Name day celebration

[Absinthe]

A name day is a tradition in many countries in Europe and Latin America of celebrating on a particular day of the year associated with the one's given name. The custom originated with the Catholic and Orthodox calendar of saints, where believers, named after a particular saint, would celebrate that saint's feast day. In many countries, however, there is no longer any explicit connection to Christianity.[1][2]

Source

Is name day a concept known to your country?

If not, have you heard of this custom before?

If so, do you celebrate your name day?

If so, when is your name day?

[Anthropos]

Orthodox Christians do celebrate name days. The Saints' literature is rich and very interesting. And name days also mean lots of good food.

[Arrow Cross]

Is name day a concept known to your country?

If not, have you heard of this custom before?

If so, do you celebrate your name day?

If so, when is your name day?

Yes.

Yes.

No.

On the 14th of February. D;

[Mesrine]

Is name day a concept known to your country?

Not anymore. Today it's birthday only. People are afraid of death more than by anything else, but still enjoy to celebrate the fact they get one year closer to it.

If not, have you heard of this custom before?

Yes. My father told me that still in his youth, people used to celebrate their saint's day rather than their birthday (at least in Italy).

If so, do you celebrate your name day?

No. I don't celebrate my birthday either.

If so, when is your name day?

Not supposed to answer, but I have two: January 17 and June 13.

[Tabiti]

Is name day a concept known to your country?
Yes

If so, do you celebrate your name day?
Not really, because it's just another religious thing...However I treat people with candies and such...
If so, when is your name day?
15th August (Virgin Mary's Day)

[Frigga]

No to all of the above!

[Eldritch]

Is name day a concept known to your country?

If not, have you heard of this custom before?

If so, do you celebrate your name day?

If so, when is your name day?

Yes, not applicable, no, I don't remember, but it's sometime in June.

Even though I'm over 30 uears old, my grandma always slips me a 50€ bill on or near my patron saint's day.

[Osweo]

Is name day a concept known to your country?

The fact that the film Именица where Nicole Kidman plays the Russian mail order bride was translated as 'Birthday Girl' in my language speaks for the fact that it's unknown here now.

I suppose before the Reformation, there may have been more of a connection between given names and saints' days, as in Ireland to some extent. My grandmother was named after the saint on the day she was born, for instance.

If not, have you heard of this custom before?

I lived for eight years in the closest intimacy with Orthodox Russians, so, yep!

If so, do you celebrate your name day?

My forename is that of a prophet rather than a saint, so there is no such day that I'm aware of. Likewise there are no ikons ever for sale in Church shops for my name. There may be some obscure more modern saint with this name, but I've not heard of him.

If so, when is your name day?

I an't got one!
But had I been named after the saint whose feast day I was born on, I would now bear the superbly Anglo-Saxon-British name of Ceadda, or Chad. up

What about you, Abs? I know your name and don't think it's a canonical one, as such. What do you do for a name day?

[Anthropos]

Is name day a concept known to your country?
Yes it is. But the majority of people don't have a clue what the purpose is. This is in fact an example of how meaningless the mere custom is when compared with the custom in its traditional setting.

If so, do you celebrate your name day?
I don't... yet. I celebrate other people's name days. I wasn't raised a Christian, but I am a catechumen for Orthodox baptism, and if I go through with it I will get a Christian name. (All my names are Christian names, but that is not really relevant in this case. What I said regarding the difference between mere custom and tradition applies equally well to this situation, and so I will wait until it's time.)

[Arrow Cross]

Strange... all of you seem to consider it a Christian tradition. Is Hungary the only place in Europe where name days, although marginal in significance, are completely secular events?