Each of us knows the date of our birth, but in addition to this holiday, any person has so-called name days. Not every person is interested in their birthday and simply does not attach any significance to this celebration. Let’s take a closer look at this event.
What are name days?
First of all, you need to understand what exactly this holiday means. Even in infancy, the sacrament of baptism is performed on a child , which means that from that moment on, each person has a kind of patron, or, as it is commonly called, a guardian angel. In Orthodoxy, such a patron becomes a saint, whose name is now a man. It is believed that it is he who is now praying for us before God, protecting and helping us in every way. In turn, we must also honor the memory of the saint who is now our patron saint, to know his history and how he distinguished himself during his lifetime. It doesn’t matter at all whether you celebrate your name day in August or any other month, after all, you can even do it several times a year, the main thing is to pray earnestly and honor the day of remembrance of the saint whose name you bear.
Name day in August
As a rule, future parents think in advance about what name to give their baby, but very often it depends on what day the child is born, what name his parents will choose. This decision is truly Christian correct, but it is not obligatory when choosing a name. So, for those who are interested whose birthday will be in August, we tell.
Already on August 1, Gregory, Roman, Dmitry, Tikhon and Stepan can celebrate their name day. The name Gregory means sleepy, vigilant, it is believed that a person endowed with this name will have just such character traits. The 1st day is also celebrated by those who were given the name Mitrofan at baptism .
In general, a day is celebrated on several days during the year , so you should pay attention to the Orthodox calendar and celebrate these memorable days. For example, Ilya’s name day can be met many times during the year, perhaps this is due to the great martyrdom of this saint.
Name day in August, or rather 2 numbers, can celebrate Alex, Alexander, Ilya. August 3, Eugene, Semyon, Peter can glorify their holy guardian angel.
It must be remembered that name-days in August, however, as in any other month, must be celebrated no less diligently than your birthday. It should only be taken into account that on this day you should not pour yourself a glass of alcoholic drink, but rather go to church to the service, put a candle to your saint and just pray in front of the icons. Such behavior will delight our patrons and prayer books about our sinful soul. They, in turn, constantly pray for us and come to the rescue when we ask them in our prayers.
Male names
If you pay attention to the name day in August for boys, then among the male names there are such names as Pavel, Vasily, Anton, Makar, Maxim, Leonid, Ivan and more than three dozen different names. In order to know the day of your name day, it is better to pay attention to the Orthodox calendar, where each day corresponds to a very specific day for the veneration of a saint.
Female names
Almost in the first days of August, namely on the 4th, Christians honor the day of memory of the myrrh-bearing Mary Magdalene. According to the Scriptures, this woman led a dissolute and sinful life before meeting with Christ, and after seven demons were expelled from her, it was Mary who became a faithful disciple and follower of Christ. Until the end of her life, she remained a faithful slave of the Lord and carried with the apostles the teaching that Jesus bequeathed.
By the way, girls' name days in August also include a huge variety of names. This is Anastasia, Elena, Anna, Anfisa, Susanna, etc.