Monday, June 3, 2013

Name Day



Dan with a frustration pencil
There is such a wonderful and diverse community at Summers-Knoll.  It is always great to have a family come and share their traditions with the class.

On Thursday, Dan (Elie's dad) came in to tell us about Name Day, which is celebrated in Finland, where Elie's mother is from.   Name Day is a very important day for Finnish people.  It is celebrated much as a birthday would be celebrated, with gifts, cards, and a celebration.  Traditionally in Finland, people did not celebrate birthdays.  (Although Name Day is still a special day,  people in Finland have also started celebrating birthdays too.)

Dan and Saara tried to figure out the meaning or origin of everyone's name in the class and then found the Finnish equivalent.  Each name has a date on the calendar associated with it, which is the Name Day.

Each child received a booklet with the names and dates in it, and a gift of a very interesting  "frustration" pencil made by Elie's mother and younger brother {see photo}.  If you are interested in learning more about your name go to: 
http://www.behindthename.com/.  It is a fun site to explore.  

If you find a Finnish equivalent to your name, you can go to: http://www.behindthename.com/namedays/country/finland to discover your name day.  Happy Celebrating.

Thank you to Elie and his family for sharing this tradition with us.

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