Birthday party is one of the most significant and beautiful. Close people (relatives, friends) congratulate the hero of the occasion, present him with gifts, turn with kind words and wishes. But not everyone knows that before such a holiday had a completely different name - "name day".
Instruction manual
1
In accordance with Christian canons, a newborn baby was named after a saint mentioned in the so-called Saints - lists of persons canonized by the Orthodox Church. As a rule, the child was given the name of the saint whose memorial day coincided with the date of his birth. If the parents of the child did not know exactly what day he was born (which was a common occurrence with the illiteracy of most of the people), the saint was chosen from the list that most corresponds to the probable date. And so the tradition was born to celebrate the day of remembrance of the saint, by whose name the newborn was named. She received the name "name day."
2
Each Orthodox family celebrated the holiday in its own way, to the best of its ability. But there were some general rules that they tried to adhere to. On the eve of the name day in the house of the hero of the occasion they prepared baking: pies, loaf. By the way, from those times the song appeared: "As on a (name) name day we baked a loaf, here such a height, here such a width
"Pies, as usual, were carried to homes of relatives and friends. The larger the cake, the greater respect was given to this person. Godmothers and fathers were supposed to send large pies with sweet filling. True, in some places buns decorated with buns decorated on top raisins.
3
The cake, presented as a gift, meant an invitation to the name day. According to custom, the one who brought the pies had to additionally pronounce the phrase: "The birthday man ordered to bow with pies and asked for bread to eat."
4
All those invited gathered in the evening at the birthday man’s house, where a feast was arranged with songs and dances. The treats could be different, depending on the capabilities and culinary abilities of each particular family. But it was supposed to "not face the dirt" and treat people to fame. The decoration of the table was a large cake with some filling, decorated with raisins (many years later it became a rule to serve a cake instead). In the midst of the celebration, this cake was raised above the birthday boy’s head and broken so that the filling would pour on it. And the guests shouted amicably: "So that silver and gold will pour on you as well!"
5
The most magnificently celebrated in Russia were the name-days of the Tsar or Tsarina, which were elevated to the rank of state holidays ("Nameday"). After the October Revolution of 1917, a fierce struggle began with religious prejudice. And the name day holiday gradually turned into a birthday party.
