Happy name day!
o-no-MA-sti-co — stress on third syllable. Five syllables.
Say to someone on the feast day of the saint they were named after. Widely celebrated in Italy — some people celebrate their 'onomastico' as much as their birthday. Knowing someone's onomastico shows cultural awareness.
'Onomastico' = name day. In Catholic tradition, each day of the year has patron saints — if your name is associated with a saint, that saint's feast day is your onomastico. Common Italian names: Marco (April 25), Giovanni (June 24), Maria (September 8 or other dates). Some names have multiple possible dates.
Quando è il tuo onomastico?
When is your name day?
Good question to ask — shows cultural awareness.
Buon compleanno e buon onomastico!
Happy birthday and happy name day!
When someone's name day and birthday coincide.
Non sapevo che oggi fosse il tuo onomastico.
I didn't know today was your name day.
Honest admission — perfectly acceptable.
Saint Lucia's Day (13 December) is celebrated with particular intensity in Sicily and in Scandinavia — for different cultural reasons. In Sicily, it commemorates the end of a legendary famine when a ship of grain arrived on that date. The Sicilian celebrate by eating arancini and other non-wheat foods.