How do you celebrate your feast day (or family members' feast days)?

[snowbirdling]

Hey everyone! My husband and I are newlywed and we want to get into the tradition of celebrating feast days so that our children will have that experience and tradition as they grow up as well.
What do you do on feast days, how do you celebrate? Do you have any ideas for us?

Thanks!

 

[Knee V]

Are you referring to our name day? If so, I was not raised Orthodox and have no experiencing celebrating it. All I do is incorporate a troparion to my saint (the Holy Prophet Joel) in my daily prayers and make sure to ask for his intercession more often that day. I like to make a point to read the book of Joel as well.

 

[gzt]

Celebrate it much like a birthday (though not necessarily with presents) and of course with prayers and such. A molieben or something.

 

[Joseph Hazen]

For (what I thought was) my wife's Name Day I bought her flowers. For my Name Day she gave me some candy. Now, we converted into a Serbian parish, so we have what is called a "Slava" which is the Patron of your family. The Slava is passed down through the male line, like your surname almost. Daughters celebrate their family Slava until they get married then celebrate their husband's Slava. The Slava prays for your family forever, all your descendants.

Now, our Slava was yesterday, St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. We made the two traditional foods, koliva (in honor of the saint and as a memorial for the family members who've died in the past year) and slavski kolach, which is a type of bread. Then there's this ritual you do where the priest blesses the bread, cuts it, puts wine on it, rotates it with the head of the house, kisses it and breaks it, all while saying prayers. We did a variation of this because we couldn't get our bread to our priest.

So we did the kolach and the koliva prayers during a dinner we hosted for a bunch of our friends. We sat around our table eating, having some very lively discussions, and had a few hard drinks too. At the center of the table was our Icon of St. John. It was a lot of fun.

 

[Colleen1]

Interesting, thanks for starting the thread.

 

[snowbirdling]

For (what I thought was) my wife's Name Day I bought her flowers. For my Name Day she gave me some candy. Now, we converted into a Serbian parish, so we have what is called a "Slava" which is the Patron of your family. The Slava is passed down through the male line, like your surname almost. Daughters celebrate their family Slava until they get married then celebrate their husband's Slava. The Slava prays for your family forever, all your descendants.

Now, our Slava was yesterday, St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. We made the two traditional foods, koliva (in honor of the saint and as a memorial for the family members who've died in the past year) and slavski kolach, which is a type of bread. Then there's this ritual you do where the priest blesses the bread, cuts it, puts wine on it, rotates it with the head of the house, kisses it and breaks it, all while saying prayers. We did a variation of this because we couldn't get our bread to our priest.

So we did the kolach and the koliva prayers during a dinner we hosted for a bunch of our friends. We sat around our table eating, having some very lively discussions, and had a few hard drinks too. At the center of the table was our Icon of St. John. It was a lot of fun.

Interesting, I have never heard of a Slava before, but I like it. How does one choose a Slava? Or is it based on the family name?

I like the idea of inviting friends over. It seems like a tame way to invite non-Orthodox friends to feast with you!

 

[Joseph Hazen]

Interesting, I have never heard of a Slava before, but I like it. How does one choose a Slava? Or is it based on the family name?

I like the idea of inviting friends over. It seems like a tame way to invite non-Orthodox friends to feast with you!

Slavas traditionally are the day your family became Orthodox, but a lot of American converts I know of choose a meaningful saint to them. I chose St. John of San Francisco because he was fond of the Western rite and saints, spread Orthodoxy in America, was so devout and such a great example of piety, and because my Grandma, who was my Godmother in Roman Catholicism, died on his feast day the year I became Orthodox (last year). It was then a way to honor my former religious upbringing for what it did teach me, and bring it into the new.

I have an Irish friend who chose St. Patrick, a heiromonk I know has the Slava of a feast; the Chains of St. Peter because his father's name was Peter. One of my friends felt irresistibly drawn to St. George and so took him as the family Slava.

I think it's a great tradition. Find a saint who wants to take on the role of protector for your family and teach your children to honor him or her as such. Pass it on to your children and your children's children. The beauty of American Orthodoxy - we're the blend of all the traditions of our Mother Churches.

 

[ProScribe]

make sure you know how to read & interpret the church calendar? . . .

 

[ArmyMatt]

my Godmother makes me her pineapple corn bread.

 

[Colleen1]

my Godmother makes me her pineapple corn bread.

That's sweet.

 

[-Kyriaki-]

We (Greek tradition) celebrate them like birthdays - cake and presents for the kids, and greetings from family and friends.

We go to Church if possible - generally, Greek priests don't work a day job, so they celebrate Liturgy during the week if asked, especially for a common nameday or important Saint's feast day. Kyriaki is a common Greek name, so we ALWAYS have a liturgy for her day. And my priest makes the same corny joke about seeing so many Kyriakis (Sundays) on a Monday or whatever day of the week it is. Next year it will fall on a Sunday, so we'll get some joke about it being doubly our nameday or something!

Everyone who can receives Communion on their nameday - this is more of a big deal for those who receive infrequently, but it's still something we try really hard to do even if it means missing the morning at work or study.

Most of the customs revolve around giving to others - once we're no longer children, it's more about us giving to others rather than being given gifts. Traditionally the custom is to give to the poor, which often works out to hosting a feast or at least bringing food to Church for everyone to share. Another common tradition is to bring the bread and wine for an artoklasia, which I forget the russian name for. Litya? The five loaves of bread blessed by the priest, generally at Vespers. I am determined to make the loaves one year, but I've always been too sick to do so! One day.

A non-Church related custom is that if it's your nameday and you're drinking with friends, you pay, since that's giving to the poor...

My thing is flowers - I don't have the energy to bake, or a lot of money, but I always bring flowers for St Kyriaki and the Church. I don't know if she likes gerbera daisies but I do, so that's what I bring! This year I went to a flower farm about 15 minutes from where I live and asked them to make me up some arrangements, so I have a big one for Church and a smaller one for our living room icon corner table (yes, my protestant family has an icon corner, and my Mum's actually quite proud of it!) They do beautiful arrangements, and I did three kinds of flowers this year and they added greenery. Gerberas (joy and purity), lilies (purity and spiritual maturity) and purple asters (pure love and patient endurance), which seemed perfect for a virgin great martyr. Here's pictures, because I can't resist - today's my nameday (7th of July):

Church flowers:

Home flowers:

 

[ArmyMatt]

today's my nameday (7th of July)

many years!

 

[-Kyriaki-]

Thankyou

 

[snowpumpkin]

For (what I thought was) my wife's Name Day I bought her flowers. For my Name Day she gave me some candy. Now, we converted into a Serbian parish, so we have what is called a "Slava" which is the Patron of your family. The Slava is passed down through the male line, like your surname almost. Daughters celebrate their family Slava until they get married then celebrate their husband's Slava. The Slava prays for your family forever, all your descendants.

Now, our Slava was yesterday, St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. We made the two traditional foods, koliva (in honor of the saint and as a memorial for the family members who've died in the past year) and slavski kolach, which is a type of bread. Then there's this ritual you do where the priest blesses the bread, cuts it, puts wine on it, rotates it with the head of the house, kisses it and breaks it, all while saying prayers. We did a variation of this because we couldn't get our bread to our priest.

So we did the kolach and the koliva prayers during a dinner we hosted for a bunch of our friends. We sat around our table eating, having some very lively discussions, and had a few hard drinks too. At the center of the table was our Icon of St. John. It was a lot of fun.

This is a great church website about St John. Read through the miracles when you have time. http://saintjohnwonderworker.org/

 

[Dorothea]

We say "Happy Name Day!", and that's about it. We really should do more for that than bdays.

 

[Dorothea]

today's my nameday (7th of July):

Happy Name Day!

 

[Monica child of God 1]

Hello!

Different feast days have traditions tied to them. For example:

we bring fruit to church to be blessed on Transfiguration

On the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple some parishes bless candles. If yours doesn't, you can still incorporate more candles in your life that day, like at dinner. Years ago I made a cake for my son on the feast of the Presentation with white icing and two plastic doves. We lit candles and I put the icon for the feast on the table. We talked about the feast and read the scripture. It was really nice.

On saint Basil's day you can make vasilopita and bake a foil wrapped coin inside. St. Basil was known for his charity, so good works are especially appropriate to commemorate him.

For Theophany bring a bottle to church and arrange to have your home blessed.

On the feast of the beheading of John the baptist, don't use plates or knives. Eat soup or stew with a spoon. My priest told me about that one.

I'll think of more.

M.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Hello!

Different feast days have traditions tied to them. For example:

we bring fruit to church to be blessed on Transfiguration

On the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple some parishes bless candles. If yours doesn't, you can still incorporate more candles in your life that day, like at dinner. Years ago I made a cake for my son on the feast of the Presentation with white icing and two plastic doves. We lit candles and I put the icon for the feast on the table. We talked about the feast and read the scripture. It was really nice.

On saint Basil's day you can make vasilopita and bake a foil wrapped coin inside. St. Basil was known for his charity, so good works are especially appropriate to commemorate him.

For Theophany bring a bottle to church and arrange to have your home blessed.

On the feast of the beheading of John the baptist, don't use plates or knives. Eat soup or stew with a spoon. My priest told me about that one.

I'll think of more.

M.

I think there is a feast day where flowers are blessed as well. and for St John's beheading folks will also not eat stuff like melons or anything head shaped.

 

[Monica child of God 1]

I think there is a feast day where flowers are blessed as well. and for St John's beheading folks will also not eat stuff like melons or anything head shaped.

I think flowers and herbs are blessed for Dormition iirc.

M.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I think flowers and herbs are blessed for Dormition iirc.

M.

yeah that be the one. I know St Phranourios has a bread as well