Guides
Guides
Short explainers on how the Greek name day calendar works.
What is a name day?
How name days work in Greece, why they often matter as much as birthdays, and how to find when a name is celebrated.
ReadMovable name days: why some dates change every year
Which Greek names fall on movable feasts, how Orthodox Easter is calculated, and what happens to Saint George's day.
ReadNames without a saint: when do they celebrate?
What happens to Greek names without a saint of their own, All Saints' Sunday, and the classical names that do have a name day.
ReadOld and new calendar: the 13-day difference
Why some Orthodox Christians keep the saints' days 13 days later, which calendar the Church of Greece follows, and what this means for Easter.
Read“Chronia polla”: how to wish someone a happy name day
The Greek name day wishes, how to reply, and the customs around name days in Greece.
ReadHow Greeks choose a name: grandparents, baptism and the name day
Why Greek children are often named after their grandparents, what a baptismal name is, and how these choices decide when someone celebrates.
ReadThe biggest name days of the year in Greece
From St Basil's Day to Christmas: the dates when the most common Greek names celebrate, month by month.
ReadNames from the feasts of Christ: Christos, Fotis, Sotiris, Stavros
Which Greek names are celebrated on the great feasts of Christ, from Christmas and Epiphany to Easter and the Exaltation of the Cross.
ReadNames from the feasts of the Virgin Mary: Maria, Panagiotis, Despina, Evangelia
The feasts of the Virgin Mary and the Greek names celebrated on them, from the Annunciation and mid-August to the Presentation in November.
ReadName days of the Twelve Days: from Christmas to Epiphany
Who celebrates between Christmas Eve and St John's Day on 7 January: Christos, Manolis, Stefanos, Vasilis, Fotis, Giannis and more.
ReadPatron saints of Greek cities and islands
Who protects Thessaloniki, Patras, Corfu or Zakynthos, when their feasts fall, and why their names are so common locally.
ReadGiorgos or Georgios? Nicknames, formal names and the name day they share
Why Kostas, Dinos and Konstantinos share a name day, how Greek nicknames are formed, and what to do when one nickname fits two names.
ReadNames with more than one name day: which date to choose
Why names like Thanasis, Manolis, Fotis or Anastasia have two name days, what applies to Maria, and how people decide when to celebrate.
ReadWhy Saint George's day sometimes moves after Easter
When 23 April falls before Orthodox Easter or on Easter Sunday, St George's day moves to Easter Monday. See the years up to 2040.
ReadName day customs in Greece: what happens on the day
Open house, treats, calls and messages, church, school and the office: what usually happens on a Greek name day, and how to join in.
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