Name Days

In many cultures there are given names associated with the days of the year, called name days. The associations between the days and the names have arisen through many reasons, but primarily because the church held a festival for a saint of that name on that day.

For instance, the church feast of Saint Michael was held on September 29th, and as a result the name day for Michael is on September 29th.

In some countries one's name day is more important than one's birthday, and sometimes gifts are given.

List of name days by culture