Quote Originally Posted by Rostova
Именины is a religious holiday. It is a day dedicated to the saint whose name is the same as the yours. And generally it's a day when this saint has died
I think it must be the same holiday in Catholycism, am I wrong?
Yes, Catholics have the same holiday, at least in my country. But it`s not only believers who celebrate their name day, atheists do it as well. When you look into the calendar, you can see what name the day is devoted to and if you know somebody with this name, you are expected to congratulate him/her {if it is not a close relative or friend, a phone call or an email will do}.[/b]