Name day and angel's day are holidays thatmodern Russia is not taken to celebrate widely because of the tradition that was once lost. They have lost their significance due to the confusion of concepts. Many people connect these holidays with a person's birthday. In order to understand what the name day and the day of the angel, you need to pay attention to your own name, the date of birth, as well as the history of Christianity.
What is a name day?
Birthday is the moment of physical appearance onlight of a new man, but this fact has nothing to do with the name day. The latter acquire their mysterious significance and power only after they have called the newborn during baptism in the church. Therefore, the name day is considered the day of spiritual birth, when the child is given the name of a certain saint. He becomes the patron saint of man for life.
In Russia, to find out the name of a personthey asked: “What is your holy name?” After the baby is baptized, he not only has a patron saint, but also a guardian angel. It is believed that the name day and the day of the angel - the same thing. Name day is celebrated on the day of the Holy, in whose honor the man is called. It often happens that this holiday coincides with a birthday or is separated by a small amount of time. This is explained by the fact that the born child was named after the great martyr. In modern society, children are given names that are not in the calendar (Orthodox calendar). Then the priest at baptism chooses a second name for him, corresponding to the day of christening.
Day Angel
This holiday is strictly individual.It so happened that it marks his baptized man, named after the saint during the sacrament. For example, if a baby (girl) received the name Anna, and she was born on November 20, her holy patron will be St. Anne the Persian. In this case, the day of the angel according to the church calendar should be celebrated on the third of December. It happens that religious parents choose the name of the beloved saint in advance and name the child in his honor.
On the day of the angel, it is customary to visit churches and templesto take communion, to confess, and to children to inculcate knowledge about the need to honor your heavenly patron. This is a special Orthodox holiday that cannot be celebrated exactly like a birthday. If a person is religious, then it is desirable to meet the angel’s day not only with a feast, for example, with family or friends, but also with communion, going to church, doing good deeds. If the holiday fell at the time of Great Lent on weekdays, you should move the meal on Saturday or Sunday.
What is a name day and angel's day for believerspeople? This is the reading of prayers to the holy patron. Be sure during the meeting of the day of the angel manifestation of sincerity, the desire to receive forgiveness, the true repentance of sins. Lack of self-interest, humility and repentance, kindness to others and to oneself - this is what it means to be under the auspices of higher powers and to receive help from them.
How celebrated birthday in Russia?
Many are interested in the question:"What is a birthday and how to celebrate them?" The tradition to celebrate this day appeared in the seventeenth century. In Russia, preparing for the name in advance. At home they brewed beer, made cakes according to special recipes, rolls, and loaves. On the day of birth, the whole family would attend church without fail, receive communion, order and read prayers to the patron saint for health, and put candles. In the evening, they arranged for the birthday party a festive evening, to which honored guests — godparents — were also invited. Table decoration served birthday cake without candles. Before the guests left, the birthday man distributed to everyone pastries: rolls and pies with a special filling (cabbage, potatoes, etc.), which indicated the characteristic features of relatives.
Angel day and name day - what is the difference between theseholidays? And she was not in Russia, as the birthday man was equally respectful towards the patron and accepted gifts. Among church servants and royal persons, birthday parties were named for namesake names that were widely celebrated.
Name Day in the 21st Century
In the modern world, name day and angel's daygradually began to lose common features. First, the newborn is given the name that parents like best. After some time, the baby is baptized according to Christian customs (or they skip this procedure altogether if the parents are atheists - in this case the name given at birth does not change). It happens that the day of baptism and the name day do not coincide, then the two holidays lose their relationship.
Today, what is the name day and the day of the angel, manythey do not know, therefore they do not mark them in any way. More attention has been paid to one’s own birthday and the meaning of the name given upon birth. Some parents and adults arrange small holidays in honor of their birthday. This is correct if the person is baptized and is named after the saint.
The Difference Between Birthday and Angel Day
In Christianity, the day of the angel and the name day aresynonyms. However, small differences do exist. When a baby is born, according to modern church rules, in forty days it should be brought to the temple for the performance of the baptismal rite. Previously, the choice of a name was approached very seriously and looked into the Orthodox calendar. If a child was born on the day of a certain saint, that was the name given to him. Parents thought it was pleasing to God.
Angel day and name day - what is the difference between theseholidays? For Christians, there is no difference, since it did not matter much. The main thing is that in the process of baptism between the child and the patron saint a spiritual connection was established. It turned out that the christening of the baby and the name day coincided, and the line between these concepts was gradually erased. The baptismal water in the font cleans the newborn, and the Lord at this moment grants the guardian angel to the person. That is why the process of baptism is also called patronage from above.
The meaning of name day in Christianity
What is a name day for Christians?In religious Orthodox families, they were considered more important holiday than the day the child was born. The reason is the baby is named after a saint person, which gives the baby the right to receive spiritual and physical help, support, and intercession from the patron. Along the way, a newborn gets a guardian angel, who is still the same saint. It was believed that celebrating the name day once a year and honoring your angel was the responsibility of the baptized person.
The rite of baptism in Russia was decided to holdseven days after birth (at the present time after 40 days). The number 7 has a sacred meaning for Christians. During this time, the creation of the world continued. In every Orthodox family, birthday parties were widely celebrated and paid tribute to the holy patron. Before the emergence of Christianity, the child’s name was given, considering the circumstances of his birth, appearance, color of eyes and hair, character.
We determine the date of the birthday and the day of the angel
Today, more than two thousand Christiannames of holy people who were canonized. Named in October, as in the rest of the year, play an important role in the religious sense. Before choosing a name for a baby (for the rite of baptism), pay attention to the following point: many saints have different dates of celebration, but the same names. To correctly determine the day of the birthday, select the closest date in the Orthodox calendar, which is celebrated as the day of the memory of the saint. It should follow the birthday of the baby. What is the name day and the day of the angel for the modern man, if he does not know anything about these holidays? You can answer this question yourself if you want to pay tribute to your guardian angel.
Name Day in October
Finding out about your angel day is pretty simple.To do this, just look at the Orthodox calendar. The name day in October is marked by everyone who bears the names of the saints canonized by the church. Male: Alexey, Alexander, Andrei, Arkady, Anatoly, Boris, Bogdan, Vladimir, Veniamin, Vyacheslav, Grigory, Gabriel, Vladislav, Valentin. Among the women celebrating the name day in October are Sofia, Ulyana, Alina, Anna, Veronika, Vera, Taisiya, Irina, Zinaida, Tatyana.
