Dennis, in reply to Beth's query, mentioned something worth repeating,
i.e. the celebration of a name-day. Raised in Canada, I'd never heard of
such a thing until I found myself in Italy. There, where I'm known to
relatives by my middle name, Piero (must be simpler/more melodious than
'George' to Italian ears!), I had several people wish me a happy
'onomastico' on 29 June, the feast of St Peter. ('Piero' is a variant of
'Pietro'.) Indeed, only then did I notice that there was always a
selection of greeting cards in shops, intended as 'happy nameday' cards.
Does anyone know of other countries or cultures where this is current? It
seems an interesting link between the bearer of the name and the virtues
of the saint who, presumably, brought fame to that name (or perhaps whose
cult brought the bearer of the name to be given that name by his/her
parents).
All of this brings me to a related point: just as there have been from
time immemorial guides to the influence of the stars on people, based on
their location at the moment of a person's birth, are there, or were there
ever, guides to the influence of a day's feasts on a person born on that
day?
George
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