Session 4
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Naming a new-born is something not to be taken lightly in all cultures. Lots of traditions, superstitions and beliefs are connected to names and name-giving, even in our time. But in old times, the name was given special powers: it could protect or revive flagging energies (old and ailing people were given new names to supply them with health). The person was believed to inherit virtues of the human, animal, or inanimate namesake. Some names were tabooed , so as not to bring evil spirits (Voldemort) or out of reverence. In ancient Egypt, for example, people believed if you knew somebody's name you had power over that person, so they had secret names as well as names for the common use. The name was considered to be an essential (almost physical) part of a person. According to an Egyptian legend, God Ra would not reveal his name, so Goddess Isis, through trickery, acquired his name from his heart.
Russian tradition also has a special relationship with name giving. The power of the name is raised to such importance that the holiness of an icon is measured by whether there is a name of the Saint on it or not.
So, how did they give names in old Russia (before the revolution)? Russian Orthodox Church was the only registrar of a new-born through the ritual of baptism. Even the children of non-believers were baptized. By tradition it usually happened on the 8th day after birth. That's when a child received the name: nobody would dare to name a kid before he was baptized. During the baptism the priest offered the parents a choice of several names from a special book called Святцы /sviattzy or месяцеслов/mesiaceslov/ (menology). This book contained (and still contains) biographies of the saints in the order of the dates on which they are commemorated. Throughout history, Russian Orthodox Church has sanctified many real people who distinguished themselves somehow in the eyes of the church (performed a miracle, sacrificed himself or herself in the name of faith, or did some other pious and unselfish dead). There are a few names, both male and female, to choose from every day. It was believed that the Saint, the child was named after, would become that child’s protector .
Why the name Ivan is so popular in Russia – it’s 170 times in месяцеслов – almost every other day!
Sometimes, parents begged for a different name, and if the priest was kind they got their wish. That’s why names Надежда/Nadezhda/(Hope), Вера/Vera/(Faith) and Любовь/Liubov’/(Love) were very prolific, in spite of the fact that Вера is only twice in месяцеслов, and Надежда and Любовь only one time each.
So what kind of names does Russian bank of names have?
Linguists compiling dictionaries of Russian first names point out 4 distinct sources of origin:
1. Old Christian names that came to Russia with adoption of Christianity. By origin they are Greek, Latin, old Hebrew and Arabian. They are the foundation of all Russian contemporary names and the biggest layer. In pagan times, the names were reflecting a peculiar trait of a person – physical or character related, also they originated from the names of animals or plants, sometimes they showed the sequence of siblings in the family: Косой/Kosoj, Рябой/Rjaboj, Бел/Bel, Мал/ Mal, Буян/ Buyan, Молчан / Molchan, Любим/Liubim, Ждан / Zhdan, Волк/ Volk, Заяц/ Zajatz, Первуша/Pervusha, Третьяк/Tretiak. Later after Christianity was adopted, they degraded to nicknames, and now we can recognize some of them as last names. Some Christian names also underwent modification – they became rusified or disappeared. Even though some are completely unchanged still – like Константин/ Konstantin, Анатолий /Anatoliy, Вадим/Vadim, others sound more acceptable for Russian ear – Сергей /Sergej instead of Сергий/Sergiy, Алексей Aleksey, instead of Алексий /Aleksiy, Семён/Semion, instead of Семион/Semion, some were not very popular and are gone, like Елевзой/Yelevzoy, Феогнид/ Feognid, Иамвлих/ Iamvlih, Фавст/ Favst, Зоровавель/ Zorovavel’.
2. Old Russian or Slavonic names ( some of them are of Scandinavian origin ): Ванда /Vanda, Ярослав/Yaroslav, Вера/ Vera, Владимир/Vladimir, Владислав/Vladislav, Святослав/Sviatoslav, Любомир/Liubomir.
3. New names made up after the October Revolution: Владилен /Vladilen, Вилен/ Vilen, Ревмир/ Revmir. Happy with the free choice for the names, parents started to come up with some very peculiar names. There were people named after trees, elements from Mendelyeev’s Table, geographic names, months, mathematical terms and technical names. Many names were abbreviated from the revolution slogans (Роблен/Roblen - Рожден Быть Ленинцем (was born to be Leninist), Ревдит/Revdit – Революционное дитя (the child of the revolution), Лориэкс /Lorieks--Ленин Октябрьская Революция Индустриализация Электрификация Коллективизация Социализм ( Lenin, October Revolution, industrialization, electification, kollectivization, socialism).
4. Names borrowed from European languages (also after the revolution): Жанна/Zhanna, Марта/ Marta, Артур/Artur.
Now everything seems to be slowly returning to old ways. Russian Orthodox Church is slowly gaining its respect and power back, so are some old pre-revolution traditions. One of them is celebrating the name day or именины/imenini, or the day of one’s angel, which used to be more important than the birthday celebration.
Usually, the day before именины, the family would brew some beer, bake именинные/ imeninniye/ name-day калачи/ kalachi, пироги/pirogi and караваи/karavaji. On the name day именинник (именинница) /imeninnik (imeninnitza) – the name-day boy (or a girl) would go to the church with the family for midday service, order prayers for health, lit some candles and kiss the icon of the heavenly patron/protector he/she was named after. After the church, именинник (именинница) would deliver именинные пироги/ imeninniye pirogi to friends and relatives. In the evening there was a celebratory dinner.
Here's some names from месяцеслов for April 9 (the day of our session):
АЛЕКСАНДР. Защитник мужей (людей) (греч.).- преподобный Александр Вочский, Галичский
ЕВТИХИЙ. ЕВТИХ, ЕВТИФИИ, ЕВТИФИЙ. Счастливый, успешный; ср. Тихе -греческое божество случая.праведный Евтихий.
ЕФРЕМ. ЕФРАИМ. Плодовитый, растущий (евр.) - святитель Ефрем, архиепископ Ростовский
ИОАНН. ИВАН. Божия благодать (милость)- преподобный Иоанн прозорливый, Египетский.
КИРИК. Возможно, вариант имени Нирион- преподобный Курик Фракийский.
КОДРАТ. (КВАДРАТ), КОНДРАТ, КОНДРАТИЙ. Квадратный, иносказательно- широкоплечий (лат.) и Римское родственное имя.
- священномученик Кодрат.
МАКАРИЙ. МАКАР. Блаженный, счастливый (греч.).праведный Макарий.
МАНУИЛ. МАНУИЛ, МАНУЙЛО, МАНУЙЛА, МАНОЙЛО. Сокращенно от Эммануил - с нами Бог (евр.).мученик Мануил.
ПАВЕЛ. Малый, маленький (лат.) и Римское родственное имя.
- святитель Павел, епископ Коринфский.
ФЕОДОСИЙ. ФЕДОСИЙ, ФЕДОС. Богом данный (греч.). мученик Феодосий.
МАТРОНА. МАТРЕНА. Знатная, почтенная женщина (лат.). 9 апреля (27 марта) - мученица Матрона Солунская
The complete Russian name is formed of a given name/ имя, patronymic/отчество (father's name), and a family name /фамилия , in that order. Though usually in official situations and in documents family name comes first followed by the first name and patronymic ( that's what the common abbreviation Ф.И.О. stands for - фамилия имя отчество) . The given names can each have several different short or diminutive versions. For example, for Екатерина/Yekaterina there is Катерина/ Katerina, Катя/Katya, Катюша/Katiusha, Катенька/Katen'ka, and more.
Try your Russian name skills by doing these exercises:
Look at the table and:
I. Mark whether имя is мужское (M)/male or женское (Ж)/ female.
II. Match отчество/patronymic name with именем отца/name of the father.
III. Match полное имя/ full name with коротким именем/ short name.
## | Ф.И.О. | I | II | III | |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15 | Корнилов Пётр Ильич Власова Антонина Сергеевна Никитин Сергей Трофимович Златоустова Вероника Григорьевна Щербаков Николай Лазаревич Капустина Ирина Устиновна Ларьков Матвей Матвеевич Селивестров Семён Аркадьевич Стародубцева Евгения Тарасовна Максимова Ефросинья Львовна Лось Константин Андреевич Зарубина Елизавета Михайловна Синявская Светлана Игоревна Куст Лариса Потаповна Дроздов Лукьян Минич | а. Андрей б. Игорь в.Михаил г. Аркадий д. Илья е. Тарас ё. Мина ж. Лазарь з. Устин и. Потап й. Матвей к. Григорий л. Сергей м. Лев н. Трофим | о. Ира п. Сеня р. Лука с. Лиза т. Женя у. Костя ф. Тоня х. Серёжа ц. Света ч. Вера ш. Лара щ. Петя ъ. Коля ы. Матюша ь. Фрося | ||
The following game/ игра "Каравай" was a favorite birthday game during my Soviet childhood. Little did we know that birthday was not the same as imenini. Imenini, having a religious connotation, clearly was not supported by the Soviet authorities.
Как на Петины именины
Испекли мы каравай.
Вот такой вышины,
Вот такой низины,
Вот такой ширины,
Вот такой вышины,
Вот такой низины,
Вот такой ширины,
Вот такой ужины.
Каравай, каравай,
Кого любишь выбирай.Я люблю, конечно, всех,
Но вот этот/эта лучше всех!
Now try to make an edible one...
КАРАВАЙ
Ingredients: 7.5~8.5 glasses of flour, 20g dry yeast, 100g oil or melted butter, 0.5 glass milk or water (or both together), 10 eggs, 6~7 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp salt, 1 lemon rind and cinnamon (optional).
Method: Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 0.5 glass of warm water (or milk or milk and water mixture) . Separate eggs whites from the yokes. Rub sugar with 9 yolks (put aside one yolk for brushing). Pour in yeast liquid and stir. Beat eggs whites until the peaks form. Put 7.5 glasses of flour into a big bowl, make an indentation in the middle. While stirring slowly, add the yeast and yolk liquid, oil/melted butter, egg whites and salt. Mix well. Sprinkle half a glass of flour on the table, and knead the dough till it becomes smooth and non-sticky (for around 20-30 minutes). If you used liquid yeast: after kneading, cover the dour with plastic wrap and leave it for some time to rise. When the dough rises, press it down and let it rise again. Then you can start forming it. If you used dry yeast: start forming the loaf right after kneading. Cut off 600 g of dough. Make a ball from the remaining part and put it on the baking sheet covered with grease paper. Brush the ball with water with a confectionery brush. From the remaining dough, sculpt the ornaments (flowers, plaits, lattices, and leaves) and arrange them on the loaf. Since the loaf is slightly wet they will stick at once. Brush on some water again to prevent the surface of the loaf from drying. Keep the loaf for a bit in a warm place and wait for it to increase about 3 times in size. Then brush it with the mixture of a yoke and a tablespoon of water. Preheat the oven to 200°С and put the loaf in on the middle shelf.
Method: Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 0.5 glass of warm water (or milk or milk and water mixture) . Separate eggs whites from the yokes. Rub sugar with 9 yolks (put aside one yolk for brushing). Pour in yeast liquid and stir. Beat eggs whites until the peaks form. Put 7.5 glasses of flour into a big bowl, make an indentation in the middle. While stirring slowly, add the yeast and yolk liquid, oil/melted butter, egg whites and salt. Mix well. Sprinkle half a glass of flour on the table, and knead the dough till it becomes smooth and non-sticky (for around 20-30 minutes). If you used liquid yeast: after kneading, cover the dour with plastic wrap and leave it for some time to rise. When the dough rises, press it down and let it rise again. Then you can start forming it. If you used dry yeast: start forming the loaf right after kneading. Cut off 600 g of dough. Make a ball from the remaining part and put it on the baking sheet covered with grease paper. Brush the ball with water with a confectionery brush. From the remaining dough, sculpt the ornaments (flowers, plaits, lattices, and leaves) and arrange them on the loaf. Since the loaf is slightly wet they will stick at once. Brush on some water again to prevent the surface of the loaf from drying. Keep the loaf for a bit in a warm place and wait for it to increase about 3 times in size. Then brush it with the mixture of a yoke and a tablespoon of water. Preheat the oven to 200°С and put the loaf in on the middle shelf.
When the loaf top is slightly browned, carefully open the oven and cover the loaf with foil, bring the temperature down to 180°С and bake till ready (1 hour~1 hour 20 min).
During baking, the loaf should not be disturbed or moved. So don’t shake it or open the oven door – it can make the loaf shrink.
Switch off the oven, slightly open the oven door and let it cool down for 15 min .
Take out the loaf, place it on a paper towel (otherwise the bottom will get damp), and brush it with butter or sweetened water. Put a paper towel over the loaf and cover it with a towel. Leave the loaf to rest overnight.
My favorite poem of all times - "МУХА-ЦОКОТУХА" by the most popular Russian children's poet of all times Korney Chukovskiy (1882-1969). I believe it has not been translated into English - yet. Any takers?
The Lady Fly, the main character of the story, comes upon great luck - she finds one kopeck! Now she can invite all of her acquaintances for tea to celebrate her - yep, imenini. But the merry feast almost takes a tragic turn. Enjoy!
Note 1:Here I give you an abridged version - the one used in this charming animation film.
Note 2: Black highlights show the stress in the words, red ones - rhythmic pattern.
Муха, Муха-Цокотуха, Позолоченное брюхо! Муха по полю пошла, Муха денежку нашла. Пошла Муха на базар И купила самовар: "Приходите, тараканы, Я вас чаем угощу!" Тараканы прибегали, Все стаканы выпивали, А букашки - По три чашки С молоком И крендельком: Нынче Муха-Цокотуха Именинница! "Бабочка-красавица. Кушайте варенье! Или вам не нравится Наше угощенье?" Вдруг какой-то старичок Паучок Нашу Муху в уголок Поволок - Хочет бедную убить, Цокотуху погубить! | "Дорогие гости, помогите! Паука-злодея зарубите! Но жуки-червяки Испугалися, По углам, по щелям Разбежалися: Тараканы Под диваны, А козявочки Под лавочки, А букашки под кровать - Не желают воевать! И никто даже с места Не сдвинется: Пропадай-погибай, Именинница! А кузнечик, а кузнечик, Ну, совсем как человечек, Скок, скок, скок, скок! За кусток, Под мосток И молчок! А злодей-то не шутит, Руки-ноги он Мухе верёвками крутит, Муха криком кричит, Надрывается, | А злодей молчит, Ухмыляется. Вдруг откуда-то летит Маленький Комарик, И в руке его горит Маленький фонарик. "Где убийца, где злодей? Не боюсь его когтей!" Подлетает к Пауку, Саблю вынимает И ему на всём скаку Голову срубает! Муху за руку берёт И к окошечку ведёт: "Я злодея зарубил, Я тебя освободил И теперь, душа-девица, На тебе хочу жениться!" Тут букашки и козявки Выползают из-под лавки: "Слава, слава Комару - Победителю!" Эй, сороконожки, Бегите по дорожке, Зовите музыкантов, Будем танцевать! |
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