Traditional Greek festivities: Name day celebration

Most Greeks are named after a religious saint. A very important tradition is that everyone who has a name coming from a saint celebrated by the church celebrates his name on a given day of the year. On the “name day” of someone, his friends and family visit him without invitation and offer wishes and small presents. The hostess of the house offers pastries, sweets and hors d’oeuvres to the guests. In Greece, name days are more important than birthdays.