I have written about the Bulgarian tradition of Name days before but today is a special day to bring up the topic again - it is my mom's Name day! Name days (имени дни) in Bulgaria are usually associated with Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox celebrations of the saint you are named after. And they are as important as Birthdays are in the US.
A fun fact? By an ancient Bulgarian tradition, everybody is welcome on Name days (there is no need to invite guests, they just show up at your house - quite an opportunity for your party-prone friends, don't you think?). Presents are expected though.
If you are to show up at your friends' place for their Name day, it's good to know that common well-wishes include "May you hear your name from grandchildren and great-grandchildren!" (Да чуеш името си на внуци и правнуци!), "May you hear your name only in good things!" (Да ти се чува името само за добро!) and "May your name be healthy and well!" (Да ти е живо и здраво името!) (thank you, Wikipedia for reminding me of that ...).
So there you have it - mom, please expect a horde of folks at your door today. They should be bringing presents with them though.
HAPPY NAME DAY to the BEST mom in the world!!!
A few months back, a co-worker of mine convinced me to join my company's Spartan Race team. He didn't talk it up much: he mentioned it's a long-ish run with a few fun obstacles. You know, no big deal. Something someone who runs as much as me should complete more than easily (read, you don't really need to train for it). Ha ha ha.