On the Celebration of One’s Angel Day #
According to Orthodox teaching, when a person is baptized, a guardian angel is given to him, who protects the soul from demonic assaults and guides him toward virtue. This angel accompanies the person throughout his life and, after the soul’s separation from the body, leads it to bow before the throne of God.
In former times, it was customary to baptize an infant and give him the name of the saint commemorated on that day. This day was called the Angel’s Day.
Today, this custom is far less common. The day of the saint’s commemoration after whom a Christian is named often does not coincide with the day of his baptism. However, the feast day of the namesake saint is still commonly called the Angel’s Day. This title is considered appropriate—since the saints whose name a person bears especially intercede before the Lord on his behalf, they are regarded as a kind of angel to him.
It sometimes happens that a person is baptized as an adult. In such cases, he may wish to take the name of a saint different from the one he bears legally. This is necessary if his civil name is not found in the Church calendar. Thus, a person may have one name for official purposes and another in Church life.
If the newly baptized Christian does not change his name, then his Angel’s Day is considered to be the feast of the saint with the same name that falls closest to his birthday—typically looking to the days after his birth rather than before.