, we call those who celebrate their birthday as birthday people.
In another case, a child was named by vow in honor of a certain saint, who was chosen in advance and prayed to him even before the appearance of the child. Then the name day was celebrated on the day of remembrance of this saint of God, and if the day of remembrance was celebrated several times a year, then on the day closest to the birthday. Now this method of naming is rarely used, but the tradition of celebrating the name day has remained.
However, those who decided to be baptized still have the opportunity to accept the name of a saint or a righteous man, whom a person considers close to himself in spirit and a role model.
It must be remembered that in the church calendar, dates are indicated according to the old style (according to the secular calendar, the New Year begins on January 1, and according to the church calendar - from January 14). Therefore, it is necessary to add 13 to each date in the church calendar in order to get correspondence with the secular calendar.
The first Saints, translated from Greek, were short, and their translation was imperfect, because during the correspondence the names were not translated or analyzed, but simply phonetically transmitted, without explanation. Our talented people did it instead of careless scribes and looked for analogies in them with their relatives, primordially Russians.
At first, the attitude was loyal to the preservation of the names that were given earlier, and the old Slavonic names and the new ones coexisted for quite a long time. But after the fourteenth century, names that were not included in the Saints were banned.
Only in the 17th century, Patriarch Nikon made a number of church reforms, one of which concerned the unification of names, since there were many discrepancies in their pronunciation. Some names of Greek origin were similar to the original Russian, some were distorted and had many variations. To put things in order and simplify the use and choice of names, new translations of names were made, which approved the church spelling of names and showed the difference between a secular name and the one that a person received at baptism. This tradition has survived to this day and has a special, sacred meaning when accepting the schema, tonsuring, and dedicating oneself to serving the church. A person leaves the world and turns to the spirit, changing his life and place in it along with the name. The name of the righteous man remains unchanged so as not to lose its sacred meaning.
This is how national Slavic traditions, pagan beliefs, Christian tradition and the social development of names intertwined, which led to the traditions of naming that exist today. The wisdom of the people, the meaning of Christian philosophy and ancient, pre-Christian knowledge are laid in the foundation of Russian names. Many people believe that in all this there is a certain higher meaning, which is not yet fully understood, but which is of great importance for a person.
After the revolution, the creation of new names was strongly promoted, which took place along with the persecution of the church. By decree of January 23, 1918, baptism was abolished and replaced by civil registration. The church was separated from the state. Parents were encouraged to use new names that reflected "new times." Most of them, of course, were ugly and absurd, like Revput and Tractorina. But there were also melodic in sound, for example, Vilen, Oktyabrina, Iskra. For some reason, they also did not take root.
Since 1924, “new calendar” began to appear in various forms: tear-off calendars and separate manuals, articles in newspapers and magazines with lists of new names, which were proposed to replace the old, canonical ones. But the bulk of people, despite the fashion and revolutionary consciousness, were in no hurry to part with what had become familiar. Many canonical names, of course, fell out of use, there are those that have stood the test of time and fire.
After all the upheavals, the church no longer requires dogmatic observance of traditions.
The great figure Pope John Paul II proclaimed the equality of all religions and announced the official position of the Catholic Church, which repents of its former sins and pride and considers religions to be different only due to different ways of recognizing the One Lord.
Today, Orthodoxy no longer insists on choosing a name for baptism, which is within seven days from the birth of a child. The choice of a name can be anything, even if the saint is not canonized by the Orthodox Church. But most often, for the choice of the heavenly intercessor, in this case, they give a name that is consonant with the name of the one who is baptized. On the other hand, since according to the current legislation, baptism must be preceded by the civil registration of the newborn, the parents themselves choose the name of the child, which fits into the birth certificate.
In the departments of the registry office, the correctness of the spelling (and pronunciation) of the full name given to the child is quite clearly controlled, but if the name under which the child is registered is absent in the Orthodox month, this does not mean that the name should be changed during baptism. It is quite possible that the parents ignorantly gave the child an Orthodox name, but in a non-Russian (Western European or local) form. In this case, you should simply translate it into the Church Slavonic form and baptize under this name. For example, the girl Jeanne is likely to be baptized as Joanna, Polina as Apollinaria, Martha as Martha, Denis as Dionysius, etc. In the event that such a match cannot be established (for example: Edward, Elvira, Karl, Oktyabrina) , the priest recommends that the parents or the baptized person himself choose an Orthodox name (better sounding close), which will henceforth be his church name.
It is also important to know that in their pronunciation the civil and church names often differ somewhat: Ivan - John, Fedor - Theodor, Sergei - Sergius (stress on the first syllable), Alexey - Alexy (stress on the second syllable, as in the civil name) ...
Thus, the child receives two names. It has long been believed that a person should have two names, one of which no one should know, only godparents and father. This is done so that no one can jinx you, damage you, because the name has great energetic power, and any use of it in magic can harm the person to whom it belongs. The naming of the name is performed by the priest, who blesses the baptized person and reads a special prayer over him.
The choice of a name according to the canons of the church is the choice of a heavenly intercessor, therefore, you should definitely know your name day and the history of your saint in order to address him with prayers and use his protection.
At all times, the name of a Christian was considered holy, and from childhood, children were taught to respect their name. This is how the tradition was born to give the baptized person the name of a saint, who thus becomes his heavenly patron and intercessor. This expressed the experience of the Church as a “Community of Saints”: the conviction that the only true purpose and vocation of man is holiness.
It is necessary to distinguish between the heavenly patron and the guardian angel.
Guardian angel - has no name and flesh and is given at the moment of baptism, accompanies a person and teaches him the understanding of Good and Evil. Such a lesson was assigned to him by the Almighty. He should offer prayers every day, understanding his work. You should ask for direction on the righteous path, for protection from temptations, for prompting the right decisions in life and for support in good endeavors.
The heavenly intercessor is a saint whose name a person is named after at baptism. Many have more than one patron. Knowing their stories, you yourself will determine which of them are closer to you and who you can consider as your intercessors. Common practice: the day of the saint's commemoration is considered the day of remembrance of the saint, which is closest to the date of birth. But the church does not insist on this. And, nevertheless, all the saints who have the same name with you should be known and remembered. To do this, refer to the name day calendar, which is presented in our book.