Today’s name day travels easily across Montreal. Every Adriana or Adrian in your contacts, and every Natalia, Natalie, Nathalie or even Natasha in the wider circle, shares a name being celebrated in Greek families today. It is the kind of tradition that slips naturally into Canadian life: a quick text to a classmate, a co-worker or the neighbour across the street, followed by a short explanation of what a name day is.
Adrian and Adriana go back to the Roman name Hadrianus, meaning someone from Hadria, an ancient town in northern Italy that also gave its name to the Adriatic Sea. Over time the initial H dropped in common usage, producing Adrian in English and Adriana as its feminine form across many European languages, including Greek Αδριανός and Αδριανή. Natalia comes from the Latin natalis, “of birth,” and in later Christian Latin it became especially associated with Christmas, which is why the name carries a warm sense of arrival and celebration in so many languages.
In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, a person’s name day is the feast day of the saint after whom they were named at baptism.
That gives today a lovely range. You can picture the Adriana at work who brings a little style and calm to a busy office, the old friend Adrian who is always easy to call after months apart, and the cousin Natalia whose name already sounds festive before anyone says a word. In many families, the forms live side by side anyway: a yiayia may say Ναταλία, a younger cousin may go by Natalie, and a school friend may know her only as Natasha.
Chronia Polla! to everyone celebrating today, in Greek and non-Greek circles alike. If you know an Adriana, Adrian, Natalia or Natalie, today is a perfect day to wish them well and share a small Greek custom they may not even know they are part of.
