We choose the name for the newborn according to the Orthodox saints. Do Orthodox and Catholics have common saints

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Most often, the day of memory of a saint is the day of his earthly death, i.e. the transition to eternity, meeting with God, to commune with Whom the ascetic aspired.

How to determine the name day

In the church calendar, there are several days of commemoration of the same saint, and many saints also bear the same name. Therefore, it is necessary to find in the church calendar the day of memory of the saint named with you, the closest after the day of your birth. These will be your name days, and the saint whose memory is remembered on this day will be your heavenly patron. If he has other days of memory, then for you these dates will become “small name days”.

If we want to name a child strictly according to church tradition, then it will be the name of a saint whose memory is celebrated on the 8th day after the birth of a child. Cm.

When determining the name day, the date of the canonization of the saint does not matter, because it only fixes a fait accompli. In addition, as a rule, it takes place dozens of years after the transition of the saint to heavenly abodes.

The name received by a person at baptism not only remains unchanged throughout his life (the only exception is the case of becoming a monk), but is also preserved after death, passes with him into eternity. In prayers for the dead, he also remembers their names given in baptism.

Name day and Angel Day

Sometimes name days are called Angel Day. This name name recalls that in the old days, heavenly patrons were sometimes called the Angels of their earthly namesakes; it is incorrect, however, to confuse saints with angels. Name day is the day of remembrance of the saint whose name the person is named, and Angel Day is the day of baptism, when a person is assigned by God. Each baptized has his own Guardian Angel, but we do not know his name.

Honoring and emulating one's patron saint

About the prayerful help of the saints, the monk wrote: “Saints, in the Holy Spirit they see our life and our deeds. They know our sorrows and hear our ardent prayers... The Saints do not forget us and pray for us... They also see the suffering of people on earth. The Lord gave them such great grace that they embrace the whole world with love. They see and know how we are exhausted from sorrows, how our souls have dried up, how despondency has bound them, and, without ceasing, they intercede for us before God.

The veneration of the saint consists not only in praying to him, but also in imitation of his feat, his faith. “Let your life be by your name,” said the monk. After all, the saint whose name a person bears is not just his patron and prayer book, he is also a role model.

But how can we imitate our saint, how can we at least follow his example in some way? For this you need:

• First, to know about his life and exploits. Without this, we cannot sincerely love our saint.
• Secondly, you need to turn to them with prayer more often, know the troparion to him and always remember that we have a protector and helper in heaven.
• Thirdly, of course, we should always think about how we could follow the example of our saint in this or that case.

By the nature of Christian exploits, saints are traditionally divided into faces (ranks): prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs, confessors, reverend, righteous, holy fools, faithful, etc. (see).
The person who bears the name confessor or martyr, it is quite possible to fearlessly confess their faith, act like a Christian always and in everything, without looking back at dangers or inconveniences, in everything to please, first of all, God, and not people, regardless of ridicule, threats and even oppression.
Those who are named after saints may try to imitate them, denouncing errors and vices, spreading the light of Orthodoxy, helping their neighbors find the way to salvation both by word and by their own example.
Reverend(i.e. monks) can be imitated in detachment, independence from worldly pleasures, keeping the purity of thoughts, feelings and actions.
Imitate holy fool- means, first of all, to humble yourself, to cultivate selflessness in yourself, not to be carried away by the acquisition of earthly riches. The continuation should be the education of will and patience, the ability to endure the difficulties of life, the struggle with pride and vanity. You also need the habit of meekly enduring all insults, but at the same time not being shy about exposing obvious vices, telling the truth to everyone who needs admonition.

Names after angels

Also, a person can be named after (Michael, Gabriel, etc.). People named after the archangels celebrate their name day on November 21 (November 8 according to the old style), on the day of the Celebration of the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael of God and others Heavenly Forces incorporeal.

If the name is not in the calendar

If the name that you were called is not in the calendar, then at baptism the name that is closest in sound is chosen. For example, Dina - Evdokia, Lilia - Leah, Angelica - Angelina, Jeanne - John, Milan - Militsa. According to tradition, Alice receives the name Alexandra in baptism, in honor of St. Passion-bearer Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, before the adoption of Orthodoxy, bore the name Alice. Some names in the church tradition have a different sound, for example, Svetlana is Photinia (from the Greek photos - light), and Victoria is Nika, both names in Latin and Greek mean "victory".
Only the names given in baptism are written in.

How to celebrate name day

Orthodox Christians visit the temple on their name days and, having prepared in advance, the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
The days of "small name days" are not so solemn for the birthday man, but it is advisable to visit the temple on this day.
After communion, you need to keep yourself from all fuss, so as not to lose the festive joy. In the evening, you can invite loved ones to a 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 occur on a weekday are transferred to the next Saturday or Sunday.
Cm. Natalya Sukhinina

What to give for a birthday

In celebration of the memory of the patron saint, the best gift would be something that contributes to his spiritual growth: an icon, a vessel for, beautiful candles for prayer, books, audio and video discs of spiritual content.

Prayer to your saint

About the saint, in whose honor we receive a name, we must remember not only on the name day. In the daily morning and evening there is a prayer to the saint, we can also turn to him at any time and in any need. The simplest prayer to the saint:
Pray to God for me, holy servant of God (name), as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and prayer book for my soul.
You also need to know your saint.

In addition to the icons of the Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Virgin, it is desirable to have your own saint. It may happen that you are wearing some rare name, and the icon of his heavenly patron will be difficult to find. In this case, you can buy an icon of All Saints, which symbolically depicts all the saints glorified by the Orthodox Church.
Some .

Patristic sayings about birthdays

“We began to choose names not according to God. By God, this is how it should be. Choose a name according to the holy calendar: either on what day the child will be born, or on which it is baptized, or in the interval and three days after baptism. Here the matter will be without any human considerations, but as God wills, for birthdays are in the hands of God.
saint

The history and symbolism of the celebration of name days

Like many other religious traditions, the celebration of name days in Soviet time was in oblivion, moreover, in the 20-30s of the twentieth century it was subjected to official persecution. True, it turned out to be difficult to eradicate age-old folk habits: they still congratulate the birthday man on his birthday, and if the hero of the occasion is very young, they sing a song: “as on ... name day we baked a loaf”. Meanwhile, name day is a special holiday that could be called a day of spiritual birth, since it is associated primarily with the sacrament of Baptism and with the names that our heavenly patrons of the same name bear.

The tradition of celebrating name days has been known in Russia since the 17th century. Usually, on the eve of the holiday, the family of the birthday boy brewed beer, baked birthday cakes, pies and loaves. On the day of the holiday itself, the birthday man with his family went to church for mass, ordered a prayer service for health, put candles and kissed the icon with the face of his heavenly patron. In the afternoon, birthday cakes were distributed to friends and relatives, and often the filling and size of the cake had a special meaning, determined by the nature of the relationship between the birthday man and his relatives. In the evening there was a festive dinner.

The tsar's name-days (Tezoname Day), which were considered a public holiday, were celebrated especially splendidly. On this day, the boyars and courtiers came to the royal court in order to bring gifts and take part in a festive feast, at which they sang for many years. Sometimes the king personally handed out pies. Huge birthday cakes were distributed to the people. Later, other traditions appeared: military parades, fireworks, illuminations, shields with imperial monograms.

After the revolution, a serious and systematic ideological struggle began with name days: the rite of baptism was recognized as counter-revolutionary, and they tried to replace it with “Oktyabrins” and “Stars”. A ritual was developed in detail, in which the newborn was congratulated in strict sequence by the Octobrist, the pioneer, the Komsomol member, the communist, “honorary parents”, sometimes the baby was symbolically enrolled in the trade union, and so on. The fight against "survivals" reached ridiculous extremes: for example, in the 1920s, censorship banned K. Chukovsky's "Fly-Tsokotukha" for "propaganda of name days."

Traditionally, name days are attributed to that day of memory of the named (named) saint, which follows immediately after the birthday, although there is also a tradition of celebrating name days on the day of memory of the most famous saint of the same name, for example, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Apostle Peter, St. Alexander Nevsky, etc. e. In the past, name days were considered a more important holiday than the day of “corporal” birth, in addition, in many cases these holidays practically coincided, because traditionally the child was baptized on the eighth day after birth: the eighth day is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven , to which the baptized person joins, while the number seven is an ancient symbolic number denoting the created earthly world. Baptismal names were chosen according to the church calendar (saints). According to the old custom, the choice of name was limited to the names of saints whose memory was celebrated on the day of baptism. Later (especially in urban society) they abandoned this strict custom and began to choose names, guided by personal taste and other considerations - in honor of relatives, for example.
Name days turn us to one of our incarnations - to a personal name.

Perhaps to the ancient motto "Know thyself" one should add: "Know thy name." Of course, the name primarily serves to distinguish people. In the past, a name could be a social sign, indicating a place in society - now, perhaps, only monastic (monastic) names stand out sharply from the Russian nomenclature. But there is also a mystical meaning of the name, almost forgotten now.
In ancient times, people gave the name much greater value, than now. The name was considered a significant part of a person. The content of the name correlated with the inner meaning of the person, it was, as it were, put inside him. The name controlled fate (“a good name is good sign"). A well-chosen name became a source of strength and prosperity. Naming was considered a high act of creation, guessing the human essence, invoking grace.
In primitive society, the name was treated as a part of the body, like eyes, teeth, etc. The unity of the soul and the name seemed undoubted, moreover, it was sometimes believed that as many names as there are so many souls, therefore, in some tribes, before to kill the enemy, it was supposed to find out his name in order to use it in his native tribe. Often the names were hidden in order not to give weapons to the enemy. Harm and trouble were expected from bad treatment with a name. In some tribes it was strictly forbidden to pronounce (taboos) the name of the leader. In others, it was customary to assign new names to the elders, giving them new strength. It was believed that the sick child was given strength by the name of the father, who was shouted into the ear or even called him by the name of the father (mother), believing that part of the vital energy of the parents would help overcome the disease. If the child cried especially much, then the name was chosen incorrectly. Different nationalities have long preserved the tradition of naming “deceptive”, false names: the true name was not pronounced in the hope that death and evil spirits might not find the baby. There was another version of protective names - unattractive, ugly, frightening names (for example, Nekras, Nelyuba and even Dead), which averted adversity and misfortune.

In ancient Egypt, the personal name was carefully guarded. The Egyptians had a "small" name, known to all, and a "big" one, which was considered true: it was kept secret and was pronounced only during important ceremonies. The names of the pharaohs enjoyed special reverence - in the texts they were distinguished by a special cartouche. With great respect, the Egyptians treated the names of the dead - improper handling of them caused irreparable harm to otherworldly existence. The name and its bearer were one whole: the Egyptian myth is characteristic, according to which the god Ra hid his name, but the goddess Isis managed to find out by opening his chest - the name literally turned out to be inside the body!

From time immemorial, the change of the name corresponded to the change of the human essence. New names were given to teenagers at initiation, i.e., upon joining adult members of the community. In China, there are still children's "milk" names, which are abandoned with maturity. In ancient Greece, newly minted priests, renouncing old names, carved them on metal plates and drowned them in the sea. Echoes of these ideas can be seen in the Christian tradition of naming monastic names, when a person who has taken tonsure leaves the world and his worldly name.

Many peoples taboo names pagan gods and spirits. It was especially dangerous to call evil spirits (“cursing”): in this way it was possible to call out “evil force”. The ancient Jews did not dare to call the Name of God: Yahweh (in Old Testament is the "unspeakable Name", the sacred tetragram, which can be translated as "I am who I am." According to the Bible, the act of naming often becomes God's work: the Lord gave names to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Ishmael, Solomon, renamed Jacob to Israel. The special religious gift of the Jewish people was manifested in a multitude of names that are called theophoric - they contain God's "indescribable Name": in this way, through his personal name, a person contacted God.

Christianity, as the highest religious experience of mankind, takes personal names with all seriousness. The name of a person reflects the sacrament of a unique, precious personality, it implies personal communication with God. At the sacrament of Baptism Christian church, accepting a new soul into its bosom, connects it through a personal name with the name of God. As he wrote about Sergei Bulgakov, “human naming and name-incarnation exists in the image and likeness of the divine incarnation and naming… every person is an incarnate word, a realized name, for the Lord himself is the incarnate Name and Word.”

The purpose of Christians is holiness. Naming the baby with the name of a canonized saint, the Church tries to direct him on the true path: after all, this name has already “realized” in life as a saint. wearer holy name always keeps in himself the uplifting image of his heavenly patron, “helper”, “prayer book”. On the other hand, the community of names unites Christians into one body of the Church, into one "chosen people."

Reverence for the names of the Savior and the Mother of God has long been expressed in the fact that in the Orthodox tradition it is not customary to give names in memory of the Mother of God and Christ. Previously, the name of the Mother of God was distinguished even by a different accent - Mary, while other holy women had the name Maria (Marya). The rare monastic (schema) name Jesus was assigned in memory not of Jesus Christ, but of the righteous Joshua.

The Russian Christian name book has evolved over the centuries. The first extensive layer of Russian names arose in the pre-Christian era. The reasons for the emergence of a particular name could be very different: in addition to religious motives, the circumstances of birth played a role, appearance, character, etc. Later, after the Baptism of Russia, these names, sometimes difficult to distinguish from nicknames, coexisted with Christian calendar names (until the 17th century). Even priests sometimes had 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 hidden, known only to the confessor). When the Christian name book completely supplanted the pre-Christian "nickname" names, they did not leave us for good, moving into another class of names - in surnames (for example, Nekrasov, Zhdanov, Naydenov). Some pre-Christian names of canonized Russian saints subsequently became calendar ones (eg Yaroslav, Vyacheslav, Vladimir).
With the adoption of Christianity, Russia was enriched with the names of all human civilization: with the Byzantine calendar, Greek, Jewish, Roman and other names came to us. Sometimes under the Christian name, images of more ancient religions and cultures were hidden. Over time, these names became Russified, so much so that the Hebrew names themselves became Russian - Ivan and Marya. At the same time, one should keep in mind the lofty thought of Fr. Pavel Florensky: "There are no Jewish, Greek, Latin, or Russian names - there are only universal names, the common property of mankind."

The post-revolutionary history of Russian names evolved dramatically: a mass campaign of "de-Christianization" of the name-word was carried out. The revolutionary obscurantism of some sections of society, combined with a tough state policy, was aimed at reorganizing, and therefore at renaming the world. Along with the renaming of the country, its cities and streets, people were renamed. “Red calendars” were compiled, new, “revolutionary” names were invented, many of which now sound just like curiosities (for example, Malentro, i.e. Marx, Lenin, Trotsky; Dazdraperma, i.e. Long live May Day, etc. .). The process of revolutionary name-creation, characteristic of ideological revolutions in general (it was known in France at the end of the 18th century, and in republican Spain, and in the countries of the former "socialist camp"), did not last long in Soviet Russia, about a decade (20-30s ). Soon these names became the property of history - here it is appropriate to recall another thought about. Pavel Florensky: “you can’t think of names”, in the sense that they are “the most stable fact of culture and the most important of its foundations”.

The change in the Russian personal name went along the line of borrowing from other cultures - Western European (for example, Albert, Victoria, Jeanne) and common Slavic Christian names (for example, Stanislav, Bronislava), names from Greek and Roman mythology and history (for example, Aurelius, Aphrodite , Venus), etc. Over time, Russian society again returned to calendar 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 (the general property of "mass cultures" also played its role - the desire for averaging, standardization ).

Hieromonk Macarius (Markish):
From ancient times it has been customary to give a newly received member of the Church the name of a saint. Thus, a special, new connection arises between earth and Heaven, between a person living in this world and one of those who worthily passed his life path whose holiness the Church has witnessed and glorified with her conciliar mind. Therefore, every Orthodox must keep in mind the saint after whom he is named, know the basic facts of his life, and, if possible, remember at least some elements of the service in his honor.
But the same name, especially from the common ones (Peter, Nikolai, Maria, Elena), was worn by many saints of different times and peoples; therefore, we have to find out in honor of which saint, who bore this name, the baby will be named. This can be done using the detailed church calendar, which contains an alphabetical list of saints revered by our Church with the dates of the celebration of their memory. The choice is made taking into account the date of birth or baptism of the child, the circumstances of the feat of life of the saints, family traditions, and your personal sympathies.
In addition, many well-known saints have several days of remembrance during the year: it can be the day of death, the day of finding or transferring relics, the day of glorification - canonization. You have to choose which of these days will become a holiday (name day, name day) of your child. It is often referred to as Angel Day. Indeed, we ask the Lord to give the newly baptized his Guardian Angel; but this Angel must by no means be confused with the saint after whom the child is named.
Sometimes when giving a name there are some difficulties. There are many Orthodox saints known in history, but not included in our calendars. Among them are the saints of Western Europe, who lived and were glorified even before the fall of Rome from Orthodoxy (until 1054 the Roman Church was not cut off from Orthodoxy, and we also recognize the saints venerated in it by that time as saints), whose names we acquired popularity in recent decades (Victoria, Edward, etc.), but are sometimes listed as "non-Orthodox". There are also reverse situations when the usual Slavic name does not belong to any of the Orthodox saints (for example, Stanislav). Finally, there are frequent formal misunderstandings associated with the spelling of the name (Elena - Alena, Ksenia - Oksana, John - Ivan) or its sound on different languages(in Slavic - Svetlana and Zlata, in Greek - Photinia and Chris).
If necessary, the child can be given a baptismal name that is different from the one recorded on the birth certificate, choosing it, for example, by consonance (Stanislav - Stakhiy, Karolina - Kaleria, Elina - Elena). There is nothing flawed in this: among the Serbs, for example, almost everyone has one name in everyday life and another in baptism. Note that in the Russian Church, unlike some other Orthodox Churches, the beloved name Mary is never given in honor of Holy Mother of God, but only in honor of other saints who bore this name. You should also know that since 2000, our Church has been counting as saints many of our countrymen and fellow citizens - the new martyrs and confessors of the 20th century - and calls on believers to name their children in their honor and memory.

When choosing a name for a newborn, it is important to find out is it in the holy calendar, what names can be used for baptism. It is also very useful to figure out what the name you have chosen means (translated into Russian), look at full list diminutive (short) forms of the name, find out its place in p name popularity rating. That's what this guide was created for."A Thousand Names" (flip through an introductory copy). If you find this book useful, in 2-3 days you will be able to hold it in your hands! (more information).

Birthday calendar. Women's names. Male names

January February March/April - June /July - September /October - December

On this page you can choose a name for baptism (baptismal or baptismal name).

Here are the most famous and "popular" saints.

Some saints have several days of memory (2-3) per year, which means there are several name days!

January. Names in alphabetical order:

Amelia, Amalia (see Emilia)

Anisya, Anisiya, godname: Anisiya

Apollinaria, godname: Apollinaria

Saint Apollinaria of Egypt, January 5/18

Notes: 1) St. Apollinaria had the gift of healing and miracles; she carried monastic service in a male image under the name Dorotheus, only after her death it turned out that she was a woman; 2) the name Apollinaria is sometimes chosen as a godfather for the name Polina

Apraxia (see Eupraxia)

Bogdana, Bozena (see Fedor)

Vasilisa, Vasilina, godname: Vasilisa

Holy Martyr Basilissa of Egypt, January 8/21

Dana (see Fedo ra)

D o mnika, Domnika, Dominika, godname: Domnika

Holy Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, January 8/21

Eugenia, godname: Evgenia

Eupraxia, Apraksia, godname: Eupraxia

Saint Venerable Eupraxia (Euphrasia) of Constantinople, Tavenskaya, Elder, January 12/25

Claudia, godname: Claudia

Leonia, Leonida, Leontina, godname: Leonilla

Holy Martyr Leonilla (Neonilla) of Langonia, January 16/29

Note: the name Leonilla can also be advised as a godfather for the "non-calendar" name Eleanor (according to "consonance")

Maria, godname: Maria

Holy Reverend Mary of Radonezh (mother St. Sergius Radonezh), this saint has two days of remembrance a year: January 18 / 31, and September 28 / October 11 (respectively, two birthday days)

Melania, Melania, godname: Melania

Notes: 1) the Russian folk forms of the name, now out of use, were Malania and Malanya, 2) the names Melania and Melania should not be confused with the names Milena and Milan, which have a different origin.

Nastasya (see Anastasia)

Nina, godname: Nina

Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, Enlightener of Georgia, January 14/27

Ruslana, godfather Orthodox name: absent

Note: There is no name Ruslan in the Orthodox calendar, suitable name for baptism, the name Leonilla may well be, since its meaning is “lion”, “lioness” (Greek)

Holy Martyr Leonilla (Neonilla) of Langonia, January 16/29 (optional)

Tatyana, godfather Orthodox name: Tatiana

Holy Martyr Tatiana of Rome, January 12/25

Ulyana (see Juliana)

Fedora, Theodora (as well as Bogdana, Dana, Bozena, Dora), godname: Theodora

Saint Theodora of Caesarea, December 30 / January 12
- Saint Theodora of Tsaregradskaya (Constantinople), December 30 / January 12
Note: Theodora's name is not popular, but it may well serve as a godfather for such passport names as Bogdana, Dana, Bozena (according to the general meaning of the name). The name Dora can also be considered as a passport (as a truncation of the name Theodore)

Emilia, Emma (and also Amelia, Amalia), godname: Emilia

Saint Emilia of Caesarea (mother of Basil the Great), January 1/14

Note: The names Amalia and Amelia have a different origin, from the ancient Germanic amal, amala - “hardworking”, “diligent”, “tireless”, but due to the similarity of sound, it is good for them to use the godname Emilia

Holy Righteous Juliana of Lazarevskaya, Muromskaya, January 2/15
- Holy Martyr Juliana of Nicomedia, December 21 / January 3

Holy Blessed Princess Juliana Vyazemskaya, martyr; this saint has two memorial days a year: December 21 / January 3, and June 2 / 15 (respectively, two birthday days)

January. Names by calendar days:

(dates according to the new style)

3. Yuliana + Yulianna + Ulyana

4. Anastasia + Nastasya

6. Evgenia; Claudia

10. Agafia + Agafia + Agatha

12. Anisya + Anisya; Fedora + Theodora (as well as Bogdan, Dana, Bozena, Dora)

13. Melania + Melania

14. Emilia + Emma (and also Amelia, Amalia)

15. Yuliana + Yulianna + Ulyana

18. Apollinaria + Polina

21. Vasilisa + Vasilina; Do minka + Domini ka + Domini ka

25. Eupraxia + Apraxia; Tatyana

27. Nina

29. Leonia + Leonida + Leontina + Leonilla (as well as Eleonora, Ruslana)

31. Maria + Marya (and also Marietta, Marietta)

February. Names in alphabetical order:

(the first date is according to the church calendar, the second is according to the new style)

Agafia, Agafya, Agatha, godname: Agafia

Holy Martyr Agathia of Sicily, Palermo, February 5/18

Agnia, Agnes, Inessa, godname: Agnia

Aksinya (see Xenia)

Anna, godname: Anna

Holy Blessed Princess Anna of Novgorod (otherwise - Reverend Anna of Novgorod), February 10/23
- holy righteous Anna the Prophetess (daughter of Phanuilov), February 3 / 16, and also August 28 / September 10

Afanasia, godname: Afanasia

Bogdana, Bozena (see Fedor)

Valentina, godname: Valentina

Holy Martyr Valentina of Caesarea (otherwise - Valentina of Palestine), February 10/23

Note: In recent years, the names of Vitalin and Vitaly are increasingly registered. It is obvious that these are analogous male name Vitali, derived from the Latin vitalis (i.e. " full of life”, “living”, “giving life”). A good godname for Vitalina and Vitalia can be Valentina - both in general meaning and in sound

Galina, godname: Galina

Holy Righteous Galina, February 10/23

Dana (see Fedo ra)

Dorothea, Dora, godname: Dorothea

Holy Martyr Dorothea of ​​Caesarea (from Cappadocia), February 6/19

Evdoksia, godname: Evdoksia

Eusevia, godname: Eusevia

Saint Eusebius of Milas (after baptism she received the name Xenia), January 24 / February 6

Zoya, godname: Zoya

Saint Rev. Zoya of Bethlehem, February 13/26

Inessa (see Agnia)

Inna, godname: Inna

Holy Martyr Inna Novodunsky, Slav, January 20 / February 2, and June 20 / July 3

Note: the patron saint is the martyr Inna; in Russia, the names Inna, Rimma and Pinna are considered female, but in the calendar they are contained in the section "Male Names"

Holy Martyr Christina of Caesarea, February 6/19

Ksenia, Aksinya, Oksana, godname: Ksenia

Saint Rev. Xenia of Milas, January 24 / February 6
- Saint Blessed Xenia of Petersburg, January 24 / February 6, and also May 24 / June 6

Maria, godname: Maria

Holy Reverend Mary of Constantinople, January 26 / February 8
- Holy Martyr Mary of Asia, February 6/19
Note: Possible passport forms of the name can also be Marya and Marietta (Marietta)

Martha, Marta, Martina, godname: Martha

Holy Martyr Martha of Asia, February 6/19

Oksana (see Xenia)

Pelagia, godname: Pelagia

Polina, godname: Pavla

Holy Martyr Paul of Caesarea, February 10/23

Note: sometimes the name Apollinaria is taken as a godname for Polina (see January)

Rimma, godname: Rimma

Holy Martyr Rimma Novodunsky, Slav, January 20 / February 2, also June 20 / July 3

Note: the patron saint is the martyr Rimma; in Russia, the names Inna, Rimma and Pinna are considered female, but in the calendar they are contained in the section "Male Names"

Svetlana, godname: Svetlana (Fotinia)

Holy Venerable Photinia (Svetlana) of Palestine (5th century), February 13/26

Holy Righteous Theodora, Queen of Greece (who restored the veneration of icons) (867 AD), February 11/24

Christina (see Christina)

Felicia, godname: Filizata

Feoktista, godname: Feoktista

February. Names by calendar days:

(dates according to the new style)

2. Inna; Rimma

3. Agnia + Agnes + Inessa

6. Eusebia; Ksenia + Aksinya + Oksana

7. Felicia

8. Maria + Marya (and also Marietta, Marietta)

12. Pelagia

13. Athanasius; Eudoxia; Feoktista

16. Anna

18. Agafia + Agafia + Agatha

19. Dorothea + Dora;Christina + Christina; Maria + Marya (as well as Marietta, Marietta); Martha + Martha + Martina

23. Anna; Valentina (as well as Vitalina, Vitaly); Galina; Pauline

24. Fedora + Theodora (and also Bogdan, Dana , Bozena , Dora)

26. Zoya; Svetlana

March. Names in alphabetical order:

(the first date is according to the church calendar, the second is according to the new style)

Avdotya (see Evdokia)

Alena (see Elena)

Anastasia, Nastasya, godname: Anastasia

Saint Anastasia Patrickia (Constantinople, Alexandria), March 10/23

Antonina, Antonia, Antonida, godname: Antonina

Holy Martyr Antonina of Nicaea, March 1/14 and June 13/26

Bogdana, Bozena (see Fedor)

Victoria (see Nika)

Galina, godname: Galina

Holy Martyr Galina of Corinth, March 10/23 and April 16/29

Dana (see Fedo ra)

Evdokia, Avdotya, godname: Evdokia

Holy Martyr Evdokia of Iliopol, March 1/14

Elena, Alena (as well as Elina, Nelly, Lina, Ilona), godname: Elena

Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena of Constantinople, March 6/19, as well as May 21/June 3
Notes: 1) the godfather name Elena is also a good option (by consonance) for such passport names as Eleonora, Elvira, Ella, 2) sometimes the church Neonilla / Leonilla is used as a godfather for the name Nelly (see January, the name of Ruslan); Neonilla from Latin neon, Greek neos - "young, new").

Ilona (see Elena)

Iraida (see Raisa)

Kira, godname: Kira

Christina, Christina, godname: Christina

Holy Martyr Christina of Persia, March 13/26

Lina (see Elena)

Marianna, Maryana, godname: Mariamna

Nastasya (see Anastasia)

Nelly (see Elena)

Nika, Victoria, godname: Nika

Holy Martyr Nike of Corinth, March 10/23 and April 16/29

Note: in Ancient Greece Nike (Nike) - the goddess of victory, among the Romans she corresponded to Victoria (Victoria)

Raisa, Iraida, godname: Raisa, Iraida

The Holy Martyr Raisa of Alexandria, Antinopolis (the same saint is known as Iraida of Alexandria, Antinopolis), respectively, in her honor, the girl can be called Raisa or Iraida, this saint has three days of memory - March 5/18; September 5/18; September 23 / October 6

Ulyana (see Juliana)

Fedora, Theodora, godname: Theodora

Note: Theodora's name is not popular, but it may well serve as a godfather for such passport names as Bogdana, Dana, Bozena (according to the general meaning of the name). The name Dora can also be considered as a passport (as a truncation of the name Theodore)

Christina (see Christina)

Elina (see Elena)

Yuliana, Yulianna, Ulyana, godname: Juliana

Holy Martyr Juliana of Ptolemaida, March 4/17 and August 17/30

March. Names by calendar days:

(dates according to the new style)

2. Marianna + Mariana

13. Kira

14. Antonina + Antonia + Antonida; Evdokia + Avdotya

17. Yuliana + Yulianna + Ulyana

18. Raisa + Iraida

19. Elena + Alena (Elina, Nelli , Lina , Ilona , and also Eleanor , Elvira , Ella)

23. Anastasia + Nastasya; Galina; Nika + Victoria; Fyodor + Theodora (as well as Bogdan, Dana , Bozena Detailed information about each of the given names

you will find in the book of Evgeny Vasiliev "A Thousand Names"

The information in this birthday calendar is in this format:

all possible passport forms of the name (to be entered on the Birth Certificate) - cross name (to be entered on the Baptism Certificate) - full name saint saint - saint's memorial day (moreover, the first date is indicated according to the church calendar, and the second date is according to our modern calendar); the day of the memory of the saint - this is the day of the celebration of the name day; some saints have several days of memory (2-3) during the year, which means there are several name days!

Key words: Cross name. Baptismal name. Name for baptism. January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. September. October. November. December. Baptize a child, a girl. Christening. church name. Name by consonance. Meaningful name. Russian Orthodox Church. Russian saints. Belarusian saints. calendar name. Non-calendar name. Canonical name. Non-canonical. Name according to the church calendar. Russian name. Christian name. For girl. Women's names. For a newborn. Name naming. Naming. church calendar. New style. According to the old style. Monthly. Orthodox. Saints. Name according to saints. Names according to saints. Name day. Name day. When to celebrate. Birthday calendar. Day Angel. Saint's Day. Popular, famous saints. Holy. Holy saints. Martyrs. Righteous. Righteous. Rev. Faithful. Blessed Princess. Hieromartyr.

The Most Holy Theotokos herself is considered the intercessor and patroness of Russia. It is not surprising, therefore, that there are women among the almost 300 Russian Orthodox saints. And the first person to accept Christianity in Russia was Princess Olga.

1. Euphrosyne of Polotsk

In the world, Euphrosyne of Polotsk was called Predslava. She was the daughter of Vitebsk Prince Svyatoslav Vseslavich.
Predslava from an early age showed interest in spiritual life, as soon as the girl was 12 years old, she abandoned the dynastic marriage and on February 15, 1116, took secret tonsure in the Polotsk monastery.
A few years later, Euphrosinia took up the rewriting of books, which was a very laborious and lengthy process. Usually men received such obedience, but Euphrosinia was firm in her faith.
Saint Euphrosyne is credited with the acquisition by the Polotsk Sophia Cathedral of the icon of the Mother of God of Ephesus. Euphrosyne also commissioned a cross-reliquary from master Lazar Bogshe, which became known as her name. Euphrosyne of Polotsk died during a pilgrimage in Jerusalem on May 23, 1167. She was venerated in Polotsk shortly after her death, but Euphrosyne was canonized only in 1893.
Euphrosyne of Polotsk was a prominent church leader of her time. She initiated the construction of the women's Spassky Monastery, took part in political life principality and became a kind of banner of the struggle of the Polovtsy for their independence.
It is interesting that in the life of St. Euphrosyne there is no story about posthumous miracles.

2. Princess Olga

Princess Olga is the only Russian woman who has been canonized as a Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles. Olga was the first in Russia to accept Christianity, even before Baptism.
Very little is known about Olga's youth, the most accurate information about her appears in the annals of 945, when her husband Igor dies. Then Nestor describes in the annals of Olga's revenge on the Drevlyans, who were guilty of the death of the prince.
From 947, Olga begins to rule herself. She sets up a churchyard system, opens up several overland routes, sets the size of a field. It was Olga who laid the foundation for stone construction in Russia.
In 955, Olga was baptized in Constantinople under the name Elena. The princess tried to introduce Christianity to her son Svyatoslav, but he remained a pagan until the end of his life.
Saint Olga was already recognized during the reign of Yaropolk, her grandson, and in 1547 Princess Olga was canonized as a Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles.

3. Matrona of Moscow

Matrona of Moscow is one of the most popular Russian saints. She was canonized relatively recently - in 1999.
Matrona was born blind. Parents wanted to leave the child in an orphanage, but the girl's mother had a dream prophetic dream about a blind dove, and they left Matron. Already at the age of 8, the girl was deeply religious, she had the gift of predicting the future and healing the sick. By the age of 18, Matrona of Moscow lost her legs.
Most of her life, Matrona lived with fellow villager Evdokia Mikhailovna Zhdanova and her daughter Zinaida, hosted the suffering and sick. Matrona of Moscow died in 1952.
In 1999, Matrona was canonized as a locally revered saint, but people from all over Russia come to bow to her.

4. Xenia of Petersburg

Ksenia of Petersburg chose the path of foolishness at the age of 26. Many legends and memories about the prophetic gift of the saint have been preserved.
Xenia was born in the first half of the 18th century. Having reached the age of majority, Xenia married the court chorister Andrei Fedorovich Petrov. The young couple lived in St. Petersburg. Andrei Fedorovich did not die when Xenia was 26 years old.
The young widow embarked on the path of foolishness, began to respond only to the name of her husband, distributed all their property to the poor, and gave the house to one of her friends, on the condition that she would let the poor sleep over.
The exact date of the death of Xenia of Petersburg is unknown. In 1988 Russian Orthodox Church ranked her among the holy fools.

5. Fevronia

The life of the saint became widely known after the publication of The Tale of Peter and Fevronia, which looked more like a fairy tale than a historical document. Fevronia was the daughter of a beekeeper. Once, Prince Peter turned to her for help, who promised to make her his bride if she healed him of his wounds. The girl cured Peter, but he did not keep his promise, and the disease returned. Then Peter took Fevronia as his wife. The boyars did not accept the common people's wife of the prince. Peter took his wife and left the city, in which turmoil broke out almost immediately, and the prince was asked to return back.
Peter and Fevronia ruled for many years, and in their old age they took monastic vows in different monasteries. They prayed to die on the same day and bequeathed to be buried together. When the request of Peter and Fevronia was not fulfilled, they miraculously ended up in the same coffin. The spouses were buried in 1228, and in 1547 they were canonized. Peter and Fevronia are considered the patrons of the family.

6. Anna Kashinskaya
Anna (in tonsure - Sofia) was born in the 13th century in the family of the Rostov prince Dmitry Borisovich. In 1299, she married Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver, and 20 years later he was killed in the Horde. Years later, her sons and grandson were executed in the Horde.
The year of Anna's tonsure is unknown, but in 1358 she is mentioned as the 80-year-old abbess of the Tver Convent in the name of St. Athanasius. Before her death, Anna took the schema.
The veneration of Anna Kashinskaya began in 1611, when her remains were discovered in the Kashin church in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos. In 1650, she was canonized, but already in 1677, as part of the struggle against double-digit baptism, decanonization was carried out, and the life of St. Anne was anathematized. Only in 1909, Emperor Nicholas II gave permission for re-canonization.

7. Juliana Lazarevskaya

The real name of Julian Lazarevskaya is Uliana Ustinovna Osorina. She was born in 1530 in a family of noble Nedyurevs. Since childhood, the girl was very pious and diligent. At the age of 16, she married Yuri Osorin, in marriage with him she gave birth to 13 children. After the death of two sons in the royal service, Ulyana began to beg her husband to let her monastery go. He agreed on the condition that before that she would raise the remaining children.
When a famine broke out during the reign of Boris Godunov, Juliana sold all her possessions to feed the poor.
Juliana died in 1604 and was buried in Murom. In 1614, when a grave was being dug nearby, the relics of Juliana were found, which exuded myrrh. Then several people were healed. In the same year, 1614, Juliana Lazarevskaya was canonized as a righteous woman.

8. Holy Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna

Elizabeth Feodorovna was older sister Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Russian empress. In 1884, Elizaveta Feodorovna married Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, brother of Emperor Alexander III.
All her life Elizaveta Fedorovna was engaged in charity work. She organized the Elizabethan Benevolent Society, during the war she was engaged in medical care for soldiers. In 1905, her husband died in an assassination attempt.
Ovdov Elizaveta Fyodorovna founded the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy, which was engaged in medical and charitable work. Since 1909, the princess devoted her whole life to work in the monastery.
Elizaveta Fedorovna was killed and thrown into a mine in 1918 in the city of Alapaevsk, along with other members of the Romanov family. There is evidence that Elizabeth died later than the others, since chants were heard from the mine for some time.
In 1992, Elizaveta Feodorovna was canonized and included in the Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

9. Varvara Skvorchikhinskaya

Blessed Barbara was born into the family of a priest. After studying to be a home teacher, the girl began to teach. She was a devout believer and often brought a priest to her classes, but when atheism began to be preached in schools, Varvara stopped working and chose the path of a recluse for herself.
She lived for over 35 years in an old barn, constantly praying and fasting. All these years, Varvara did not attend church, but she received priests and believers.
Varvara died in 1966, and in 2001 Patriarch Alexy II blessed her to glorify the ascetic among the locally venerated saints of the Ufa diocese.

10. Evdokia Dmitrievna

Evdokia Dmitrievna is also known as the Monk Evdokia of Moscow, during her lifetime she became famous for her charitable work. At the age of 15, she was married to the Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy. She spent 22 years with him happy marriage, and after the death of her husband, she ruled for some time, being the guardian of the succession to the throne among her sons.
Evdokia Dmitrievna during her lifetime initiated the construction of many churches and monasteries, including the Ascension Convent. Under the leadership of Evdokia Dmitrievna, the Moscow militia was assembled to protect the city from Tamerlane. In 1407, the princess retired to the Ascension Monastery, where she was tonsured with the name Euphrosyne. Euphrosinia lived in monasticism for only a few months and died in the same year. In 1988 she was canonized together with her husband.
In 2007, a church award was established - the Order and Medal of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow.

11. Euphrosyne of Kolupanovskaya

Princess Evdokia Grigorievna Vyazemskaya was the maid of honor of Catherine II, but her desire to devote herself to the service of God was so great that she staged her own death and secretly left the court. She wandered for more than 10 years, until in 1806 she met with Metropolitan Platon, who gave her a blessing for the feat of foolishness. From that moment on, the former princess settled in Serpukhov Vladychny Vvedensky convent under the name "Fool Euphrosyne".
It is known that Euphrosinia secretly wore chains and even went barefoot in winter.
When the abbess changed in the monastery, Euphrosyne began to be oppressed, which, in the end, forced the woman to leave the walls of the monastery. The former princess spent the last 10 years of her life in the village of Kolyupanovo in the house of the landowner Natalya Alekseevna Protopopova. Even during her lifetime, Efvrosinia Kolyupanovskaya was credited with the gift of healing and foresight. Blessed Euphrosyne reposed in 1855, but the veneration that began during her lifetime continued after her death.
In 1988, Euphrosyne of Kolupanovskaya was canonized among the Tula saints in the face of the blessed.

12. Juliana Vyazemskaya

The fate of Juliana Vyazemskaya bears little resemblance to the fate of other Russian saints. She was the wife of Prince Simeon Mstislavich Vyazemsky, until the Smolensk prince Yuri Svyatoslavovich tried to forcefully bring Juliana to him "although live with her." Unable to endure the outrage, the princess stabbed the offender with a knife, and he, in a fit of rage, killed her husband, cut off her arms and legs herself, and ordered her body to be thrown into the Tvertsa River.
In the spring of 1407, the body of the martyr Juliana was found floating against the current of the Tvertets River. The found body of the saint was buried at the southern doors of the Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Torzhok, soon after that, miraculous healings began to occur at the burial site.
The exact date of the canonization of Juliana Vyazemskaya as a locally venerated saint is unknown, but many historians believe that this happened in 1815, the year the saint's relics were rediscovered.

From 123rf.com

Children of the Soviet era can remember the words from the famous song of Alla Pugacheva: “Holy lies! Even if you are holy, I'm tired of your kindness! I do not trust you". Is there really a holy lie? And in general, can holiness be compatible with a lie that is used for good purposes?

Lies and the Law of God

The ninth commandment of God's Law states: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). This commandment has a direct bearing on conduct in court. But that doesn't mean that cheating is acceptable in other cases. The Bible also says: “Depart from unrighteousness…” (Exodus 23:7). Holy Scripture teaches us to keep a distance between ourselves and all lies.

For those who live in harmony with God's Law, any untruth is alien. Researcher Alterman, commenting on the above words of the Bible, notes: "Lying destabilizes relationships and discredits the idea of ​​holiness." Using untruth to distort reality or hide the true state of things is a sin and inevitably, sooner or later, leads to disastrous consequences.

Lies to save lives

But what about those very rare cases when someone's life depends on our words? How to proceed? To tell the truth and subject a person to death, or to deceive, thereby sinning, but saving a life? But where is the guarantee that your lies will be believed? For some reason, most liars are convinced of the positive outcome of their crafty actions. If their principles are universal, then they should always work, but they are not.

To justify the lie, some Christians recall the biblical story of the harlot Rahab, who hid Israelite spies in her home and saved their lives by deceiving the soldiers who were looking for them (see Joshua 2:3–5). They draw the following conclusion: “If there is no explicit condemnation of Rahab's deceit in the Bible, then in exceptional situations lying is allowed. In addition, in the epistle of James, Rahab’s act is noted as positive: “In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she received the spies and sent them away in another way?” (James 2:25). Do not rush to conclusions. Yes, Rahab saved the lives of the scouts. But does this mean that God could not take care of them? Did he put unrighteousness in the mouth of this pagan woman in order to save his children? Does the Righteous God use sin for good? To think like this is to misunderstand Scripture. James speaks about the FAITH of the harlot, or rather about how she manifested it, omitting the piquant moment with a lie. Contrary to pagan superstitions, she demonstrated her belief in the One, Unique and True God Yahweh. However, faith in God does not give you the right to sin.

Unfortunately, many believers, finding themselves in cramped circumstances, resort to lies as the only way out. And yet, it is worth trusting God more than your assumptions. After all, for the sake of His obedient children, as before, He is ready to make history.

Holy Scripture does not give the right for special situations to justify a lie. Anyone who resorts to her help, the Bible considers lawless: “The words of his mouth are unrighteousness and deceit” (Psalm 35:4).

Holiness and lies

In essence, from the biblical position, the phrase "holy lie" is very contradictory: a lie is a sin, and holiness is a characteristic of a sinless God. Lies and holiness are absolutely incompatible. For holiness expressed itself through the ideas of purity and separation. God and the devil are also incompatible. It was the devil that Jesus Christ called the father of lies: “When he speaks a lie, he speaks his own, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Therefore, anyone resorting to lies, regardless of the circumstances, acquires diabolical inspiration, as a conductor of lies, from its source. Therefore, there is no holy lie. It must be admitted that holiness and deceit coexist in the same world, but this is only a temporary phenomenon. Fortunately, the union of holiness and lies in the name of "good purposes" does not find support from the Almighty.

What to do?

How to be? In the refrain of Alla Pugacheva's song, which was mentioned at the very beginning, it says:

“The bitter truth said to me: “Do not be shy!”,
and I became even stronger from these words.
And therefore, it is not necessary to help with a lie.
Don't lie, don't lie!"

The Holy Bible calls: parents - do not teach lies to children, even in the interests of the family; civil servants - to be courageous to speak the truth without fear of consequences; judges, lawyers and prosecutors - to be honest and incorruptible; teachers - to help their students to distinguish truth from error; all Christians - to imitate Christ the Savior. Otherwise, this will lead to a terrible tragedy, which is said in the Revelation of John the Theologian: “The fearful and the unfaithful, and the vile, and the murderers, and the fornicators, and the sorcerers, and the idolaters, and ALL LIARS, the fate is in the lake burning with fire and brimstone. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

The apostle Paul wrote: “Therefore putting aside falsehood, each one speak the truth to his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25), after all “He who sows righteousness will have a sure reward” (Proverbs 11:18).

Vladimir Lukin, ACCENT newspaper,
printed with abbreviations

One day the Savior was passing through the land of Samaria preaching the gospel. To rest and recuperate, He stopped near the town of Sychar. At the same time, a Samaritan woman came to the well for water. Her name was Photinia.
Christ asked her for water, to which Photinia, amazed, asked how He, being a Jew, asks for water from a Samaritan woman, because Jews and Samaritans did not communicate in those days. The Savior answered her: “If you knew the gift of God and who says to you: give Me a drink, then you yourself would ask Him, and He would give you living water.” Photinia did not immediately understand Him, but Christ said to her: “Everyone who drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life.”
In his words, the Lord meant Himself and His teachings by “living water”, but Photinia decided that it was about fresh running water. At the same time, Jesus Christ told her about her life filled with sin, and the woman recognized in Him the Great Prophet and Teacher. She began to ask Him: who worships God correctly: the Samaritans or the Jews? To which Jesus replied: “The time will come and has already come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for such worshipers the Father seeks for Himself. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. The woman says to Him: I know that the Messiah, that is, Christ, will come; when He comes, He will announce everything to us. Jesus says to her, It is I who am talking to you. After this conversation, Saint Photinia rushed to the city, where she told many about her meeting with Christ. Along with her, many more Samaritans believed in Him.
Thus Saint Photinia became one of the devoted disciples of Christ, who preached the Gospel in many parts of the world.
During the reign of the cruel emperor Nero, after the murder of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Photinia was seized by pagan guards. Under interrogation in the presence of Nero, she confessed Christ. The cruel ruler ordered to cut off her hands with an ax, but no matter how hard the monsters worked, they could not even approach her, because. they fell to the ground.
Then Nero ordered Photinia to be taken to his palace, where he left her under the supervision of his daughter Domina, who, after conversations with the martyr Photinia, herself believed in the Savior Christ. Together with her and 100 of her slaves.
Upon learning of this, the enraged Nero ordered Photinia to be skinned and then thrown into the well. Thus ended the earthly life of this Great Martyr. Saint Photinia, pray to God for us!