A name day is a tradition in some countries in Europe, Latin America, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox countries in general. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one’s given name. The celebration is similar to a birthday.
The custom originated with the Christian calendar of saints: believers named after a saint would celebrate that saint’s feast day, or in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the day of a saint’s death. Name days have greater resonance in the Catholic and Orthodox parts of Europe—Protestant churches showing less veneration of saints. In many countries, however, name-day celebrations no longer have connection to explicitly Christian traditions.