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I've read somewhere that, at least in Italy, in those cases you can choose to celebrate your name day the 1st of November. That day is called "ognissanti"="all the saints". In that day we remember also all the unknown saints that weren't recognized by the church, and so are not on the calendar. So that they are not recognized they can (ipotetically) have every possible name, also your one. Or at least this is what our wikipedia says.
When we were children we got a little present, and today I still get congratulation calls on that day. When my father was young, they did not celebrate their birthdays but their name days.
if your name is John, then you celebrate on "St. John" day and people ask you to buy them beer...
basically...
Is that church-related? Is this custom observed mainly in countries where religion is still strong? The US doesn't have that custom, btw. It never has, AFAIK.
Is that church-related? Is this custom observed mainly in countries where religion is still strong? The US doesn't have that custom, btw. It never has, AFAIK.
When I lived in the U.S. I did know some Hispanic folks who celebrated name days.
I can remember that in catechism classes the nuns encouraged us to remember the feast days of our saints. I quite liked the idea as my name is so common that the church calendar is littered with them for me.
One of my parents' friends was an Irish-American woman known as "Queenie," who was really named Carmel, after Our Lady Queen of Mt. Carmel, and on that feast day she always went to church. But then they were a family that went to church every time the bell rang.
When I lived in the U.S. I did know some Hispanic folks who celebrated name days.
I can remember that in catechism classes the nuns encouraged us to remember the feast days of our saints. I quite liked the idea as my name is so common that the church calendar is littered with them for me.
One of my parents' friends was an Irish-American woman known as "Queenie," who was really named Carmel, after Our Lady Queen of Mt. Carmel, and on that feast day she always went to church. But then they were a family that went to church every time the bell rang.
They must run out of days on the calendar. Some of the calendar days must have to serve double-duty, being designated for more than one saint.
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