Picture the scene. You're on a date, everything is going great, you really like this guy/girl, and suddenly to your horror you realise you can't remember their name. Nightmare eh? Not in Greece. If your date is male, his name will either be Kostas, Yiannis, Yiorgos, Dimitrios or Yiasonnas. If your date is female her name will either be Konstantina, Elleni, Ellena, Mary or Katerina.
Greece is by far the best country in the world to be a child in. Every child dreams of more than one birthday per year. Well, in Greece you get just that, your birthday plus your 'name day' the day of the saint after which you were named, involving a party, presents, cake and all the trimmings. Hooray! Poor me, then, who has a distinctly foreign name not connected to a saint. No name day parties and presents for me!
Image: My edited creation from http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5567/1146/1600/20050403-names%20copy.gif
2 comments:
You DO have a name day! Everyone has a name day. If you're not named after any saint (and many aren't, like my mum), then your name day is on the 22nd of June - Twn Agíwn Pántwn, or All Saints Day in Greek. So go out and tell everyone and they'll all give you loads of pressies! Nice timing eh?
Cheers!
-GG XX
Wow how true is that!! Totally agree :-)
Amazing how I'm finally not the only one to notice that!
Although, I'd go for this combo:
Kostas, Yiannis, Yiorgos, Panicos or Adonis.
Konstantina, Anna, Ellena, Maria or Katerina.
..and of course this goes for greek islands as well ;-)
Post a Comment