Dear Carolyn, what a strange idea! Of course we, Russians, do celebrate our birthdays. Birthdays are second in importance after the most popular Russian festivity - New Year celebration. During the years of the Soviet power several generations did forget the names of the saints we are sometimes named after, to say nothing of their days of birth. Those who still remember celebrate their name days as well, but not with a party as a birthday. Nowadays young people use for their birthdays a cozy word Днюха.

On 27.4.2013, at 18.29, Carolyn Kunin wrote:

Jansy reminds me that of course most Russians don't celebrate their birthday at all (Orthodox Russians I suppose one should add these days). Instead one celebrated on one's "name day", that is the birthday (I think) of the saint after which one was named.

Has anyone ever thought of considering name days in relation to the Russian characters in Nabokov novels? When would VN's own name day fall? Did his family follow the religious tradition or the secular? Interesting topic, Jansy!

Carolyn