Can you guess when Christ’s name day is? If you happen to come from a Christian religious tradition, then you might guess that the name day for Christ is Christmas, and you’d be right! Everyone all across Cyprus who has the same name celebrates their name day on the same day of the year. And how do they celebrate? Students like you bring sweet or savory treats to school to share with their classmates, while adults bring treats to their colleagues at work. So, on your name day, you would bring something tasty for your friends to enjoy, and in return they would wish you a happy name day by saying “Χρóνιά πολλά,” which literally means “Many years!” (This multi-purpose phrase is a general term for expressing good wishes and is also used on birthdays in much the same way that we would use the phrase “Happy birthday!”)
This name day tradition reminds me of classroom birthday celebrations each year when I was growing up, when my mom and I would bake sweet treats for me to share with my entire class after they would sing “Happy Birthday” to me. My classmates would then bring in homemade or store-bought treats to share on their birthdays. Do you do this in your classroom? If so, then perhaps you, too, can relate to the name day tradition I have shared!
Since my name day fell on Christmas, which was during our winter break from school, I didn’t have the chance to celebrate my name day with my students and colleagues. Nevertheless, in keeping with my American childhood tradition, I did bring in sweets to share with them all on my birthday.
