TODAY WAS THE names day of my little boy. Often times my non-Orthodox friends ask me, "What is a 'names' day? Why do you have them? Well the short answer is, as an Orthodox Christian we have a saint's name that we use at church. For those of us who are blessed to have our children baptized into the church at birth we name our children after saints that we admire in the church. So often times their name and church name are one in the same. As for my family we chose our children's saint's names based on when they were due in the church calendar. I like having my children's names days near their actual birthdays. But since one never knows when a baby will arrive, my son's names day and birthday are more than a month apart.
In our family on someone's names day we read about the saint, sing (as best we can) the troparion for the day, attend a service if there is one and then try to make the day special and fun. Often times the children get a small gift and they always choose a special treat to be served that day. Today was all about chocolate chip cookies. We
all enjoyed them! I do so much baking regularly I have gotten out of the habit of baking treats, so it was a blessing that they were requested today.
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| The helpers... |
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| Adding the chips... |
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| Ready to go into the oven... |
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| mmmm..... don't they look like cookie perfection! |
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Lovely FULL cookie jar and a cup of tea! I had to take a picture, since I know it won't be that way for long.
Enjoy your day! |
What a lovely way to celebrate! So glad to have found your blog! I love learning about other faiths and the ways they celebrate and nurture their children.
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