Greek Orthodox Name Days

At least 95 percent of all Greeks claim membership in the Greek Orthodox church. According to the Orthodox Church, every day of the year has been dedicated to the memory of a Saint or a martyr from the Holy Bible and Holy Tradition. This day carries the name of the Saint and it's called "name-day." If someone is named after a Saint, then there is a big celebration on his/her name day.

Namedays are usually more important than birthdays. Gifts are given, festive meals and desserts are prepared, and special preparations are made for an open house. Usually, namedays are on the same date, every year. These are the non-floating namedays. There are some "floating" namedays though, that every year are on a different date.

Those who are not named after a saint have a party on All Saints' Day, 8 weeks after Easter.

Finally, name days are an important part of Greek life because the names themselves go back to the very roots of Greek culture.

Click here to see a list with all Greek name days