Tuesday 24 January 2012

ABC Wednesday, B for Birthdays

Birthdays need to be celebrated. I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or a victory. Because to celebrate a birthday means to say to someone: “Thank you for being you.” Celebrating a birthday is exalting life and being glad for it. On a birthday we do not say: “Thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished.” No, we say: “Thank you for being born and being among us.”

Celebrating a birthday reminds us of the goodness of life, and in this spirit we really need to celebrate people’s birthdays every day, by showing gratitude, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness, and affection. These are ways of saying: “It’s good that you are alive; it’s good that you are walking with me on this earth. Let’s be glad and rejoice. This is the day that God has made for us to be and to be together.

Questions:
1 How were you given your name? Do you like it?
2 Do you have a "name day"in your culture?
3 Does your name have an equivalent in English?

Various cultures name their children in different ways.In many Catholic countries children are often named after saints. There was even a time that some priests would not allow parents to name their children after film stars or football players. In the past parents were only allowed to name their children after excisting names in my country, but now we often see the strangest names, which are all invented by the parents. In many countries, where infant mortality is very high, parents only name their children when they reach the age in which the chances of survival begin to increase. Until that time they are referred to by the number of years they are.


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting posts in the tenth round of ABC Wednesday, click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with B.

37 comments:

Dina said...

These are nice and true sentiments you express, Wil. Happy unbirthday to you!

Roger Owen Green said...

Totally agree re the whys for birthdays.
I was named by my father, because Roger Owen Green spelled ROG!

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Shooting Parrots said...

I pretend I don't care about my birthday, but I do really!

My given name is Ian which is the Scottish form of John, so that answers two of your questions.

My grandfather's family were from Scotland and my mother wanted the Iain spelling of the name, but my dad got it wrong when he registered my birth.

Gattina said...

I don't know why parents gave me my name, probably it was also fashion. I think there is now a day for my name, but I am not sure. I didn't like it especially, but never really thought about it, because anyway I can't change it anymore.
For our son we choose a name which was short due to the long family name, and couldn't be translated into another language, me being German, my husband Italian and Dario was born in Brussels ! Now he lives in Amsterdam, lol ! But everywhere he remains Dario.

Arkansas Patti said...

Interesting how the names were once limited but now are left to the parents creativity.
My mother adored the name Paticia so much that her second son was almost named Patrick in fear she might never get a girl.
All the women in my family for generations carry the same middle name--Louise.
Interesting post.

Roger Owen Green said...

Wil- ROG is just a shortened form of Roger. He liked how clever that was. He apparently spent a few hours at his cousin's house working out that, making sure that it didn't spell out something unfortunate. Peter Ivan Green, e.g.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I agree about birthdays Wil.

My name is Patricia and I was named after my grandmother whose name was Martha, which is apparently a diminutive of Patricia. My second name is Ellen and that was after my aunt Nell whose name was actually Ellen Louise. I must say I like my names very much and feel they are part of me.
Are you an Anne of Green Gables fan? In it Anne desperately wishes she could be called Cordelia because she feels Anne is such an ordinary name, although as long as it is spelled with an e on the end she is willing to put up with it. I think our names really define us.

Kay said...

Happy Birthday, Wil. This was such an interesting post. Naming our children was one of the hardest things we did because we felt it could influence what they thought of themselves. And you know... to a point it did.

Sylvia K said...

What an interesting and wonderful post for the day, Wil! I was named for the actress, Sylvia Sydney -- many moons ago! My two daughters were given names that I really liked and one was a fictional character. My boys were named after their father and grandfather. Hope your week is going well! Enjoy!

Sylvia

anthonynorth said...

Totally agree with this. Great post.

Rajesh said...

Happy birthdays sure come every year. That can be one more reason to celebrate. Thanks for your wonderful thoughts.

jill said...

I wasnt named after anybody my dad just liked the name Jillian,I prefer to be called Jill but as a child I was always given full title.My children are Maria and Jack,we thought Maria could not be shortened but my nephew could not say Maria and it used to come out as Mea,so she is known as Mea,Jack is just Jack after my grandad.Love Jill xx

Jane and Chris said...

My first name is Jane,it means 'gift from God' in Hebrew. My parents chose it because it couldn't be shortened into something silly. My second name is Patricia.....I was named after my aunt, but the name doesn't suit me.
Jane x

Leslie: said...

I really really like this post, Wil. I, too, believe it's important to celebrate birthdays as it's the only day in the year that's for YOU alone! I always made a big deal out of the children's birthdays as well as for my siblings and husband. It's amazing to me how some parents just ignore the day! That's what my former in-laws did with my late husband and his brother. A card was placed at their seat at the dinner table and nothing else. My birthday came up before his when we were first married and I was so disappointed that he didn't do anything for me. So a month later, I showed him what it means to be celebrated on "his" day, and he was so overwhelmed that he never forgot my birthday again - and made me feel special.

Leslie: said...

Oh, by the way, in answer to your question, my mother wanted to name me Marsha and my dad wanted to name me Jennifer (after Jennifer Jones, the actress) but my mom hated "her" so I ended up being Leslie...means "the grey fort"...not too exciting, but I do like my name now although as a kid I didn't. I wanted to be a Linda, a Nancy, a Sandy, blah blah blah Stupid me! lol

Vagabonde said...

I did not know about children being named when they were older in some countries. My husband’s birthday is next week and I don’t know what to give him – by now he has everything he needs and wants. We usually take a trip to celebrate his birthday. It was hard naming my daughters as we needed names that sounded good both in English and French – some of the names my husband liked could not be pronounced properly in French. My first name (given to me by my grandfather as my father was in the war) certainly cannot be pronounced in English so I have used a nickname for years.

Kay L. Davies said...

Thanks for being you, Wil, every day of the year.
My mother planned to name me Catherine after my godmother (who was called Kay) but Dad said Catherine was too long, and if they planned to call me Kay, they should just do it. The L is for Loree, my grandmother's maiden name, and Davies is my maiden name, still my legal name.
K

photowannabe said...

Thanks for being you...I mean that.
I never thought about Birthdays actually saying that but, yes and amen. I love making that day special,whether its gifts, a party or just cooking a favorite meal.
My name is Suzan,with a z. My grandpa had an accent and made the name susan sound too "hissy" so they wanted to make the z a hard sound to make it sound right to them.
I did go through school being called Suzanne a lot of the time because of the Z.
Great post today Wil. I loved reading everyone's comments too.

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

I have four brothers and one sister. All of our middle names are in honor of the Virgin Mary, so all of our middle names start with, "M". I am named after St. Paul.

Gigi Ann said...

I was the youngest of 8 children, my oldest sister being 14 years older than me. When I was born (at home) in those days, the doctor brought me out of the bedroom, handed me to my sister and said, "Here is your new sister, take her and clean her up." My parents allowed her to name me, she chose Anna Carol as my name. They said it was as good as anything they could think of. So there you have it, that is how and who named me many years ago.

George said...

Thanks for a very interesting post. I like your comments about birthdays and why they are important.

George was the name of my father's best friend, which is how I got my first name. My middle name is the same as my father's.

Barbara said...

Thanks for an intersting post, birthdays are always good to celebrate. I don't know where my name (Barbara) came from, probably popular at the time. My name day is 4th December but we don't celebrate it in this country (UK).

Chubskulit Rose said...

Birthdays are special! I totally agree with you about giving an importance in celebrating it to rejoice about our life and being.

When my mother sent my father to register me in the municipal hall, he changed the name that my mother wanted. I was named after his ex girlfriend wahhh, I don't like it actually. The meaning of my name is "beautiful rose" in English.

Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

Hildred said...

I do agree with you Wil, - birthdays are most important and should be celebrated with love all year round.
My grandfather read the name Hildred, in a book, and liked it so much they called my aunt Hildred, and now it has spread all through the family - cousins and nieces. Hildred was either a woodcutter's NOBLE daughter, or a NOBLE woodcutter's daughter - one way or the other I guess it doesn't really matter

Cloudia said...

You are a treasure, Wil



Warm Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral

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Pondside said...

As the first daughter I got the name - Honora - a bit of an awkward handle for a little girl, but I've been satisfied with it as an adult. We've passed it on as a second name to our daughter. No name day here, just a birthday for each of us.
I was glad to read, in your comment on Pat's blog, that you like our dear Anne Shirley, and share her story with your students.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

My Christain name, My Dad called us: Elizabeth, Charles, Ann and Margaret.

Can you guess why I am called Ann? Dad said he was unoriginal.

My day name is my Chinese name, Snow.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful bouquet, Wil! (Another B ) I'm named after my great-aunt, and don't know why...but I do like my name:)

Indrani said...

A new way of looking at birthdays! Thanks!

Melanie said...

Beautiful bouquet!

Here from ABC Wednesday.

Tumblewords: said...

A truly delightful post!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Yes, I 'flew" the Tiger moth"
No, I didn't fly, I mean I was in the plane, but I wasn't allowed to touch the controls.
So I was just a passenger.
Still it was a lovely experience, a tick off my bucket list.

Vicki Lane said...

We just celebrated my younger son's birthday yesterday -- thankful for having him around these 34 years.

My name is Vicki -- not Victoria (which I would have preferred.) I was named for my grandfather Victor.

Mildred said...

Wonderful entry for B day!
Here are my answers to these questions;o)
1 How were you given your name? Do you like it? I don't know the story about my name! And I can't ask because I don't see my parents!!!
I hated my firstname when I was a kid because nobody had that name!!!

2 Do you have a "name day"in your culture?
I don't have a name day in France where I've been living for about 40 years, and I don't know if there is one in my native country which is Portugal and where I spent my childhood until my teen years!
3 Does your name have an equivalent in English?
I dont think so! It doesn't have one in French neither!!!
My name is from Germanic origin. It was the name of one of the walkiries, Kriemhild, which became Cremilde/Cremilda in Portuguese!

***
Thanks for sharing;o)

***
Have a fabulous weekend****

Patty said...

Good afternoon, sorry I haven't been showing up much. I don't know where the time goes. I think it's just the fact I'm getting slower. Have a roast in the oven, going to make mashed potatoes, gravy and salad to go with it. Perhaps ice cream for dessert,
even though it's chilly outside today. I think of you often, just don't seem to get around much anymore.

Jenn Jilks said...

I love the flowers!
Planning a post on towers soon!
Cheers from Cottage Country!

A Colorful World said...

Lovely thoughts about birthdays! There is something inside us that seems to feel the need for celebrating that day...we are hurt if people forget...we want to be made over and petted on that day. We all seem to have that in common. It is a common human need. Lovely post!

I by the way was named for two popular songs at the time of my birth..."Linda" and "Marie"