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

[Joseph Hazen]

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

Yep, and you're supposed to pray for his mother:

St Phanourios bread recipe, and a few words about the holy martyr

My wife, when she went to a Western parish, says they always had goose on St. Michael's day which is called Michaelmas (Mickle-mahs).

 

[Monica child of God 1]

Yep, and you're supposed to pray for his mother:

St Phanourios bread recipe, and a few words about the holy martyr

My wife, when she went to a Western parish, says they always had goose on St. Michael's day which is called Michaelmas (Mickle-mahs).

I didn't know either of these. Thanks!

M.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

ick....

Yep, and you're supposed to pray for his mother:

St Phanourios bread recipe, and a few words about the holy martyr

My wife, when she went to a Western parish, says they always had goose on St. Michael's day which is called Michaelmas (Mickle-mahs).

 

[snowbirdling]

We (Greek tradition) celebrate them like birthdays - cake and presents for the kids, and greetings from family and friends.
...
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):
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Wow! Thanks for responding with all of that info! I love that you do flowers, I think that's what I'd like to do, both to give on my name day and to my future children. I'm not sure how I feel about the gifts thing for children's name days, but I like the idea of giving them flowers. I guess I like it because it's transitory, but beautiful, like the day itself, and isn't a thing they can own, but it's something for them... something like that. Love the buying your friends drinks idea too!

Happy name day!

 

[snowbirdling]

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 didn't know about all these other traditions for feast days. Thank you so much!!
(As an aside, the icon of St. John holding his head on a platter is really grim!)

 

[ArmyMatt]

Yep, and you're supposed to pray for his mother:

St Phanourios bread recipe, and a few words about the holy martyr

My wife, when she went to a Western parish, says they always had goose on St. Michael's day which is called Michaelmas (Mickle-mahs).

I knew of the prayer for St Phranourios' mother, but I did not know you cook goose for St Michael. very intresting indeed.

 

[-Kyriaki-]

I loooooove St Phanourios - he found my Mum's marks sheet (as I posted in my thread a few weeks ago) and he's found some other important things for me recently too I will definitely make a pita (bread) for him for his feast.

We bless flowers for Dormition - actually, what we do, is decorate the dormition icon (a huge one) that we carry around the neighbourhood in procession like the epitaphion at Easter for the lamentations service, then when the flowers dry they're handed out as a blessing.

I've heard about the fruit for Transfiguration one, but I don't know if my parish does it. Maybe I should ask my priest

We do the vassilopita too - it's soooo goood!


Snowbirdling: it doesn't have to be a big gift, it's more to commemorate the day and recognise that it's good, and it's a less elaborate cake than a fancy birthday cake. Just something small to commemorate the day. Often the gifts are religious - little icons, crosses, prayer ropes, religious books. That, or practical - my ex-boyfriend's Mum once bought me a dressing gown, and once cake tins! For his part, he got me mugs, a handbag shaped like a pikachu, and a pillowcase. So it's not the frivolous 'toy' type gift giving

 

[ma2000]

We celebrate it like a birthday, but reading the Akathist of the saint would be nice.

 

[snowbirdling]

...
Snowbirdling: it doesn't have to be a big gift, it's more to commemorate the day and recognise that it's good, and it's a less elaborate cake than a fancy birthday cake. Just something small to commemorate the day. Often the gifts are religious - little icons, crosses, prayer ropes, religious books. That, or practical - my ex-boyfriend's Mum once bought me a dressing gown, and once cake tins! For his part, he got me mugs, a handbag shaped like a pikachu, and a pillowcase. So it's not the frivolous 'toy' type gift giving

Haha, those are cute Name Day gifts. I like the religious gift ideas. Like a book, or... a book!