Baptism is a sacrament during which a person receives the protection of one of the angels. This angel becomes the guardian of man and accompanies him throughout his life, protecting from mistakes and saving from trouble.
In pagan times, the list of personal names was not limited to canons. As a name, the visual characteristics of the child, the attitude of family members to the baby, even the serial number of birth, could be used. So the name "Devyatko" could not surprise anyone, and a blonde girl named Svetlana (Svetlyana) was found in every Slavic village.
With the adoption of Christianity, children began to be called by the names of the holy great martyrs, the number of which at first was insignificant. Therefore, numerous Ivans, Marys, and Anna appeared.
For almost the entire 20th century, the saints were not remembered, and names were given in accordance with fashion, in honor of relatives or famous people.
But in recent decades there has been an increasing interest in traditions and, in particular, in the censure of children by the holy calendar.
What are holiest
Saints, months of worship is a peculiar calendar of remembrance of saints. There are several names for each day. It is believed that one of these saints comes down to him on the child’s birthday and prepares to become his guardian angel. Therefore, it is important that the name of the child corresponds to one of the names of the holy great martyrs of this day.
Throughout the history of Christianity, the holy calendar was replenished with new names, but mainly of Greek, Latin, Jewish origin. There were no saints in Russia, since the pagans could not become Christian great martyrs. But Old Slavonic names, however, are found, for example, Lyudmila is mentioned even twice.
How to choose a baptismal name?
The problem is not the easiest, given that so many modern secular names are either not in the holy calendar, or they are given in their original sound, that is, without translation.
It turns out a paradoxical situation when the girls named in honor of the most famous great martyrs - Faith, Hope and Love, cannot get this name at baptism, since in Orthodoxy there are only their not quite harmonious Greek originals - Pistis, Elpis and Agape. And only the original name of the mother from Sophia (Wisdom) was more acceptable as a name.
Among the clergy there is no consensus on this matter. Some eagerly call the child his secular name, others give the name of the nearest saint at baptism, others offer parents a choice of several options that are most suitable for harmony.
