www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall MY BIRTHDAY !!!!!!!!!!

Hello Forum,
I've been in Santa Monica this past extended weekend and got back to reality (California is a wierd place!!! ) last night. I've never been so happy to be back to the midwest!

Today is my 30th birthday (it still hasn't sunk in) and I'm pretty excited!!!

Dear Dr. Eric,

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to Dr. Eric

Happy Birthday to you.

Zenovia

Thanks Zenovia!

I echo Zenovia's sentiments and God grant you many years!

Zenovia you have such a lovely voice, I didn't know you could sing

Pani Rose

Happy Birthday

Rose2
*who feels like she's thirty (again)*

Dr. Eric,

Birthday blessings to you and many more years!

Mary Jo

Dr Eric,

STO LAT!

Happy 30th. I embark on the great 3-0 tomorrow!

Is it as scary as I've heard?

Happy 30th, young man!

(Boy, I feel so old! That answers domilsean's "fear," I hope!)

Amado

Dear Pani Rose, Rose2, Mary Jo, and Domilsean,

Many Thanks to you!!!

PS Domilsean, it ain't scary. You're only as old as you feel!!!

PPS Thanks, Amado!! (You snuck in there while I was typing)

Can only answer for when I reached 30 which was years ago. Now my adult children are all over 30. But I do recall it then as being a turning point in my life and am not really sure exactly why. Maybe it was because when you reach 30 you are sort of saying 'good-bye' to the last decade of your youth. But I can tell you that my life got better and better after 30...once I got past the transition.

Bless you on your birthday tomorrow and may you have many years.

In Christ,

Mary Jo

Sto Lat Eric and Domilsean. Happy birthday you old fogies. I'm not far behind, and finding grey hair.

It's at age 30 and beyond that you become "wiser!" Your prior experience(s) become the stepping stone(s) for your future!

Some say 40 but, in my book, "real" life starts at 30! Thenceforth, it's an uphill battle!

Take time to enjoy it!

Amado

AAAAHHHH! To be only 30 again.

Actually when I was a high school student, my friends and I decided that 30 was over the hill. When we were 29, we decided really 40 was over the hill. When we got to 40, we decided that we were right at age 29, and that it is downhill from there .

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Happy Birthday Dr. Eric!

Thirty used to sound old, but now it sounds young!!! :p

I am jealous!

Sincere best wishes and prayers for a year full of health, happiness and prosperity...we are blessed to have you here!

In Christ,
Alice

χρονια η πολλα!

Incognitus

Alice, Incognitius, and Father Anthony,
Thank you!!!

χρονια η πολλα!

What's that?

my guess would be something in Kloine Greek.
You never know with incognitus, it could be the primer to crack the priory of sion code.

It is Greek for many years!

Happy XXX Birthday Doc...

There are good and some "interesting" things in Santa Monica...too bad that the cities out here don't live up to their saintly names...

james

Многая літа!

Dr. Eric,

Happy 30th Birthday!

Would you mind sharing a couple years with me, so I can be 21? It'd make things much easier!

And you could be 28 again! Now wouldn't that please both of us?

Logos Teen

Hopefully, you enjoyed your birthday Dr. Eric. For some of us, we have totally switched to celebrating only our name's day. We don't have to associate a number with that one.

Many Years!

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Father Anthony,
That would make you at least 1600 years old!!!

Thanks to EVERYONE who wished me a happy birthday!

Well from an oldie to a youngun

Belated Birthday wishes - and many many more of them

Dr Eric,

That would be 1700+, but who is counting . You lose track after 30.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Eric:

Mnohaya Lyeta! Mnohaya Lyeta! Mno-----Hya-le---ta!

(sung of course!)

Fr. Anthony,

Bless!

I am with you on that since I have stopped counting...besides with my first name I get to celebrate several name's days a year. My mother, whose memory I cherish, told me that when she was a girl growing up in Europe she and her family only celebrated name's days and not birthdays.

Mary Jo

Dear Dr Eric,

Happy Birthday!

Traditionally, EC's and EO's celebrated only the Namesday of their patronal saint.

The saint's day fell on or near one's birthday so it was like a birthday.

My grandfather, for example, Fr. John, celebrated his Namesday on the Old Calendar feast of the Birthday of John the Baptist on July 7th. I did not know, until his funeral, that his birthday was on July 4th (God bless America!).

Everyone has their calendars with the Saint's names on them, of course, so it was relatively easy to see what Saint's day it was and to wish your friends the best on their days.

I have a video of a Russian family today celebrating a child's namesday - he is seated in the icon corner as a guest of honour, people sing songs for him and he is given presents and there is a party with the participation of an Orthodox priest who tells him the significance of the life of his patron saint.

I understand the Church once forbade the celebration of birthdays as a pagan tradition - and instead ordered the marking of saints' days to signify one's spiritual birth (the name received via baptism).

In the East, one may receive only ONE Christian name. Among the East Slavs, one has three names - the Christian name, the Patronym (i.e. Ivanovich or "Son of John") and then the Surname.

What is your father's name, may I ask?

Also, since there could be many saints by one's name, one does choose the saint closest to one's birthday - mine is St Alexius the Man of God and on his day this year, I will be 50 years old . . .

I was actually born on March 29th, but since no one knows for sure at what time of the day I was born, I wait until the eve of St Alexis' day just to be sure . . .

Alex

Regarding namedays...Alex (Orthodox/Catholic of the Peacable Kingdom)is correct.

I must admit that as a young third generation American, I thought it was strange that in Greece of thirty some years ago, they did not celebrate birthdays--only namedays. (Ofcourse, that has now changed).

Traditionally, in Greece, on a popular saint's nameday you would pay a visit to all the people you knew who had that name. They were ofcourse expecting visitors all day, so they had, in essence, what we would call an 'open house' and special homemade sweets and drink were waiting.

Then life got a little more complicated, and not everyone welcomed a deluge of visitors to their busy lives, so newspapers actually started printing a page of names of those who were 'accepting' visitors for the day!

Alice

So, since my patron saint is St. Alexis the Man-of-God, and name of the saint given to me at birth it St. Samuel (the Old Testament Prophet and Judge), which nameday should I celebrate?

I don't even know if Samuel has a feastday in the Roman liturgical calendar!

Logos Teen

Dear Teen Logo,

What do you mean by St Alexius being your "patron saint?"

In any event, there are two feasts of St Alexius in the Roman Calendar: March 17th and July 17th - only March 17th (30th OC) is celebrated in the East.

Alex

Happy Birthday Dr.!

30 certainly is a milestone.

My birthday is today (4-0) but that's not my point here.

When I was right out of college I got a job in Los Angeles and spent about ten months out there. When I decided to move back to Chicago my friends in LA thought I was nuts. They'd say, "wait til you get that first feel of cold weather, you'll be running back!"
I got back to the Midwest just before Thanksgiving and the weather was magnificent (40s-50s and the leaves had all turned). I too was never so thankful to be back in the Midwest.
To this day I have not been back to LA, though I would like to visit. But to live there and raise a family?
And none of the Greeks I met out there owned a restaurant. What's up with that?

Hi Paul,

A Happy, happy birthday to you too!

The big 40 was a scary one for me and really put me into a funk for some reason.

Your Greek Orthodox sister in Christ,
Alice

By the way, if you are from Chicago, I recently saw the film 'Do you wanna dance?' which was filmed and took place in Chicago. It was about a Greek Orthodox priest--infact it was based on a real priest in your area. Have you seen it?

Alex,

I know about St. Alexi's feast day(s). I don't know about Samuel the Judge, however.

What do you mean what do I mean by "patron saint." You know that Roman Catholics take a patron saint to themselves on their Confirmation. I chose St. Alexis as my patron saint upon my conversion to the Catholic Church (which necessarily included Confirmation, but I'd already been baptized when I was an infant using valid practices; I do come from a very religious family and society in gengeral).

Logos Teen

Happy birthday Dr. Eric!

Many years!

Dear Alex of the Peacable Kingdom, (yeh right! Canada, huh?),

You said:

"The saint's day fell on or near one's birthday so it was like a birthday."

I say:

Actually I'm surprised. I know with Greeks, the first son takes the name of his paternal grandfather. The second Greek son, the name of his maternal grandfather. The first Greek daughter takes the name of the paternal grandmother, and the second the name of the maternal grandmother.

Of course today, customs are not always followed.

Zenovia

Dear Anheleyna (I hope that's how it's spelled,) Nonna, Dr. Alex, Logos Teen, PaulNik, and Father Elias,

Thanks for also wishing me a Happy Birthday!

Dr. Alex my father's name is Gary. So one of my names could be Garrison!

Happy 40th to you PaulNik!!!

Logos Teen, I can't give you 2 of my years, but if you are looking to do something that you should not be doing in your state. I suggest that you go to New Orleans or Washington D.C. it is legal to do what you want to do in those cities at 18 instead of 21.

Not that I condone what it is that you want to do at your age because of the law. Once you get to be 21 it's no longer fun. That's why in Europe no one really makes a big deal about it.

I actually started to feel old when I became 22. But that was more because of male pattern baldness.

HEy, I wished you a happy birthday twice!

Pyrohy,
Did I forget you? I'm sorry. Thanks Pyrohy. And Thanks Pyrohy!

You know, I never saw that movie (just parts of it) but I have friends who were extras in it. They were part of the group of men Greek dancing at the wedding.
The priest, whom the movie was based upon, is Fr. Chris Kerhulas and I've know him for many years. He is a terrific man a big Blackhawks fan.

Paul

Happy Birthday PaulNik and domilsean. May our Good God grant to both of you many years of peace, health, and happiness. God bless you both.

Wow, it is interesting to this ol' convert to learn more about name day celbrations. I just noticed Fr. Anthony's comments on his celebration the other day in the Prayer Forum. Sounded like a wonderful day and he must have been wearing roller skates - well today i guess they wear roller blades.

Pani Rose

He already has, He already has.

(May He do the same for you. Bless.)

Dear Dr Gary,

"St Gary" is St Garai, son of Cewydd of the family of Caw, a Welsh saint of Bangor and fonder of Llanarrai, Glamorgan in the 6th century.

I've also known Gary's who were named after "St Garibald" the bishop of Ratisbon, ordained by S Boniface in 739 and whose feast is 7 June/8 January.

Alex

Dear Teen Logo,

Oh, so that's your confirmation name!

O.K.!

As for St Samuel, he is the last Judge and the first Prophet in Israel, of the tribe of Levi, a son of Elkana and Anna. He was vowed to the Lord as a Nazarite and was buried at Ramatha.

His relics were found in 406 and brought to Constantinople to his own Church there!

His Feast is August 20th in the Roman Martyrology and full office in the Greek Church.

His feast is celebrated by the Catholic Church in Jerusalem and Venice in a special way and a portion of his relics are in Venice in a church named for him as well.

Alex

VERY COOL!

Alice

Happy Birthday!

Administrator,
Was that for me or for Domilsean, or PaulNik? If it was for me, Thanks!!!

A Belated Happy Birthday to Dr Eric and Domilsean. I was in your place a decade and a half ago, but growing old just isn't on my agenda. My secret to staying young includes watching cartoons, religiously avoiding barbershops, and playing and listening to heavy metal. And somehow through it all, I remain ultra-traditional.

Thank you Lawrence.

I stopped listening to Heavy Metal in the early 90s. When Grunge killed rock music.

Too bad they never show the really good Bugs Bunny cartoons anymore.

Многая літа! Paulnik

A belated Happy Birthday to Dr. Eric, Domilsean and PaulNik! To you guys who just turned 30, why you're still just kids!

And a Happy Birthday to everyone who will be celebrating one this week, this month and this year!

I remember sitting in a class in gade school and the teacher saying "By the year 2000....". So I did the math and realized that in the year 2000 I would be 44 years old. Back then it seemed an eternity away!

There's much truth in the saying "You're only as old as you feel".

I don't know if this is just rumor, but I've heard that for some reason no one over 45 is permitted on the field for the Rolling Stones' half-time show at the Super Bowl. What a slap in the face to the fan base who made them who they are!


Blessings to All,
Bill

Since we're talkin' birthdays here...

My first (and, so far, only) granddaughter is celebrating her first birthday today!

Mnohaja i blahaja l'ita, Amira!

Al (a pilgram... and proud grandpappy!)

Dear Friends,

FYI, the Administrator's birthday is on August 1st.

Here, it is a special observance . . .

Alex

Uh...Thank you?

Dear PaulNik,

Yes, I can't believe how some people here assume that everyone speaks other languages than English!

That phrase is Ukrainian/Slavonic for "Ad Multos Annos."

Alex

Which means?

Many Years!

That's ok. I assumed that it was a kind greeting - and I was right!