Name Days: Religious Observance or Opportunity to Celebrate?

As a child, Walt Disney taught us how to celebrate a very merry unbirthday ("with another cup of tea"). Meanwhile, Sweden and other parts of Europe were enjoying the practice of name day celebrations. These special days are often celebrated like second birthdays, but with more jubilation and legitimacy than half-birthdays and unbirthdays.

Cake to celebrate Queen Silvia's name day (August 8)

Rooting back to the creation of the liturgical calendar with a 'calendar of saints,' each day was assigned one or more saints, that day then being known as that saint's feast day. Anyone with that particular saint's name then celebrated that day.

While name days have been observed for centuries, they were popularized in Sweden when the nation would celebrate the names used by the royal family. An official list, regulated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, was first organized in 1901. This official list, which expired in 1972, evolved as modern usages of names changed throughout the generations, and was reissued in 2001. While no longer officially regulated, the Swedish Academy's list is universally accepted in Sweden, and will be updated every 15 years.

Now considered to be a part of regularly Swedish culture and tradition, it's common to celebrate with cakes, parties, and presents. Name days of the royal family continue to be celebrated publicly as official flag days. Swedes publicly display their blue and yellow flags on the name days of King Carl XVI Gustaf (Jan 28), Queen Silvia (August 8), and Crown Princess Victoria (March 12).

However you celebrate, with a cake and presents or with flags, always wish a hearty "Grattis På Namnsdag," or "Happy Name Day!"

PS…Named 'Matthew James,' I have three name days. St. Matthew has two feast days, February 24 and September 21, and St James' feast day is July 25. Shall we celebrate? Hint, hint, hint…

PPS…This practice just might make a holiday opportunist out of me...