The name Vera in the Orthodox calendar (Saints). Name day of faith
The Monk Martyr Vera (Morozova Vera Semyonovna) was born in 1870 in the city of Torzhok, Tver Province. In 1890 she became a novice at the Moscow Passionate icons Mother of God monastery. In the early 1920s, the monastery was closed, and Vera, along with other nuns, rented a room in Moscow, where they maintained the monastic way of life, earning money by needlework. On January 16, 1938, she was arrested on charges of "anti-Soviet activities" and "anti-Soviet agitation", and on February 21 she was sentenced to capital punishment. On February 26, 1938, Vera Morozova was shot. She was canonized as a holy new martyr on December 26, 2001 by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Holy Martyr Vera (Samsonova Vera Nikolaevna) was born on August 17, 1880 in the village of Veryaevo, Elatomsky district, Tambov province.
Secrets and meanings of the name Vera
The female name Vera speaks for itself, its meaning is clear to everyone and everyone. The noble name Vera was very popular until the middle of the second half of the 20th century, however, in post-Soviet Russia, the name Vera was no longer given to newborns, which is quite symbolic. The name Vera has an extremely powerful energy. The name Vera is characterized only with positive side, in its meaning there is not a single bad sound or syllable. Vera is an open and honest girl, she is always honest, first of all, in front of herself, and only then - in front of others. Vera chooses her profession only to her liking, she will work only where she feels comfortable, where she can develop herself in creative plan. Vera cannot be influenced by shouting or orders, it is necessary to talk to her on an equal footing, even if Vera is still a little girl. Vera celebrates the day of the angel and the name day on September 30, once a year, Vera's name day.
Name day of Vera Name Vera - Russian old Slavic name, which can also be considered a tracing paper from the ancient Greek name St early period Christianity. The literal translation from Greek means "faith", "servant of God." All Christians hold in special esteem three virtues: faith, hope and love. Accordingly, the martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia are also honored.
Faith's name day according to the church calendar
Vera's name day is celebrated on more than one day of the year. According to the Orthodox calendar, these are February 26, June 14, September 30, October 14, December 15 and December 31. These days, the Church remembers the Martyr Martyr Vera (Morozova), the Martyr Vera (Samsonova), the Martyr Vera of Rome, the Martyr Vera, the Monk Vera (Count) and the Martyr Vera (Truks). The most revered name of Vera is remembered by the Orthodox Church on her name day on September 30, when everyone prays for the martyr Vera of Rome.
The meaning of the name Vera
The name Vera is of ancient Greek origin and means faith.
Date of the name day, the day of the Angel of Faith
How to determine the date of the name day, the day of the Angel? If you do not know in honor of which saint you were baptized, then choose the day of memory of the saint named after you, the closest after your birthday. This day will become your name day, and the saint will become your heavenly patron, guardian angel. The remaining days of the memory of this saint will become your “small name days”.
Congratulations on the name day, Angel's Day to Vera, Verochka, Verus in verse
Happy angel day, Verochka, you
Congratulations to our entire family!
We strongly wish that you
In life, all dreams come true.
And also to be happy
For your business to go well
So that love is great.
Happy birthday, dear daughter!
Meaning of the name: Russian name the same semantic meaning - "faith".
VERA: Faith, belief (Old Slav).
Name days: September 30 - The Holy Martyr Vera, together with the sisters Lyubov and Nadezhda, after suffering for the faith of Christ, were beheaded before the eyes of their mother (137).
Libra.
Planet: Saturn.
Color: Grey.
Auspicious Tree: Maple.
Cherished plant: Heather.
Name patron: Ant.
Talisman Stone: Beryl.
Character: Faith is a very reasonable, balanced, logical and practical being. She is very smart, specific: Vera knows perfectly well what she wants from life and will never miss her. And this quality in her clearly exceeds the emotional perception of the world, hovering over dreams and fantasies.
Faith: St. glory. faith, belief.
Derivatives: Verka, Veranya, Verakha, Verasha, Verulya, Verunya, Verusya, Rusya, Verukha.
Name day of Vera, Angel Day of Vera
Characteristics of the birthday of Vera:
From the Old Slavonic language - the same meaning as the word "faith" (cf. "love", "hope"). It is the Russian translation of the Greek name Pistis. Modern Faith is the ideal of a calm, balanced and practical woman without any special emotions and passions. The epithet "cold" suits her very well. This pseudonym was worn by the silent film actress Vera, who was very popular in the twenties. Cold Images, which she created on the screen - self-confident, arrogant fully corresponded to this name.
These character traits do not prevent Vera from noticing the so-called "little things in life", which basically make up our whole life and our being - joys, sorrows and happiness. Vera chooses a husband for herself not out of love, but out of calculation, a solid one, occupying a decent position in society, and also owning a good fortune.
Vera is a balanced woman, has a logical mindset. Avoids noisy companies, whims are not found behind her.
Faith has a well organized practical mind.
Veronica is able to soberly assess the situation and is quick-witted in specific cases.
Efficiency and purposefulness prevail in her over the emotional and sentimental beginning, does not allow liberties.
Faith, my dear
Happy birthday to you!
Be beautiful young
Very smart and crazy! Well, in short,
Be the same as always!
Let on the path of life
All dreams will come true! ©
Congratulations, good luck to you, Vera.
We wish to meet more.
Reckless, softer than mohair
Madness to meet you!
We want you to make sure
That there is still love in this world.
Let the dream fly like a bird
Let the happy news come. ©
Faith is a name that is not more beautiful.
To live without faith is unthinkable - everyone knows.
May it never die, never fade away
the flame of Faith, whose sisters are Hope, Love.
Let her light the way
and comes, when it is not easy, to help.
Cold mind, steel nerves.
You want to subdue people.
Power, willpower to show.
Vera Alentova (1942), Soviet and Russian actress theater and cinema, People's Artist of Russia
Meaning: Similar to the word "faith".
Origin: The name Vera is of Old Slavonic origin.
Character: Vera is a balanced girl in childhood, has a logical mindset. She loves a variety of trinkets, and all the things that are unnecessary in the house, in the end, are among her toys. Avoids noisy companies, whims are not found behind her. He studies diligently, willingly takes care of his younger brother or sister. Vera has few close friends. Don't rush to get married.
Faith has a well organized practical mind. She is able to soberly assess the situation and is quick-witted in specific cases. Vera has musical abilities. She is able to learn how to play any musical instrument well.
Faith
Vera is a balanced and calm person. Often men tend to see in the calm good nature of Vera a sign of her goodwill towards them. Don't be in a hurry, however. It is unlikely that Vera will decide to connect her fate with someone without careful reflection and weighing all the pros and cons.
You want to be first everywhere.
Cold mind, steel nerves.
You want to subdue people.
Power, willpower to show.
You play with people like pawns.
You drive men into your arms.
Loving and playful
Slender, piquant and jealous.
You go, Vera, straight to the goal.
What do you believe, really?
birthday greetings to Vera
Man cannot live without faith:
Criteria and measures collapse
All the foundations of human life ...
No, a person cannot live without faith.
One of the popular names in Russia and Eastern Europe- This is Vera. It is quite traditional and original for the Slavic countries. The topic of this article will be the characteristic, name day.
Name characteristic
Under the name Vera hides a person who is characterized by practicality and prudence in everything. This woman is not from frivolous, addicted natures. On the contrary, all her actions are verified, thought out and justified. In communication with others, Vera manifests herself as a supportive person, however, her directness often scares people away from her. In addition, a woman with this name is capable of tough acts, and therefore it is not easy to interact with her.
Name day Vera
Like any church name, Vera is granted special days called names. For a person, this is a special personal holiday, similar to a birthday. Vera's name day correlates with the dates of memory of the holy wives, who were called so during their lifetime. However, only the baptized can celebrate this holiday, because a simple naming is not enough here.
Name day is a holiday church name with which the person was baptized. And this happens in Orthodoxy and Catholicism in honor of a saint. The day of remembrance of this God-pleaser is the name day of Vera. There is another name for this holiday. So, it is often called the day of the angel, that is, the patron saint, after whom the person is named. Below we will talk about name days for those whose name is Vera. Each woman's name day falls on different days, as they are named after different saints. We will give the main list of such dates, based on the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Venerable Martyr Vera (Morozova)
This woman was born in 1870 in Torzhok, which was then part of the Tver province. At the age of twenty, she became a novice in one of the Moscow monasteries. The monastery was closed in the early 1920s, and therefore Vera and several other sisters from the monastery rented housing in the city, continuing to lead a monastic lifestyle, earning money by needlework. In 1938, she was arrested on charges of anti-Soviet activities and sentenced to death. In February of the same year, she was shot. She was ranked in 2001, and Vera's name day, named after her, began to be celebrated on the day of her death - February 26th.
Martyr Vera (Samsonova)
Vera Samsonova was born in 1880 in one of the villages of the Tambov province. She graduated from a women's school, then worked as a teacher, while attending the temple. At the end of 1920, she was elected and remained in Kasimov on the site of the monastery. Vera was arrested in 1935 and sentenced for counter-revolutionary activities to five years of hard labor in camps. Two weeks before her release, Vera died in 1940 in the White Sea-Baltic camp. She was glorified in 2000. Vera's birthday, bearing her name in her honor, is celebrated on the day of her death - June 14th.
Martyr Faith of Rome
The holy martyr from Rome named Vera is one of the daughters of Sophia, who were tortured in front of her mother for confessing Christianity in the 2nd century when Vera was only 12 years old at that time. Together with her, her two sisters, Nadezhda and Lyubov, died. And three days later, Sophia herself died of grief at the grave of her daughters. Their common memory is celebrated on September 30.
Martyr Vera
Almost nothing is known about the life of this saint. Tradition has preserved only the very fact of her life and martyrdom for her confession of faith in Christ. Memorial Day - 14 October.
Reverend Vera (Grafova)
A woman was born in 1878 in a village in the Moscow province. In 1903 she became a novice in one of the Kolomna monasteries. Just before the closing of the monastery in 1918, she left it. She lived in Kolomna, earned money by sewing. In 1931, she was sentenced to five years in exile on charges of anti-Soviet activity. But a year later she died, being in the territory of Kazakhstan. Name days are celebrated on December 15th.
Martyr Faith (Trux)
A woman was born in 1886 near Chernigov. She worked as a teacher in a rural school. Since 1923, she carried the obedience of a cell-attendant to Archbishop Thaddeus. When he was arrested in 1937, Vera was also charged with counter-revolutionary activities. In 1938, she was sentenced to five years of hard labor. Vera died in 1942 in Siberia, several months before the end of her term. Glorified in 2000 by the Jubilee Cathedral of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. Angel Day - December 31st.
It was she, along with her mother Sophia and her younger sisters Nadezhda and Lyubov, who lived in Rome, at a time when Emperor Hadrian ruled. Very early, the wise Sophia became a widow. After the death of her husband, she, as before, led a very pious lifestyle. The girls grew up in Christian traditions, they tried to live, as it is written in the Gospel, according to the commandments of Christ. The holy saints of God never hid their faith, and soon the cruel ruler Adrian found out about them. He ordered them to be brought to his palace. When the guards knocked on their house, Saint Sophia and her daughters already understood why they were being led to the emperor and asked the Lord to give them strength to endure the forthcoming torment.
When they appeared before the ruler, many people present in the hall were surprised at their calmness. Adrian began to call to himself one by one the young righteous virgins and demand from them the worship of pagan idols. But they stood firm in the faith. Then the Atheist ordered them to be tortured, and the tortures were the most severe that one can even imagine: they were thrown into an oven, into a vat of boiling tar, they tried to burn their skin on a fiery grate. It is worth noting that Lyubov was 9 years old, Nadezhda 10, and Vera 12. Their mother was forced to watch the torture of her children. It was she who strengthened her girls and asked them to endure all the torment to the end in order to earn a martyr's crown. That is why the holy virgins accepted all the tortures with joy. Not waiting for their renunciation, Adrian ordered them to be beheaded. In order to mock their mother more, the king allowed Sophia to take the bodies of her daughters. She buried them on the highest place in the city and spent three days without leaving near their graves, after which she went to the Lord.
The meaning of the name Vera is very interesting and unusual story. The name Vera came to us in Russian from Byzantine Empire along with the adoption of Christianity. However, unlike most of the accepted names, the name Vera was transferred to the Russian language not by phonetic copying, but by semantic. This method is also called tracing by linguists. The name Vera is connected with one legend about three little girls who were killed on the orders of the Roman emperor Hadrian in the first century AD. These girls were called Faith, Hope, Love. Christian girls were killed for refusing to worship the pagan goddess Artemis. The girls were named after the three Christian virtues of faith, hope and love. Their names are on Greek sound like Pistis, Elpis and Agape. When transferring names in Russian monastic books, it was decided to preserve the meaning of the names, and not reproduce them phonetically, as is usually done. So that the meaning of the name Vera is "faith". Here is such interesting story and name.
The name Vera is also an abbreviated form of such names as Venus. You can find out their meaning by clicking on the links.
The meaning of the name Vera for a girl
Vera grows up as a calm and balanced girl. She is lovely and kind child. Faith is easy to find mutual language with peers and elders. At the same time, she is quite restrained in the manifestation of emotions. The girl is prone to serious reflection and self-care. At the same time, Vera cannot be called dreamy - this is not characteristic of her.
Usually Faith diligent student and study well. She is an obedient girl and the authority of adults, including teachers, is very important. This allows her to form a good analytical mind. She does an excellent job with both the exact sciences and the humanities.
The health of a girl usually pleases her parents. However, Vera has a certain peculiarity, her vitality inexplicably drops. At these moments, Vera especially needs the support of loved ones. Already becoming an adult, Vera often suffers from sleep disorders.
Abbreviated name Vera
Verka, Veruha, Rusya.
Diminutive names
Verochka, Veronka, Verushka, Verchik, Verunya, Verusya, Verulya, Verasha, Verusha.
Name Vera in English
AT English language Vera's name is spelled Vera.
Vera name for passport- VERA.
Translation of the name Vera into other languages
in Arabic - إيمان
in Belarusian - Vera
in Chinese - 信仰
in German - Vera
in Polish - Wera and Wiera
in Slovenian - Vera
in Slovak - Viera
in Serbian - Vera
in Ukrainian - Vira
in Finnish - Veera, Vera
in Czech - Věra, Viera.
in Swedish - Vera, Wera
Church name Vera(in the Orthodox faith) remains unchanged - Faith.
Characteristics of the name Vera
Vera can be described as a slightly phlegmatic person. A characteristic of her name is prudence and balance of actions. Faith does not like haste in life. She has a rather unflappable character, which often helps her out in life. Vera has a well-developed intuition and she listens to it. Sometimes Vera even becomes suspicious, but this passes quickly enough.
In the work of Faith is not particularly manifested. For her, work is usually more of a necessity. If possible, she is unlikely to work, so do not expect special accomplishments from Vera in her work. At the same time, if she takes up something, she does it conscientiously and wisely. She does not like being rushed, so it is advisable for her to look for a fairly calm permanent job.
To family relations Vera has a very serious approach. She has been looking for a real man for a long time, whom she will determine only by his deeds. She can't get her head down beautiful confessions under the moon. She loves her husband very much and takes care of him in every possible way. She is affectionate and caring mother. He loves his children very much and at the same time keeps with them good relationship all life.
The secret of the name Vera
Vera has one secret that she hides in every possible way, sometimes even from herself. She is quite unsure of herself. Vera tries to seem liberated and cheerful, but in fact she is a pretty notorious person. She is very worried about reproaches addressed to her and can be upset for a long time because of a trifling remark. So, if you want to make friends with Vera, then praise her more often and never scold her.
Planet- Saturn.
Zodiac sign- Scales.
totem animal- Ant.
Name color- Grey.
Wood- Maple.
Plant- Heather.
A rock- Beryl.
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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, may well fearlessly confess his 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. AT great post 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 most simple prayer 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 day (Tezoname day), which were considered public holiday. 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 elaborated in detail, in which the newborn was congratulated in strict sequence by October, a pioneer, a Komsomol member, a communist, “honorary parents”, sometimes the baby was symbolically enrolled in a 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 immediately follows 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 more important holiday than the day of the “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, at that time as the number seven, 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 is related to inner meaning man, it seemed to be invested inside him. The name controlled fate (" good name — 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.
AT 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 killing 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: true name was not uttered in the hope that death and evil spirits maybe they won't 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.
AT Ancient Egypt 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 nations tabooed the names of 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 "ineffable 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 many names that are called theophoric - they contain God's "indescribable Name": thus, 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 exist 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. The bearer of the holy name always keeps in himself the exalting 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 Orthodox tradition it is not customary to give names in memory of the Virgin 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 nomenclature completely supplanted the pre-Christian "nickname" names, they did not leave us for good, moving into another class of names - into 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 public 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"), continued in Soviet Russia not for long, 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. With time Russian society again returned to calendar names, but "de-Christianization" and a break in tradition led to an extraordinary impoverishment of the modern nomenclature, which now consists of only a few dozen names (played its role and common property « mass cultures"- 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 divine 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 particular saint who wore given 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 life of the feat of the saints, family traditions, your personal likes.
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 saints Western Europe who lived and glorified even before the fall of Rome from Orthodoxy (until 1054 the Roman Church was not torn off from Orthodoxy, and we also recognize the saints revered in it by that time as saints), whose names have gained popularity with us in recent decades (Victoria, Eduard and others), 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 often 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, everyone's favorite name Maria 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.