What's in a Name?

Did You Know...
That Czechs celebrate Name Days? They basically found a way to get two birthdays; though they don’t celebrate their Name Day quite as much as a birthday (no parties, for example, just small gifts and well-wishes), it’s almost better because it’s easier to remember, since all of your friends remember your names. On a Czech calendar, each day tells the name that should be celebrated that day. Here’s the kicker, though: each name has to have a day. That’s right- you have to get permission from the government if you want to name your child a name that isn’t on the calendar. Now it makes sense that I know so many “Petr”s and “Jan”s; when you’re limited to 365 names (and some of those are really quite vile even by Czech standards), you’re bound to repeat.