How do you celebrate your Nameday!?

[Xpycoctomos]

My saint's day is literally the day after my birthday, so we don't actually have a separate celebration of any kind. In Romania it's a big deal, often bigger than birthdays, but being in Britain both myself and my wife seem to have just naturally kept it more low key. At least that means that I don't get served vodka with my breakfast on November 27th (and yes I've known that to happen on people's saint's days). I'm not actually sure, though, what people do when their saint's day falls in a fast (as mine always does). Anyone know? Do people relax the fast for a day? I mean, I seriously can't imagine a Romanian saint's day celebration without alcohol.

James

Same in Spain, lol.

 

[xenia]

I'm the only Orthodox person in my family and on top of that, my parish is Old Calendar. As it happens, Nativity, my name day and my earthly birthday are all more or less the same time. My family was always in the habit of fixing a nice meal on my birthday so I just leave the Nativity decorations from the family's western Christimas up, put the icon of St. Xenia on the table and eat birthday cake. It's a pretty festive day which the whole family enjoys thanks to my daughter's fantastic cooking. My *husband and I come home from Liturgy on Nativity and the house is already smelling like a yummy non-lenten meal. And there's a birthday cake which seems fitting for Nativity. I try to have small presents (spiritual book, candle) for the guests.

(*He's not Orthdox yet but he comes to church)

 

[Mary of Bethany]

My nameday is June 4th, which this year was on a Sunday, so that was nice. Sometimes it's during the Apostles' Fast. Most times, I don't do anything, because no one around me is Orthodox and knows nothing about it. I wonder if there is an Akathist to Mary of Bethany?

Mary

 

[Akathist]

I have the same names day as Xenia. But we are new Calender. So, my names day is after Christmas.

In our parish we are OCA but we don't put much emphasis on names day.

I am the only Orthodox in my family so there is no one else to honor it with me.

I have tried to schedule my "house blessing" on or near my names day sine it is in the "house blessing" season. That is the closest I have come to honoring it.

 

[theoforos]

I thought the Finnish Orthodox Church had a special dispensation by the EP that allows you to keep the same calendar (even Pascha) as the Lutheran one. Can you set me straight here?

Xpy

Yes, that's correct, but you know, the Lutherans celebrate certain things on different days than the Orthodox, e.g. St. Michael the Archangel is in September in the Lutheran calendar but in November in the Orthodox calendar. I mean, even if it's November 15 today in both the Lutheran and the Orthodox calendar in Finland, the Lutheran calendar probably has a different name in it for today than the Orthodox calendar. But of course there are also things that are celebrated on the same day in both calendars, e.g. Christmas is Dec. 25 and St. Nicholas is Dec. 6 in both calendars.