What's in a Name?

Name days have always been and will always be a big thing in Cyprus, at some point and arguably still, bigger than birthdays. It is an opportunity to invite people round for dinner or coffee and take part in "kerasma," which is treating people to something usually of the sweet kind. Friends and relatives in return will wish you "xronia polla" (a wish to live many years) with a smile and a kiss. Flower shops and confectionaries have a field day especially when it is a very common name like Andreas or Maria.

 The strong tradition of naming children after their grandparents has meant that certain names stay in the family and this has also meant that some names are more common than others. I get flashbacks of the scene in 'Big Fat Greek Wedding' when the "xeno" (foreigner) Ian is comically introduced to all the Nikos' of the family. This is an example of how deep the tradition of names is and how it has always been viewed that naming a child after a grandparent is a way of honouring and thanking that person for all they have done and is a blessing in return.

It is also the tradition to name children after saints if they are born on the saint's day or near that day. I have heard stories of expectant mothers seeing visions in their sleep of a particular saint and this has led them to name their child after them. It is an expression of thanks and gratitude.

 My grandmother, a woman who like many of her generation has a deep religious faith always writes our names in church to be chanted by the priest as a sort of blessing on our particular name days. When my grandmother is celebrating her own name day, she makes homemade bread and takes it to church to be shared out to the congregation at the end of the service. It always tastes good and sometimes I am present when she is baking it and the sweet smell fills the entire house.

I'm always interested in what name days are coming up and I have my favourites. Ayios Georgios (St. George) is one of them, probably because he is the patron saint of England and a symbol of bravery and defender against all evil in the symbolic slaying of the dragon. St. Catherines's story too has its own message. She was a princess who became a Christian at fourteen, managed to convert people to Christianity and was martyred.

 It is always the case that if you look into where names come from, it is not unusual to find an exceptional story behind it. I think of the friends and family around me and their names and I sometimes wonder what if they were named something else? The truth is a name often grows on you and begins to represent who you are. It is more than just a mere name, it is your identity and wherever it derives from it does not cease to be a blessing.