The celebration of namnsdagar (name days) in Sweden is an old
tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages. Originally it was a
Catholic and Orthodox custom, but the Protestant Church retained
certain Catholic habits, and celebrating name days was one of
them. The namnsdagar originate in the holidays celebrated in
commemoration of saints and martyrs to the Church. For example,
the name Karl, or Carl, which is celebrated in Sweden on January
28, was originally Carolus Magnus, the Latin form of
Charlemagne, who died on this date. The Church promoted
celebration of namnsdagar (or rather saintsí feast days) over
birthdays, as birthdays were seen as a Pagan tradition.
Namnsdagar today are being celebrated in many different
countries and to various degrees. In some countries, like Poland
and Greece, itís a festive celebration that involves presents,
parties, and desserts. In Sweden (the only country in
Scandinavia except Finland, that really celebrates namnsdagar),
we usually donít go that far, although the lucky pe