NAME-DAYS | The Real Un-birthday Traditions

Most of us like to have birthdays, but we don’t like to become older. If I told you there is a Swedish way to take the stress out of it, and just enjoy the celebration part, wouldn’t that sound like a dream?

This is a phenomenon that has been going on in many European countries for way over 300 years already. It is called “Name-days” and is simply a mini-birthday for the person that happens to have their name in the calendar for that specific day. (Similar to having an Unbirthday.)

What’s a name-day?

In America, there isn’t anything else than the date printed on the calendars, but in most of the European countries, the calendars also have peoples names printed. It is usually a male and a female name per day. My name, for example, Jonas, is set on March 29th and it happens to be halfway to my birthday in October. How convenient.

So, how do you celebrate a name-day?

You can celebrate as big as you like or completely forget that it is your name-day, some people actually do! I remember my name-day to be a day where I felt special and encouraged, with a little gift, and a special cake. Woken up in the morning with a traditional “unbirthday” song, almost like the “happy birthday” song but originally written for “name-days”. Very often there could be a tulip on the breakfast table since my day is in the early spring, during the time when they just start to sell tulips in the stores. Not to mention a little decorative Swedish flag where I would sit.

Who started this tradition anyway, you might wonder?

We can thank the Catholic church for this quaint tradition. They added the name of the saints in their calendar to simply honor and remember them. During 1600s it became popular among the people in the higher society, but later it spread to the ordinary people like you and me as well. 

How can you find out when your name-day is?

Well, since my wife is not from Sweden like myself, I was always sad that she couldn’t have her own name day. Her name could not be found in the Swedish calendars. But as times change, traditions develop, and nowadays “Everyone has the right to have a name day.” Even if your name is not printed in a physical calendar you can still find your name in a register that tells you what day is yours. I have found my wife’s name in different registers said to be either March 23rd, or June 6. We decided that her day is going to be in March, simply because we share the same birthday month, so why not also share the “name-day” month.

This calendar is made with most of the American and Canadian names but is not the same as the official Swedish calendars that I and my wife follows. Hopefully, you can find your name and celebrate your own day, but if not, don’t despair, simply find a name that reminds you of yours and make that day yours. As I said earlier, “EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO A NAME-DAY.”

Bye for now & “Hej då allihopa“
-Jonas
P.S. Let us know how you celebrate your day and what day it is. We would love to hear!

A perfect way to celebrate a “Name-day” is to have coffee. You can support charming life with a coffee, it is a very easy step and we really appreciate your support.