A name day should not be confused with Angel Day. It can be two different days in a year. Angels are holy ethereal spirits created by the Lord of the previously visible world, who fulfill the will of God. At baptism, a Guardian Angel is sent to each person, who from that moment will always be nearby, to guide and help. Therefore, the day of the Angel is the day on which the person received the Sacrament of Baptism.
Barbara: Orthodox birthday
Every baptized person has a holy heavenly patron. Saints are people who, in their earthly life, have pleased God and have been ranked by the Church as saints. Memorial Day of the saint, whose name is called a person, is the name day. On what day it falls for a particular person, it will remind the name day church calendar. Barbara is a name that appears on the calendar several times a year.
Earlier in Russia, when a person was baptized, they gave him the name of a saint, whose memory fell on this day. Accordingly, the day of Baptism became for him both the day of the Angel and the name day at the same time.
Church Barbara Name Day
Name day in Orthodoxy is the day on which the Church celebrates the memory of the holy heavenly patron saint of man. Every day the memory of a saint is celebrated. One name can have several days of remembrance in a year, since several different saints can wear it. According to the church calendar, the names of Barbara are on the following dates:
- January 11 - Martyr Varvara Derevyagina.
- March 6 - Martyr Barbara Losev.
- April 5 - Rev. Martyr Barbara Konkin.
- July 18 - Rev. Martyr Barbara (Yakovleva) Alapaevskaya.
- December 17 - Great Martyr Barbara of Iliopolis.
All these holy wives were glorified by the Orthodox Church in the form of saints. Memorial Day of St. Barbara (from the above), the closest after the birthday, is the name of Barbara.
There is an opinion of people that if a saint (or saint) patron is a martyr, then a person’s life should be marked by martyrdom. This is not only prejudice, but also sin. Some get to the point that they want to change their name by choosing a patron - not a martyr. By such an action they refuse the patronage of their saint.
In Orthodoxy there is no faith in fate, predetermination, rock. There is man’s free will in choosing the path to salvation or death, and there is the Providence of God, directing us to salvation, but not interfering with our free will. The holy martyrs, through their feats, have earned mercy from God, and now they have the audacity to pray for us.
The Life of the Great Martyr Barbara of Iliopolskaya
The Great Martyr Barbara, the daughter of a noble man named Dioskoros, lived in the city of Iliopol (Phoenician, now Syria). The father, wanting to save her daughter from prying eyes and Christian fellowship, did not allow her to leave the palace. When the time came to marry Barbara, the father received a decisive refusal from his daughter to fulfill his will.
Wanting to persuade Barbara to marry, Dioskor allowed her to leave the palace, suggesting that communication with her friends would change her decision. At this time, the saint met with Christians who told her about faith in Jesus Christ and the One God. From childhood, Barbara thought that the gods, in which her father and all those around her believed, could not create the world, and could not be the truth. Upon hearing the gospel message of Christ, she accepted the Sacrament of Baptism.
The father, learning about the baptism of his daughter, tried by force to persuade her to renounce the Christian faith. Seeing the inflexibility of the saint, he led her to the ruler, betraying her to torment. Ruler Martian also persuaded Barbara to abandon Christ and bow to pagan idols. Saint Barbara did not renounce her faith, but suffered great torment before being executed (beheaded) by her father Dioscor.
According to legend, the relics of the great martyr Barbara were buried by pious people, and miracles and healings came from them in great numbers.
Relics of the Great Martyr Barbara of Iliopolskaya
Later, the relics of the Great Martyr Barbara were transferred from Greece to Kiev, this happened in the XII century. At that time, recently baptized Russia was in close friendship with Byzantium. Russian princes married sisters and daughters of Greek rulers. The Grand Duke of Kiev Mikhail Izyaslavovich married the Greek Princess Varvara, who brought with her to Kiev the gift of her father - the relics of the Great Martyr Barbara.
Holy relics are still in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev.
How to correctly conduct Barbara’s birthday
Since the name day is a holiday of the patron saint, it must first be held piously. Come to church and pray to your Saint Barbara, thank, ask for help, light a candle, order a prayer service.
Our ancestors honored their name day more than birthdays. Because it’s a holy holiday, a holy day. It was obligatory on this day to be in the service and take communion.
Today it often turns out that Barbara’s name day and Angel's day are two different days in a year, but this does not prevent us from bringing birthday thanks to our Guardian Angel on name day.