Every day in Finland belongs to someone. Newspapers print the names, radio hosts read them out, and calendars show them next to the date. Today is no exception.
Find your name day
When is your name day?
How the tradition works
The nimipäivä (name day) calendar has about 830 names, assigned to every day of the year except New Year's Day, Christmas Day and 29 February. It began as the calendar of saints and became a Finnish institution in the 1700s; the University of Helsinki's Almanac Office keeps it and revises it every five years, adding names that have become common and retiring ones that have not been given to babies for decades.
There are four official calendars: Finnish, Finland-Swedish, Orthodox and Sámi. Most Finns use the Finnish one; this page does too.
What people actually do
Less than for a birthday, more than nothing. At work, a Hyvää nimipäivää! is enough. In families, the name-day child might get a favourite dessert. Grandparents send cards. Nobody gives large gifts, and nobody is offended if you forget, but colleagues notice when you remember.
Name days are also how Finns talk about the calendar: "Tapaninpäivä" (Boxing Day) is Tapani's day, "Juhannus" comes from Johannes, and "Vappu" is the name day of Valpuri.
If your name is not in the calendar
Three options Finns will find perfectly natural:
- Take the day of the closest Finnish name. Anita has 18 April; Ram has no day, but Rami has 18 January.
- Take the day of the Finnish form of your name's meaning.
- Skip it and be the person in the office who always remembers everyone else's. That wins more goodwill than any name day.
The Finnish you need
| Finnish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nimipäivä | name day |
| Hyvää nimipäivää! | Happy name day! |
| Kenen nimipäivä tänään on? | Whose name day is it today? |
| Tänään on Reijan nimipäivä. | Today is Reija's name day. |
| Onko sinulla nimipäivä? | Do you have a name day? |
| almanakka | almanac, calendar |