Your name day is the feast day of the saint you’re named after. It’s the day you honor your patron saint with prayer and celebration.
When you’re baptized in the Orthodox Church, you receive a Christian name, usually the name of a saint. That saint becomes your patron, your heavenly friend and intercessor. Every year when the Church celebrates that saint’s feast, you celebrate too. That’s your name day.
Why It Matters More Than You’d Think
Most folks in Southeast Texas grow up celebrating birthdays. Cake, presents, maybe a party at the skating rink. Name days work differently. They’re less about you and more about the saint who prays for you. You go to church that day if you can. You venerate your saint’s icon. You receive Communion. Then you might have family over for a meal.
In many Orthodox cultures, name days actually replace birthdays as the main annual celebration. The logic makes sense once you think about it. Your birthday marks when you entered this world. Your name day marks your connection to someone who’s already made it home to God.
When I was baptized, my godfather chose the name of St. Nicholas for me. Every December 6th, I attend the Divine Liturgy for his feast. I read his life again. I ask his prayers. And yes, my wife usually makes baklava and we have friends over. They’ll say “Many years!” and we’ll eat too much and someone will tell the story about St. Nicholas punching Arius at the Council of Nicaea. It’s become one of my favorite days of the year.
The Baptismal Connection
At your baptism, you’re joined to Christ and to His Body, the Church. That includes the saints. They’re not dead, they’re more alive than we are, standing before God’s throne. When you receive a saint’s name, you’re acknowledging that you’re part of their family now. You’re saying, “I want to learn from this person. I want their prayers. I want to follow their example.”
For converts, choosing a patron saint can be one of the most meaningful parts of becoming Orthodox. You research saints, read their lives, pray about it. Maybe you’re drawn to St. Mary of Egypt because of her radical repentance. Maybe St. John Chrysostom because you love his homilies. Maybe St. Xenia of Petersburg because her holy foolishness moves you to tears. When you take that name, you’re making a statement about who you want to become.
How People Actually Celebrate
There’s no one right way to keep a name day. Some people take the day off work. Others just go to Vespers the night before. If your saint’s feast falls on a weekday and you’re working a twelve-hour shift at the refinery, you do what you can. God understands.
The core is liturgical. You go to church. You light a candle before your saint’s icon. You ask their prayers. Everything else flows from that. Some families make it a big deal with a formal dinner and toasts. Others keep it simple with a phone call to their godparent and a quiet prayer at home. I know one family that bakes a cake with their patron saint’s icon printed on the frosting, which struck me as very American and also kind of wonderful.
If you’re named Mary, you’ve got options, the Theotokos has multiple feast days. Most people pick one as their main name day. Same with John (the Baptist? the Theologian? Chrysostom? Maximovitch?). Your godparent or priest can help you figure out which saint you’re actually named for.
What This Says About the Church
Name days only make sense if you believe the saints are really alive and really praying for us. They’re not symbols or memories. They’re persons united to Christ, and we’re united to them. When you celebrate your name day, you’re acting out what we mean by “the communion of saints.” You’re saying that the Church includes both the living and the dead, and the boundary between us is thin.
This is one of those Orthodox practices that sounds strange at first, especially if you grew up Baptist. But give it a year or two. Attend the feast of your patron saint. Read their life. Ask their prayers when you’re struggling. You’ll find that having a saint as your personal friend and advocate changes how you think about prayer, about holiness, about what it means to be part of Christ’s Body.
Next time someone at St. Michael’s mentions their name day, you’ll know what they mean. And when your own comes around, you’ll have a reason to bake something sweet and invite people over. The saints love a good party, especially when it reminds us we’re all heading home together.
