Russia has a vibrant culture that is expressed with a variety of celebrations. Russians get to enjoy the holidays of Christmas and New Year twice, thanks to the Julian and Gregorian calendar dates, and they also celebrate many other special occasions not commonly shared by the United States. Name days are one example of celebrations that are observed by many European and Latin American countries, and still highly regarded today by many Russians.
The custom of name days in Russia dates back to the 17th century and originated with the Orthodox calendar of saints. Usually the date of a particular saint's death was commemorated as that saint's feast day, and people sharing the same name would celebrate themselves and the saint on that special date. Churches began promoting these saints' feasts days, which came to be known as name days, and they quickly became more popular than celebrating birthdays.
There are several references to name days in Russian literary works such as Anton Chekov's play Three Sisters. The play opens with the youngest sister Irena celebrating her saint's day and she receives a spinning top as a special gift. Another example is Alexander Pushkin's novel Eugene Onegin where a large, formal gathering is held in honor of the female heroine Tatiana on her name day of January 25th. That date is also known as Student's Day because Moscow University was established on that same day in 1775 so Russian students named Tatiana get an extra special celebration!
Over time, the tradition of observing name days has slightly waned, however many Russian women, more so than men, eagerly anticipate their special days. Name day calendars can be purchased to stay on top on every occasion, as some names are noticed many times throughout the year, and some dates host multiple names to be honored. For example, the date of May 31st is the name day for Alexandra, Faina, and Julia, but ladies sharing the name Alexandra are also honored on June 23rd.
Today, some Russians still remember their saints' days by attending special church services, followed by small parties at their homes, while others enjoy receiving name day greeting cards and gifts from family and friends. Russian name days are just one example of the many interesting ways that this country of the Former Soviet Union continues to commemorate its rich history and culture.