Name day

[Jeff Holdeman]

There is an English-language book called "Russian Folk Calendar" (a
translation from a Russian original).  It has entries for every day of the
year with agricultural practices, folk beliefs and folk sayings associated
with that day. It would definitely be a good start.  Unfortunately I do not
have it on hand to give you the bibliographic information.  I would also
guess that Genevra Gerhart's book "The Russian's World: Life and Language"
would have some information.  Finally, I have a reference for a book I have
never looked at, but which sounds promising: Prazdniki khristianskoi Rusi :
russkii narodnyi pravoslavnyi kalendar (Bondarenko, Elga Oskarovna.  1993.
Kaliningrad: Kaliningradskoe knizhnoe izd-vo).

Hopefully one of these will yield some useful information.

Jeff Holdeman
The Ohio State University

>Dear all,
>
>I am dramaturging "Three Sisters" and will be very thankful if someone
>could give me more information about the Saint day of Irina (Irina's
>name day in Russia, obviously on May 5)  What rituals (religious or
>people's) were held on that day? Is there any interesting references
>(traditions, myths, other Russian literature) for this day?
>Thank you
>Vessela