What to give a girl for her name day. What to give for name day (angel day)

“They baked a clay pie,” - until recently in our country, birthdays and name days merged into one magnificent holiday. From kindergarten onwards we danced in circles and sang about clay pie. Today, people often sing “Happy Birthday to you!” on birthdays. without translation into Russian. This does not make the holiday any worse and does not differ from all pre-perestroika birthdays - neither in the food, nor in the gifts, nor in the composition of the guests. You can continue in the same spirit, but you can take advantage of the trends of new times and celebrate your name days several times - from one to 40 times a year - depending on your luck. And even if we managed to be born close to the day of the saint, after which our parents accidentally named us, or we were baptized ourselves as adults, then still, looking at the calendar, you can find many holiday dates and reasons to receive gifts and invite guests. The luckiest ones in this sense were Ivan, Alexander, Maria...

Whenever you quarreled with friends, received an undeserved promotion at work, when you managed to win the lottery or go on a business trip abroad, name day is an occasion to improve relations with all those who are dissatisfied with you or accidentally offended. What was the score with the birthday boy when he set the table and called everyone, not even to congratulate him, but simply to express a kind attitude towards his angel?

So, if your friend, or boss, or mother-in-law, or neighbor in the country invites you to his name day 20 times a year and you are ready to come to terms with his shortcomings and vices and give up on the difficulties of your relationship and are happy to come visit him, then The only question remains - what to give to the birthday boy?

This is a less pompous holiday than a birthday (at least in our country today). After all, in our country it is non-religious, unlike the Catholic tradition of the West. Our country is multi-religious and tolerant, so there is no need to seriously focus on the religious traditions of the guests and the birthday person when going to a party on the occasion of the day of the angel. Both the angel and the birthday boy will be happy to receive your attention. Based on this, a gift for a birthday person may be less serious both in terms of monetary costs and meaning than for a birthday. A playful surprise is possible, related to the meaning of the name and expressing the nature of your relationship. Let's say, if it's a party at work, then colleagues can give an individual cup with the name of the hero of the occasion, which can be easily purchased at the souvenir stall.

If you are related, then you can give a tablecloth with embroidery to the “Best Mother-in-Law” (mother-in-law, incomparable husband, best groom, etc.). If these are neighbors, then it is appropriate to present a gingerbread with glazed letters “Ivan Ivanovich from apartment 45.”

If you are invited to a friend’s house, then it will be a great success to find out the specific meaning of his name and fantasize about this topic. For example, Philip is a horse lover. Anything will do: from a horseshoe for luck to a music box with a carousel, as long as there are horses there. A Hercules package of ribbons, candles and flowers will also be received with a bang (if, of course, your friend has a sufficient sense of humor). It is not necessary to put religious content into the name Maria. Of the 10 birthday days, at least once a year, forget your reverent attitude towards the “beloved of God” and give something that reveals a different interpretation of the name - “bitters” (this can be a bitter liqueur - from a branded English gin from a supermarket to aged herbal vodka with your own dachas). For more sophisticated Mashas there may be perfume, the aroma of which is dominated by a bitter note. If you have a sweet tooth, give Mary Ivanny a box of Scandinavian cookies, which contain pepper mixtures or dark chocolate.

Marina today often calls herself Masha, but according to her passport she is not “bitter”, but “salty”, more precisely, “sea”. Accordingly, as a gift you can give her sea salt, shells, perfume with a salty tint, any pickles and salted fish, and if you are a particularly close friend, a trip to the sea.

Zhora is actually Georgy, that is, a “farmer”; it is clear that you can give him flowers in a pot - let him cultivate his garden. Of course, if his parents named him for a reason and his name matches him, then he probably has a country house or dacha. This means that he will be happy with both a bag of rare seeds and a sophisticated haymower. The name Dmitry has the same meaning. Therefore, both of these friends can be given a rake and a band-aid on the forehead, because usually they easily make the same mistakes, that is, they step on the same rake, and we forgive them for this. Denis has the most fun name days, because his name means Dionysus - the god of fun, so he will probably take care of the drinks himself. Any snacks and food, everything for table setting and musical accompaniment - be it a guitar, CD or tambourine - will not be superfluous at this holiday. Well, if your friend’s name is Ignatius, which means “unknown”, then he needs to prepare surprises, and what is important here is not the gift itself, but the mysterious surroundings, amazing packaging or some kind of code in the congratulations.

What else is pleasant about name days? You always have a reason to provoke a party with your sudden congratulations to a friend. In the same way, if you forgot to congratulate a friend in the spring, you have the opportunity to rehabilitate yourself in the fall. It is for this purpose that we bring you a schedule of the name days of your friends and acquaintances for the whole year.

Alexander March 8, March 28, April 23, April 30, Zmaya, May 2b, May 29, June 2, June 22, August 25, September 12, November 4, December 6, December 25

Anatoly May 6, July 16, December 3 Andrey July 13, July 17, September 1, September 15, September 23, October 15, October 23, October 30, December 13, December 15

Anton January 30, February 25, April 27, July 7, July 23, August 16, August 22, October 30, December 20

Arseny March 15, May 21, June 25, July 5, July 25, September 6, November 10, December 26

Afanasy January 17, January 31, March 7, March 21, May 15, July 18, August 2, September 4, December 15

Basil January 14, February 12, March 13, March 17, March 20, April 4, April 25, May 9, May 12, June 21, June 23, July 5, July 16, July 28, August 15, August 24

Gabriel January 28, February 24, April 8, May 3, May 5, July 26, November 21, December 10 Gennady February 5, February 22

Georgy (Egor, Yuri) January 21, March 6, April 17, April 20, April 30, May 2, May 6, May 26, June 8, June 27, July 10, November 16, December 9

Hermann May 25, July 6, July 11, August 9, September 24, October 8, November 19, November 26

Gregory January 21, January 23, February 7, February 12, March 22, March 25, June 28, August 21, October 13, October 18, November 18, November 27, November 30, December 3, December 6

Daniel January 2, February 29, March 1, July 23, September 12, December 24, December 30

Ivan January 2, January 11, January 20, January 28, February 6, February 8, February 9, February 13, March 9, April 5, April 9, April 24, May 1, May 12, May 21, June 1, June 7 , June 9, June 11, June 15, June 23, July 7, July 11, July 16, July 25, July 31, August 3, September 11, September 15, September 20, September 27, October 6, October 9, 28 October, November 1, November 25, December 15, December 20, December 23

Ignat January 2, January 10, February 11, May 13, June 1, June 10, October 10, November 5

Kirill January 31, February 27, March 31, April 3, April 11, May 11, May 17, May 24, June 22, July 22, September 19, September 29, November 20, December 21

Konstantin March 19, June 3, June 18, June 21, August 11, August 17, October 2, November 4

Makar January 12, January 23, February 1, February 4, February 18, May 14, June 8, August 7, September 19, October 5, December 6

Maksim January 29, February 3, February 19, April 23, May 11, August 26, September 18, December 5

Michael January 24, February 27, June 5, July 25, August 11, September 19, October 13, November 21, December 5, December 31

Paul January 23, January 28, March 1, March 23, July 12, July 29, August 30, September 2, 3, November 19, December 20

Peter January 25, January 29, February 14, April 6, May 16, June 25, July 8, July 12, August 13, September 6, September 23, October 5, October 18, December 5, December 18

Novel February 11, February 16, August 1, August 6, August 23, October 14, December 1, December 10

Semyon February 16, February 26, March 25, April 30, June 6, September 14, September 25, December 31

Tikhon April 7, June 29, July 5, August 26, October 9 Trifon February 14, October 21, December 28 Trofim March 31, April 28, August 5, October 2 Fedor January 9, February 1, February 21, February 27, March 2, March 14, March 18, April 23, May 3, May 5, May 29, June 3, June 18, June 21, July 6, July 22, July 25, August 24, October 3, October 5, November 24 , December 11th,

Philip January 2, July 16, October 18, October 24, November 27 Julian February 19, July 4, August 22, September 25, October 20 Jacob April 24, May 13, May 18, July 7

Anna February 16, February 23, April 8, June 25, July 18, September 22, October 15, November 11, December 3, December 22

Maria February 8, February 19, February 25, April 12, April 14, May 10, June 20, June 22, August 22, November 11

To understand how to celebrate men's name days today, you need to understand how they differ from birthdays. The deepest spiritual meaning lies in Angel Day, because it is the day of remembrance of your patron saint. It is necessary to remember the saints so that they also remember us and at the right moments intercede before God for us.

On birthdays and name days, it is necessary to turn your eyes and hearts to heaven, thanking the Creator, Provider and Savior, thinking that our Father and our fatherland are there. The Fatherland is not a mortal land, but a place of coming and wandering. It is reckless to become attached to perishable things. It’s not just reckless, but ungodly and sinful. From all this it follows that name days are not created primarily for a feast, guests and gifts.

On name day, Orthodox believers must come to church, confess, and receive communion. You need to prepare for this in advance.

Of course, today nothing prevents you from organizing a festive meal with your loved ones on Angel Day. But it is undesirable to have fun for the sake of a banal “pour.” The celebration should take place quietly, in a pleasant, calm atmosphere, so that the soul is filled with joy and harmony. If the name day falls during fasting time, then, accordingly, the table should be fast. During Lent, you need to move the celebration of name days from a weekday to the nearest Sunday or Saturday.

“Small name days” - additional days of remembrance of the patron saint - are also special days in the life of Christians.

Of course, they are not so solemn, it is unlikely that a holiday would be appropriate here, but going to church on such a day is definitely necessary.

Whom should we congratulate?

There are no restrictions on who can be congratulated on their name day today and who cannot. If you wish, you can congratulate anyone. But most often, of course, only close and well-known people are congratulated. For example, father, brother, uncle, nephew. Congratulations to husbands and sons.

On Angel Day, do not forget about your grandfathers, close male friends, and lovers. All of them will be very happy with your congratulations and gift, even if it is purely symbolic.

The main thing is that the congratulations are from the heart and sincere.

If the birthday person is a believer, you can give him an icon with the image of his patron saint. The person will probably be pleased.

Choosing a gift for Angel's Day

When choosing a gift for a man for his name day, think about the main thing - what this person means in your life. If a person is dear and beloved, then it is necessary to choose an appropriate gift from the depth of feelings for him. It is better to choose a practical gift for a manager, and if it relates to the person’s hobby, it will be best. This is due to the fact that male representatives are not particularly enthusiastic about various trinkets, but they may well be involved in collecting antiques or high-quality alcohol.

It is not recommended to choose various figurines of dogs, cats and birds as a gift for a man’s name day, even if he loves animals very much. Almost any man will put such a souvenir away from his eyes and forget about it forever.

The task is simplified if a person has information about what the birthday person is passionate about.

For example, if he smokes, then as a gift you can choose a lighter, pipe, ashtray or cigarette holder. Today the choice of smoking accessories is very rich. In addition, there are now many specialized stores where you can easily select such products.

A gift for men's name day today can be exclusive and simple. You can buy shaving lotion, a shirt, eau de toilette, but only if the person is a close friend or relative.

A gift for Angel Day will be remembered if it is useful to a person in the future in study, work or in everyday life. For example, an organizer, a drill, a fountain pen, a phone charger for the car and much more.

Birthday- the day of a person’s physical birth.

Baptism Day- the day of his spiritual birth. Previously, in Rus', all Orthodox people observed the following church tradition: on the eighth day after the birth of a child, the priest named him, then he was baptized.

To give the child a name, parents opened Saints and they chose a heavenly patron for him - one of the Saints, whose memory was celebrated on the child’s birthday, or in the next 8 days.

Usually baptized from 8th to 40th day after birth. On the 40th day the child was brought to the temple for the rite of churching.

How is the Patron Saint different from the Guardian Angel?

Although in everyday life the holiday in honor of the Heavenly Patron is called Happy Angel's Day, it would be more correct to call it "Name Day" or "name day" , because the Guardian Angel and the namesake Saint are not the same thing.

How to determine Name Day if there are several Saints with the same name?

To do this you will need an Orthodox calendar. In it, find the date of birth and after it look for the day of remembrance of the Saint whose name the child bears. So, for example, for Anna, born on November 20, her Angel's Day (name day) will be on December 3 - the day following her birthday, when St. Anna is remembered, and her saint will be the holy martyr Anna of Persia.

If this Saint has several memorable days, then the remaining dates are considered "small name days" person.

History of the Name Day celebration

The tradition of celebrating Name Day has spread widely in the 17th century.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, as a rule, Name Day coincided with Birthday. This holiday was celebrated everywhere, with special loaves, pies and rolls being baked. In the morning, the birthday boy and his family came to the church service and ordered a prayer service for health. And in the evening, the hero of the occasion received guests and served treats to relatives and friends.

The royal Name Days were celebrated especially magnificently ( namesake). This day was even declared a public holiday. High-ranking officials and courtiers were invited to a festive meal, where gifts were presented to the sovereign, ceremonial military parades were held, fireworks were set off, and the emperor personally distributed pies to all the people.

Pre-revolutionary postcard "Happy Angel Day"

During Soviet times, the tradition of celebrating name days, like many other religious traditions, was forgotten.

Today, more and more people celebrate name days, paying tribute to the saints after whom they are named. After all, just like many centuries ago, today on name day it is customary to visit church, confess and receive communion, and also read prayers to your patron saint. The saint in whose honor we receive a name must be remembered not only on name day. The daily morning and evening prayer rule includes a prayer to the patron saint, and we can also turn to him at any time and in any need. The simplest prayer to the saint:

Saint/Reverend/Hierarch of Christ (name of the rivers), pray to God for me, a sinner/her.

What to give for a name day?

On name days it is customary to give gifts of spiritual content: icons, spiritual literature and other useful gifts.

Both adults and children can be given gifts with the image of a Guardian Angel.

An original gift will be clocks, tablets with sayings of the Saints, wall decorations, candlesticks.

It is customary to give gifts for any holiday. Every person, in addition to his birthday, has a holiday of the name given to him at birth or baptism - name day. It is also customary to call this holiday the day of the angel. There is no doubt that a gift for Angel's Day should be special, corresponding to the spirit of this holiday.

In the Orthodox tradition, almost every name corresponds to the name of a saint. At christenings, a saint with a name that is closest to the child's name is chosen. Thus, a person can have two names: one given by his parents, and the second received at baptism.

So, after baptism, a person has a saint, after whom the child is named, who will protect the person throughout his life during troubles and adversity, accompany him in achievements and guide him on the true path. It turns out that every baptized person has his own guardian angel.

What is customary to give on Angel's Day?

The name of the holiday speaks of connections with angels, the church, and saints. Traditionally, on name days, it is customary to give icons with the face of the saint after whom the person was named, while gender and age do not play a big role. It is better to purchase such an icon in a church. It can be of any size, shape, made of different materials and with different decorations.

Silver and gold pendants with the face of a saint are also often given as gifts. It is especially important to give such a gift to a child or woman. People often give various figurines of angels made of metal, plastic, acrylic, bronze, which will fit well in any part of the house or in the corner of the desktop. Since ancient times, it has also been customary to give a personalized loaf or pie.

A gift for Angel's Day does not have to be strictly religious in nature. You need to think about the person's tastes and preferences. Children are given interesting toys, you can give a toy pet - a cat, a dog, a parrot, a hamster.

Elderly people can be given a warm down scarf, slippers, or some dishes as a gift, if we are talking about a grandmother. A set of spinners or hooks would be great for grandpa if he loves fishing. A woman or girl will be happy with a new dress or clothing accessory.

Both adults and children can find a good book. You can buy or bake a cake with your name on it. It’s worth making a little effort, thinking about what the birthday boy’s hobbies are, what he’s inspired by, what he likes, what he dreams of, and choose a worthy gift to make even the smallest dream come true.

Don’t forget about warm words, but it’s better to choose a good poem with the name of the person being honored and best wishes. Any gift on such a day will be appreciated and will make everyone around joyful and positive.