Generalis.com

Happy Name Day to Helen and Dean! I couldn't resist putting up a picture of Helen with her black eye and 'glue' on her face. She had an accident at school last week and hit her cheek but she is fine and hardly complained about it at all...although she complained about a lot of other stuff!

As for name days, 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 "nameday." If someone is named after a Saint, then there is a big celebration on his/her name day. In Greece, 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. For more information or to find your name day, click here.

Also, Happy Anniversary to Stella and Steve!