LIVING
LIVING NOV 2008
IT’S ALL IN A NAME!!!
I adore the range of names
here in Greece. My sons have friends with names steeped in
history, such as Hercules, Pantelis, Aristotle, Alexander,
Sophocles, Nektarios..to name a few.Likewise, my daughter’s
friends are called Antonia, Anastassia, Evangelia, Ephemia……
Names are a serious matter here and can easily cause offence if
not bestowed properly on an heir. It is customary to name a
first-born son after the husband’s father and the first daughter
after his mother. Subsequent children are then named after the
wife’s parents.
Tact, rational reasoning and
empathy are essential ingredients if one wants to deviate from
this expected tradition…but if followed, it will explain why
there are so many Giorgos and Marias in one family. In our
family, there are many males named Nektarios (after Aegina’s
patron saint) and females named Ephemia. This is only
problematic during family gatherings when, on asking Nektarios
to pass the salt, one can end up with 3 pots of salt in front of
a plate.
People are identified by their
family name; not just the surname but also the name of the
father. I hypothesise by assuming it is related to the clannish
nature of Greek families, who previously set up colonies in an
area from which families expanded. Here on Aegina island, some
of the most common surnames are: Lorentzos!, Roditis, Marinis,
Bessis, Bitros, Kalamakis Marmarinos, Kritikos, Hatzinas,
Papadopoulos… the island is peppered with them. This causes
great confusion in every-day life, such as in banking and
commerce, education and health. Bureaucracy has been designed
though t o further identify individuals by asking for the name
of the father and sometimes the mother too. So on shopping at
Ikea for example, should I want to claim V.A.T, I have to inform
the assistant that my husband is actually Lorentzos, George, tou
Dimitriou (of Dimitri ). I am Alison tou Aaaalan ( of Alan )
Name Day celebrations are far
more serious than birthdays. Individuals are expected to stay at
home during the evening to receive any random visitors and it is
traditional to have a supply of nuts and a box of cakes to offer
alongside a glass of Triantafilou, a bright pink liquor tasting
of roses and alcohol, a slight reminder of cough syrup Guests
are not invited; they simply turn up, usually bearing a gift.
In our household, Saint
George’s day is perhaps the biggest day in our calendar. We
celebrate in a big way by having a party in the evening, during
which friends, neighbours and family call in and feast, drink
and dance for as long as they like. Our children particularly
enjoy the occasion as they are usually on holiday and despite
having to endure my barking orders to help set the scene for the
evening, they generally enjoy watching the grown-ups get a
little bit drunk and behave foolishly.
If one doesn’t have time to
attend a friend’s Name Day celebration, it is necessary to at
least telephone to wish one well. To completely ignore this
occasion is quite an insult!!!!
Visit:
www.symivisitor.com/greek_name_days.htm
for more information about Name Day celebrations.
Alison Lorentzos
copyright 2008
