Name days

Finns celebrate their name day (nimipäivä) on a specific calendar date associated with their given name.

The associations between the days and the names have arisen through many reasons, but primarily because the church held a festival for a saint of that name on that day. For instance, the church feast of Saint Michael was held on Sept. 29 and, as a result, the name day for Michael is on Sept. 29.

The Name Days in Finland are shown for the month of June (Kesäkuu).

Many Nordic and European countries celebrate name days including Sweden, France, Ireland, Spain, Italy, and Ukraine. In some countries one’s name day is more important than one's birthday.

In Finland a name day calendar is published by the University of Helsinki Almanac Office and updated every 5-10 years, adding new names as they gain popularity and striking others that have faded into disuse. Every day except New Year's Day, Christmas Day and February 29 is a name day.

Finns celebrate name days with small gifts and coffee gatherings. You can regularly find out whose name day it is in calendars, on the radio, in the newspapers and on the Internet. Name day honorees are also commemorated at day care, school and the workplace.

June 18 is the Name Day for Tapio.