Today’s name day reaches furthest with Olympia, a name many Montrealers would recognize even outside Greek life, and it also makes room for the rarer Methodius, Argyris, Armodios and Dioskourides. That means the celebration can travel from a Greek aunt named Olympia to a classmate, colleague or neighbour whose name carries the same classical sound in English, Italian, French or Spanish.
Olympia comes from Greek Ολυμπία, the feminine form linked to Olympus, the mountain name that stood at the centre of the ancient Greek imagination and also gave the world Olympia, the sanctuary of the Olympic Games. The name passed easily into Latin and then into modern European languages, which is why Olympia still feels both unmistakably Greek and comfortably international. Methodius comes from Greek Μεθόδιος, built on methodos, meaning pursuit, way, or orderly following after something, the same root behind the English word method. Argyris comes from Greek ἄργυρος, silver, while Armodios is an ancient Greek name associated with fitness, order and proper joining, and Dioskourides means descendant of the Dioskouroi, the divine twin horsemen of Greek myth.
In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, a person’s name day is the feast day of the saint after whom they were named at baptism.
Olympia has a natural grandeur to it, and everyone knows an Olympia, or an Olimpia, who carries herself with that calm, unmistakable presence. Methodius suits the professor, teacher or old family friend whose mind is organized and whose advice always seems to arrive in the right sequence. And for Argyris, there is always someone in the family or on the block with a quick wit and a bright, polished way about him, the kind of person a barber, customer or taxi driver remembers easily.
Armodios and Dioskourides are much rarer in everyday Canadian life, but that only gives them extra charm today. They carry the weight of very old Greek naming traditions, the sort of names that make people pause, ask about them, and open a conversation.
Chronia Polla! To everyone celebrating today, Greek and non-Greek alike. If you know an Olympia, Methodius, Argyris, Armodios or Dioskourides, today is a good day to send a quick message, say happy name day, and share one small Greek custom with someone who may never have heard of it before.
