Monday 8:30
From the second week on Mondays of Great Lent (except for Holy Week), a GENERAL ASSEMBLY takes place in our church. It is performed several times during Great Lent so that everyone who wishes can receive this Sacrament.
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TUESDAY, THURSDAY - morning Lenten service
DIVINE LITURGY DOES NOT SERVE
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wednesday friday morning
Liturgy is not celebrated on weekdays, receive communion only on Wednesday and Friday with the previously consecrated Gifts.
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Friday evening
Parastas is translated from Greek - "intercession". We will intercede, ask God for our neighbors. Fortunately, this evening in the temple we will be more or less
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Third Saturday of Great Lent (morning)
At the end of the all-night vigil v the center of the temple is solemnly brought out the Life-giving Cross of the Lord - a reminder of suffering, of the death of the Lord for our salvation..
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Sunday of the third week of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church is called the Week of the Cross.
On this day, what we will hear on Passionate, especially solemn and significant stichera, which will once again put us before the mystery of the Cross, appears to us in advance ...
IN THE SAME DAY
In the morning, the martyrs were executed, and their bodies were burnt ...
Sunday (evening)
On Sunday evenings, Orthodox Christians rush to the special Lent Divine Services - Passion, which means "Suffering", services that are one of the most beloved Lent Divine Services..
In the middle of the temple, a Crucifix in a mourning dress is installed, candles are lit in front of Him. Concentrated worshipers listen to the choir's soul-saving singing, composed of the services of Great Friday, and the priest performs incense. Then the reading of the Gospel begins, which tells about the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ ...
adminCelebrating name days is a long tradition. Today it is almost forgotten. And even among believing Orthodox people, not everyone will remember the Day of the Angel. Where did this tradition come from? Why does it have such a name? When and in whose honor is the name day celebrated? Read on and find out everything.
The history of the emergence of the concept of "name day"
In Russia, name days began to be actively celebrated in the 17th century, but the history of the tradition goes back to the distant past. When Prince Vladimir Yasnoe Solnyshko baptized Russia, new traditions came from Orthodox Byzantium to our country. Christian Orthodox beliefs were mixed with traditional cults, a new picture of the world was formed. Along with faith in the saints, the conviction that every day passes under the auspices of a heavenly saint was entrenched in Russia.
Initially, in Russia, a person was given two names. One was used in the world, in accordance with ancient traditions, the second was received by children and adults during baptism. The Orthodox name was not used to refer to a person, but indicated his heavenly patron. Yaroslav the Wise during his baptism received a second name - Yuri. The same thing happened to everyone who had native Russian names: Svyatoslav, Svyatopolk, Izyaslav, Tikhomir, Yaropolk.
Two hundred years later, a new tradition arose: when a baby was born, a saint became his patron, on whose day the birth of a new person happened. It was not necessary to observe this rite, but people often named children with the name of the heavenly patron, hoping that he would become the guardian of man on earth. Over time, the tradition has changed. The child was given a name he liked, belonging to any saint, and the name day was celebrated separately from his birthday, which at that time was not given special attention.
If the name is not "holy"?
The names of the saints are listed in a special church book - saints. But today it is in vogue to call a child non-standard and creative. Who looks at church books with this approach? Sometimes the child is named according to family tradition. Some people come to Orthodoxy from other religions and at baptism acquire a new name.
What is the principle of obtaining a church name? There is no single rule. Usually they choose an option that is close in sound. Angelica becomes Angelina, Oksana - Xenia, Richard - Roman. But nothing prevents Diana from choosing Olga or Catherine as her patroness.
Some names have their own non-main traditions. Victoria is baptized by Nika, using an analogy of meaning, Svetlana - by Fotinia.
And what will happen if a person is baptized using a name that is not indicated in the calendar? He will not have a heavenly patron. How correct this is and corresponds to Christian traditions - everyone decides for himself.
Who was it named after?
Children who grew up in Orthodox traditions know their patron saint from an early age, like the name day. But for a person who has spent most of his life outside church traditions, recognizing Angel Day is not an easy task. Today in the Orthodox Russian month there are 5008 saints. Some of them bear the same names: Alexander, John, Andrey, Ekaterina. Some have several days of memory.
A baptized person as patron has the right to choose any saint who bears the same name. For example, Alexander may commemorate Alexander Nevsky, Alexander of Jerusalem, or Alexander of Constantinople. Usually the saint is chosen whose worship is massive. The presence of icons and temples dedicated to the patron plays an important role.
But there is another tradition: the determination of the Day of the Angel according to the church calendar. In this case, the name day is celebrated on the first day of the commemoration of the saint, whose name was given to the person at baptism.
What saints exist in Orthodox culture?
- Prophets- the saints, according to the Bible, who lived before the coming of Christ. They predicted the emergence of the messiah, his death and resurrection.
- Apostles- 12 disciples of Christ, who spread his teaching throughout the world. Perth and Paul for their labors received the status of the supreme apostles. There are also equal to the apostles saints. At different times, they spread faith in Christ and one God. These include the Byzantine emperor Constantine and his wife Elena, the baptist of Russia - Prince Vladimir, the enlighteners Cyril and Methodius.
- Martyrs- saints who have undergone severe trials for the glory of Christ. Among them, confessors are distinguished - saints who endured torture, but died under different circumstances in a peaceful life. Another category is the great martyrs. They endured especially severe suffering. These include St. Catherine, St. George the Victorious.
- Saints- these are bishops pleasing to God, whose life especially served the faith of Christ. The most famous and revered: Nicholas the Wonderworker, John Chrysostom.
- Reverends- the righteous who embarked on the path of monasticism with a complete rejection of worldly temptations: Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov.
- The righteous- these are saints who have become famous for godly deeds in worldly life. The first righteous saints are considered to be Adam, Noah, Abraham.
- Unmercenaries- healers of body and spirit diseases. They helped people without demanding anything in return, without any selfish intent.
- Holy fools (blessed)- people whose actions seemed insane to others. But in the actions of these saints a special spiritual strength and wisdom was hidden.
When is the name day celebrated?
To determine the day of the name day, you need to look at the church calendar. The simplest option is the coincidence of the name day and the birthday. Otherwise, it will be the name day, the next day on which the saint is remembered with your name.
In 2000, a Council of Bishops was held, during which the lists of martyrs were replenished. Children born after 2000 celebrate name days according to a new memorable calendar. The rest - according to the old lists.
Separate rules apply to leap years. From March 29 to March 13, name days are celebrated a day earlier. According to the Orthodox tradition, the 365th day of the year is added to Kasyanov's day on March 13.
Can I change my name?
In rare cases, the church allows a change in the Orthodox name, which occurs during the sacrament of the sacrament. Usually, this ritual is used if the baptized person does not remember his church name. Changing the entry in the passport and other "worldly" documents does not affect the baptismal name.
The name received at baptism, if the believer wishes, is changed if it is not present in the Christmastide. Another reason is to receive a church name that does not match the gender.
Traditions
An Orthodox person, knowing the name of his patron, must first touch his history and life path, get acquainted with the scriptures. On the day of the name day, the believer goes to church, takes communion, prays to his saint, and then calls his friends and loved ones to the celebration.
This tradition arose a couple of centuries after the baptism of Rus, when the new religion completely took root among the Russian people. The birthday man went to church from the very morning to pray and receive communion. This was the whole celebration: commemoration of the patron saint, reading a prayer and kissing the icon with the face of its guardian.
Over time, home festivities with congratulations to the birthday man were added to the ritual. The first temple part of the ritual remained unchanged. But for the second they were preparing in advance in the evening. The closest relatives, together with the birthday man, brewed beer and baked treats. By tradition, they were kalachi and loaves. Hence the playful children's song went: "... we baked a loaf ..."
While the birthday man was performing the morning prayer and receiving communion, relatives in the church ordered a prayer service for health. And then the rite of invitations began. Instead of invitations, they used pies. They were carried to the homes of future guests. The larger the treat, the more important the invitee. The godfather and godmother received special respect in the form of a large sweet cake.
In the evening, the third part of the celebration began. Guests came to the birthday man's house, songs, dances and a mountain feast began. The main treat was raisin pie. But it was strictly forbidden to eat it right away. Traditionally, the meal was broken up over the head of the birthday person. The raisins that fell on the hero of the occasion were a symbol of wealth.
The royal and imperial families celebrated name days on a special scale. The day of the Angel of a member of the ruling family became a national holiday and was celebrated with noisy festivities. On behalf of the birthday man, treats were served to the common people, and then magnificent parades were held.
Until 1917, no birthday was celebrated in Russia. People celebrated name days. With the change of power, traditions have changed. The fight against religion has led to the emergence of a similar, but different from the name day. - this is a name day in a new way. They removed the traditional trip to the temple and the commemoration of the patron saint, but left the festive part with festivities and gifts. With the collapse of the USSR, old traditions are returning to Russia. Now people do not choose one of the two holidays, but celebrate both: separately name days, separately Birthday.
What to give for a name day?
Traditionally, a birthday present has a spiritual connotation:
Name icon. This gift will come in handy as never before. Even if the birthday person already has an icon depicting his saint, this option does not lose its relevance. The gift will be especially valuable if the keeper is not among the massively revered. Icons with such saints are made to order in workshops. According to the old custom, small children can be presented with a measured icon - an image of a saint the size of the baby itself on their birthday.
Crosses. Gold, silver, copper. It is both an expensive and a spiritual gift. An Orthodox person carries a cross with him 24 hours a day. Other options for decorations are also possible: or.
Bible. This is the main sacred book of Christianity. But how many believers have read it? Choose an elegant Bible for a gift, with an easy-to-read font and design. An illustrated and simplified version of the holy book is suitable for children.
Spiritual publications. Similar books can be found in church shops. It is good if there is a gift telling about the path of the saint, whose name the person was named. So the birthday man will get to know his guardian better, learn his history.
Toys for kids. A toy in the shape of an angel will be a good gift for your baby. You can also present a toy book with voluminous picture sheets. Such a thing will be remembered by the baby and will remain with him for a long time.
On name days they do not give money, cell phones, laptops and other gifts from the consumer society. This is a spiritual holiday. A birthday present is a guide to and development. Avoid serving sets for drinking alcoholic beverages, cigarette cases, sets of gambling board games.
Celebrating name days is a fascinating tradition of the past. It looks different today than it did two or three hundred years ago, but its spiritual value is still high.
January 27, 2014 10:26 amAngel Day, or name day- this is a day dedicated to any saint, and a person named after this saint is obliged to celebrate it. Name days among Christians are considered a much more significant holiday than the day of a person's physical birth. This is because naming a saint by the name of a saint gives him the right to intercession, help and support on his part. Thus, a person acquires a Guardian Angel in the person of the saint, whose name he bears. This means that he is obliged to honor him once a year and celebrate the name day - Angel Day, the day of remembrance of his heavenly patron.
Previously, the ceremony of baptizing a baby with a name was carried out exactly on the eighth day after birth, not earlier and not later. Seven is a sacred number in all world religions. The Bible tells about the creation of the world, which lasted seven days, and the eighth day is interpreted as a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven. In Orthodoxy, a child's name is not chosen arbitrarily, but in accordance with the church calendar - saints... Depending on the memory of which saint the church celebrated on the day of baptism, the child was usually called that name.
This tradition is not so strictly maintained today. People do not always give names to their children under the guidance of saints. They are chosen in accordance with personal taste, with the fashion for names or in memory of one of the relatives. However, in recent years, the choice of a name according to the calendar has been increasingly used.
Name days in Russia in the old days
In Russia, it was customary to celebrate name days especially - this tradition has been known since the 17th century. The family began to brew beer in advance, baked birthday pies, loaves and rolls according to a special recipe. On this day, the ritual of visiting the church by the birthday man was obligatory, who, together with his relatives, came there to mass, ordered a prayer service for his health, lit candles and pressed his lips to the icon of his holy heavenly patron.
By the evening, they were sure to arrange a festive feast in honor of the birthday man, at which the most honorable guests were God-parents... And the table was decorated with a huge birthday cake, which later turned into a cake. True, no candles were put on it. Festive pastries - pies and rolls - were distributed as a treat to relatives, friends and loved ones. This had a special meaning! Even the filling of the pies was not chosen randomly, but denoting the character traits of the birthday man himself and the relatives presented to him.
As for the royal persons and representatives of the church hierarchy, their name days were called namesakes... This is a separate topic. It is only worth mentioning that according to historians, in pre-revolutionary Russia, the days of namesake were very widely celebrated. For example, the name days of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna turned into public holidays.
How to determine your name day date - Angel Day
To date, there are more than 2000 names of Christian saints canonized by the church. However, there is a certain difficulty in choosing your saint. Many saints have the same names and, at the same time, different honoring dates. Saints John alone is mentioned in the calendar of more than a hundred. But at the same time, a person can have only one patron saint, and the day of remembrance of this saint (Angel Day, name day) is celebrated only once a year.
In order not to get confused and not to be mistaken in determining the date of the name day and your patron saint, there is the following rule: you need to find out the nearest date of commemoration of the saint whose name you are named, following your birthday. This will be your Angel Day.
For example, there are two saints Valerius that are mentioned in the calendar. Martyr Valery Melitinsky, whose day of remembrance is November 7 (November 20 in the new style), and Valery Sevastiysky, commemorated on March 9 (March 22 in the new style). The person named Valery at baptism, born from November 21 to March 22, will commemorate Valery of Sevastii on March 22 in a new style. And Valery, whose date of birth fell on the period from March 23 to November 20 of the new style, will become the birthday boy on November 20 - on the day of memory of Valery Melitinsky.
However, during the sacrament of baptism, the clergyman can call him a name according to church rules, known only to the ministers of the church. Therefore, in some cases, the dates of the name day may not coincide with the calendar.
Do you want to present a SPECIAL gift on Angel Day?
With the revival of Orthodox traditions in our country, many questions arise related to terms and names. What is a name day, how do they differ from the name day and the day of the angel? Who is a patron saint, and how to determine important days according to the Orthodox calendar? Let's consider all the questions in detail.
The Christian Church attaches great importance to the choice of a person's name, seeing in this a special meaning and sacredness. It is believed that the name is the key and bridge through which a person communicates with God. Conducting the sacrament of baptism, the Orthodox Church gives a person the name that will become a guide in contact with God.
In times past, every Christian name was considered holy and demanded respect. The church fathers teach: the universe was created by the name and the word, and it is supported by them.
The commonality of Orthodox names unites all believers into one whole - the people chosen by God.
The naming of an infant by the name of a saint presupposed instructing him on the true and pious path. This was due to the belief that the name of the canonized saint, which was realized in the blessed path, would lead a new person to holiness. It is believed that by the power of his name, the saint fills his name with grace. That is, it has a formative origin.
The Orthodox namebook has evolved over the centuries. The meaning of the name in the Orthodox tradition is so strong that even the icon-painting face must be confirmed by the holy name. Therefore, the names of the depicted saints and angels are always written on the icons.
In Russia, since ancient times, there was a tradition of giving several names, so the baptismal name was taken for granted. In past times, a person could have a birth name, a nickname and two baptismal names - one for everyone, and the second was known only to the clergy.
However, the nicknames did not disappear into oblivion, but organically passed into the surnames. This can be judged by the modern surnames - Naydenov, Nekrasov, Zhdanov. These are all the former nicknames of a person. In Orthodoxy, some pre-Christian names have also been preserved and even canonized -,.
With the adoption of Christianity, the namebook was enriched with the names of other peoples - Jewish, Greek, Byzantine, Roman. For example, the common Russian names Marya actually have Jewish roots. The Church Fathers believe that there is no need to separate names by nationality, since they are common to all mankind.
Name day and Angel day - what is the difference
The Orthodox Church teaches that a person receives a guardian angel only through the sacrament of baptism. This day is called the day of the angel, the second birth of man - spiritual. In the old days, the day of the angel was called the name day or name day, because at baptism they gave the name of the saint honored on that day. So the day of the namesake and the day of the angel are different names for the same day, but only in the old days.
The baptismal names for the children were chosen strictly according to the calendar, in which the names of the saints honored on that day were recorded. Parents could choose any of the names of their choice. With the advent of Soviet power, this tradition lost its meaning, and children began to be named arbitrarily, for example, in honor of their grandfather or father.
On the day of baptism, the baby received:
- new name;
- guardian angel;
- patron saint.
The day of baptism was considered a great day in a person's life, it was celebrated according to all traditions. However, in our time all this has been lost and consigned to oblivion. How to identify your patron saint? If you do not remember the day of baptism, then the patron saint can be chosen according to the calendar. For example, a person with a name has a name of Saint Nicholas as patrons. The day of veneration of the saint of the same name is the name day of a person or the day of an angel.
What if the name of the patron saint is mentioned in the calendar several times a year? In this case, you should choose the day that is closest to your date of birth (after it). This day will be the name day.
The day of the angel is the birthday of the soul, the name day (name day) is the acquisition of the patron saint.
What should you do before your name day? On the eve of the namesake, a person should confess, and spend the day in holiness and prayer reading. In the morning, it is advisable to attend the Liturgy and receive Holy Communion. Also on this day, you can ask for urgent matters and order a prayer service to the patron saint. The Church Fathers instruct us to imitate in our lives the holy life of their patron.
Angel day and name day on different days
Can name day and angel day be on different days? If at baptism a person was given the name of a patron who is not honored on this day, then the name day does not coincide with the day of the angel. This means that a person can celebrate the day of the angel in memory of his baptism, and celebrate the name day on the day of honoring his brother-in-law.
Sometimes all the holidays coincide with the day of bodily birth, if a person is named according to the calendar and was baptized on his bodily birthday. But this is not the rule for everyone.
How to define your angel day? There is a tradition to celebrate the day of the angel on the day of the namesake, that is, on the day of honoring his heavenly patron. This tradition is being revived in our time, which also speaks of the revival of Orthodoxy among the Russian people.
Celebrating the name day
Previously, in Russia, name days were revered above the physical birthday, this day was celebrated on a grand scale. On the eve of the holiday, birthday rolls and loaves were baked, beer was brewed. On the holiday itself, the birthday man's family attended Mass, ordered a prayer for health, and honored the patron saint. Then they served pies and treats to relatives and friends, and in the evening they made a festive meal.
The Tsar's name day in Russia was considered a national holiday and was celebrated with special pomp. The subjects brought gifts to the king and took part in the festive meal, during which many years were necessarily sung. In some cases, the king personally handed out pies to his subjects. For the people, birthday rolls were distributed, which they were looking forward to. Later, the royal name-days began to be celebrated with special splendor - fireworks, military parades and various performances.
In the Soviet years, especially immediately after the revolution, there was an active struggle against name days. People were systematically weaned from old customs, trying to replace them with new ones. For example, a baby could be symbolically enrolled in a union as an imitation of baptism, and godparents were replaced by so-called “honorary parents”. It got to the point that in the 1920s, Chukovsky's fairy tale "Mukha-Tsokotukh" was banned only because the name day was mentioned there.
Outcome
So, the day of the angel is your day of baptism, and the name day is the day of honoring the patron saint. The namesake and the day of the angel can be celebrated at the same time, since many consider the patron saint to be their guardian angel. In any case, this holiday cannot be turned into a secular party, as is customary among non-believers. You should treat your heavenly patrons with reverence and devote these days to piety.
She gives the baby the name of a saint, then by doing so she seeks to direct him on the right path, because in the spiritual life this name has already been “realized”. But people who from birth bear non-Orthodox names, when baptized, must be given a name from the calendar. A person who bears the name of a saint always keeps his image in himself. The saints rejoice and grieve with us, taking part in all the events of our lives, be they good or bad. In the old days, the saints were even called Angels those people who were named after them. Let's see, is this really so?
Patron saint-is this our guardian angel?
The Lord gives a person two Angels at the same time. The first is the Guardian Angel, who protects us from evil and helps to do good. And the second Angel is a saint, whose name we bear throughout our lives; he prays to God for our welfare. The prayers of the saint are more worthy and pleasing to God than ours, therefore they are accepted faster than our sinful prayers. So explains to us St. Theodore of Edessa... You need to understand that these two saints should not be confused, you need to be aware of the difference. Accordingly, in the prayer rule, one prayer should be read to the Guardian Angel, and the other to the saint, whose name was given to us at baptism.
Name day history
There is a tradition that has come from ancient times: on a person's birthday, sing him a song about a loaf that was baked for a name day. In pre-revolutionary Russia, in many cases, the birthday and name day coincided. On the name day, loaves, pies, rolls were always baked and even homemade beer was brewed. On the day of the holiday itself, the birthday man with his relatives went to church for services, ordered a prayer service for health. In the afternoon, birthday pies were served to friends and relatives, and often the filling and size of the pie had a special meaning, determined by the nature of the relationship between the birthday man and his loved ones. In the evening, a festive meal was arranged.
In Soviet times, the celebration of name days, like many other religious traditions, was forgotten, and in the 1920s and 1930s, it was generally subjected to official persecution. Therefore, in our days, you rarely meet a person named according to the calendar. So it turns out that the name day and birthday for many actually fall on completely different days. However, the atheists did not succeed in completely eradicating the age-old folk traditions. After all, name days are a special holiday, which could be called the day of spiritual birth, since it is associated, first of all, with the sacrament of Baptism and with the names worn by the heavenly patrons of people.
The Tsar's name-days, that is, the day of the namesake, which were considered a public holiday, were especially magnificently celebrated. On this day, boyars and courtiers came to the royal court in order to present gifts and take part in the festive meal. Sometimes the king personally distributed pies. Huge birthday rolls were spreading to the people. Later, other traditions appeared: military parades, fireworks, illuminations, shields with imperial monograms.
How to celebrate a name day
Among Orthodox Christians today, the day of a person's spiritual birth is celebrated as much more important than the day of his bodily birth. On their name days, believers attend church. After that, relatives and friends are invited to a festive meal.
It should be remembered that if the name day falls on a fast day, then the festive treat should be fast. In Great Lent, name days that happened on a weekday are postponed to the next Saturday or Sunday.
What is customary to give on name days
On the day of the name day, the best gift will be something that contributes to the spiritual growth of a person: an icon, liturgical and spiritual literature, audio and video recordings of spiritual content.
Name days according to the church calendar
The primary function of any name is to show the essence in one word, to reveal the characteristic feature of the person who bears this name. According to church tradition, the names of newborns are named from the names of the saints taught on the eighth day from birth. At present, there is a relaxation, that is, names for boys are given from birth to the eighth day, and girls are also given back eight days. If there is no suitable name here, then take what you like, and the patron saint with this name is found, moving forward along the calendar. If the name by which the person was named is not in the calendar, then at baptism, the name that is closest in sound is chosen. For example, Dina - Evdokia, Domnika, Lilia - Livia, Veronica - Nika, Alice - Alexandra, and so on. Also, according to the Orthodox tradition, it is not customary to give names in memory of the Mother of God and Christ - Mary and Jesus. The rare name Jesus was assigned in memory not of Jesus Christ, but of the righteous Jesus Nun.
In church notes, only the names given at baptism are written.
Russian Christian namebook
Russian Christian namebook evolved over the centuries. The first extensive layer of Russian names arose in the pre-Christian era. The reasons for the emergence of this or that name could be very different: in addition to religious motives, circumstances of birth, appearance, character, etc. played a role. Later, after the Baptism of Rus, these names, sometimes difficult to distinguish from nicknames, coexisted with Christian calendar names ( up to the 17th century). Even priests sometimes bore nicknames. It happened that one person could have as many as three personal names: a "nickname" name and two baptismal names (one is explicit, the other is known only to the confessor). When the Christian namebook completely supplanted the pre-Christian "nickname" names, they passed into surnames.
With the adoption of Christianity, Russia was enriched with the names of the entire human civilization: with the Byzantine calendar, Greek, Jewish, Roman and other names came to us. Sometimes images of more ancient religions and cultures were hidden under a Christian name. Over time, these names became Russified, so much so that the Hebrew names became the most Russian names - Ivan da Marya.
After the revolution, a serious ideological struggle began with the name day: the baptism rite was recognized as counter-revolutionary, and they tried to replace it with the "Octobrins". A ritual was developed in which the newborn, in a strict sequence, was congratulated by an October child, a pioneer, a Komsomol member, a communist, "honorary parents", sometimes the baby was symbolically enrolled in a trade union. The fight against "vestiges" reached the point of absurdity: for example, in the 1920s, censorship banned K. Chukovsky's "Mukhu-Tsokotukha" for "propaganda of the name day." Together with the renaming of the country, its cities and streets, the people were also renamed. “Revolutionary” names were invented, many of which now sound absurd, for example, Malentro, i.e. Marx, Lenin, Trotsky; Dazdraperma, i.e. Long live May Day, etc.
There was also a borrowing of names from other cultures - Western European (Albert, Victoria, Jeanne) and common Slavic Christian names (Stanislav, Bronislav), names from Greek and Roman mythology and history (Aurelius, Aphrodite, Venus), etc. Over time, Russian society again returned to Christian names, but "de-Christianization" and a break in tradition led to an extraordinary impoverishment of the modern name-book, which now consists of only a few dozen names.
How do you know your name day?
The name day is known from birth to a person who has been baptized and raised in an Orthodox environment. Unfortunately, in the modern world it most often happens that people baptized in infancy according to all Christian traditions do not know not only their name day, but even the one after which saint they were named.
What to do if there are about thirty saints in the church calendar of Saints Alexandrov, and about eighty John? Moreover, even one saint may have several days of remembrance! How can an adult define his name day correctly? There is the following rule: name day is considered to be the next day of remembrance of the saint (whose name the person bears), which follows the calendar birthday of this person. This saint is the heavenly patron of his earthly namesake. By the way, the word "namesake" comes from the Greek word "namesake", which means "same name, with the same name." But all the other days of the memory of the saint are small name days.
Why do you need to know your patron saint?
Every Christian should study the life of his patron saint in order to be a worthy bearer of the name given at baptism. About the saint, in whose honor we receive the name, we must remember not only on the day of the name day. In the daily morning and evening prayer rule there is a prayer to the saint, we can also turn to him at any time and in any need. The simplest prayer to a saint:
Holy / reverend / saint of Christ (name of rivers) pray to God for me a sinner / her.
It is also necessary to have an icon of your heavenly patron in your home iconostasis. It may happen that a person bears some rare name, and it is difficult for him to find an icon of his saint. In this case, you can purchase an icon of All Saints, which symbolically depicts all the saints glorified by the Orthodox Church.
Our saints are able to inspire us by their example to patiently walk on their life path. After all, the patron saint is the same person as we are, only who managed to resignedly and with dignity to overcome all the difficult trials of his earthly life. Saints are like bright guiding stars helping to find the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.
By a worthy example of earthly life, the saints help their wards to embark on the path of salvation. We should know their exploits in order to learn how to adequately imitate them. For a layman, imitation of a saint is not a departure from the whole world, but in any case it is a feat of selflessness. We should seek spiritual blessings instead of being attached to earthly ones. And also we must obey authorities and laws. Our task is to profess Christian convictions and live according to divine laws. For this, we must study the lives of the saints in order to be imbued with their inspiring example. And then apply the knowledge gained to your worldly life.
Having penetrated into the life of the saints, one can clearly see their high spiritual perfection: humility, selflessness, firmness of spirit, non-covetousness. These qualities should be imitated by all of us in our earthly life. Remember that the saints without fear spoke the truth to those who needed it. And how steadfastly they endured all the hardships, frost and heat, thirst and lack of food.
Our task is to eradicate in ourselves such vices as self-esteem, self-interest and pride, and instead of them learn patience, uncomplaining endure of grievances. Whoever can cultivate these important qualities in himself will become worthy to bear the name of the heavenly patron. We will come even a little closer to the deeds that our saints performed, and we will become worthy of the sacred names that were given to us during the sacrament of Baptism. Therefore, it is necessary and important to know your patron in order to follow his example and live a decent life on earth!