May the 5th is more than just cinco de mayo. On this day, we also celebrate Judith of Prussia. Judith was born in the 13th century in Thuringia, which is now part of central Germany. At the age of 15, she married a very rich man who enjoyed displaying his wealth around the village. Judith, on the other hand, preferred to dress simply and spend her time caring for those less fortunate than they were.

After her husband died, Judith raised their kids on her own. Once they were grown and had their own families, Judith decided to give away all her possessions and move to Prussia. There, nobody would know she came from money, and it was easier for her to care for those in need. After years of service to others, Judith passed away from a fever in 1260.

Why is Judith celebrated today? She was later recognized as a saint, and both the Catholic and Orthodox churches still celebrate saints to this day. For the Catholic church, the saints are celebrated on their feast day (which has nothing to do with a large meal, but here means a day dedicated to a specific saint), while the Eastern Orthodox church celebrates the day of the saint’s death.

Le Calendrier des Saints (the Calendar of Saints) is a traditional way of organizing a year by associating each day with one or more saints. Originally, this was way to commemorate a martyr on his or her date of death. Of course, it wasn’t viewed as death so much as it was the dies natalis (day of birth – into heaven!). These days the list is populated with many names, and because of this abundance, people – even those nonreligious – have begun using the day pour fêter le prénom (to celebrate the first name) moreso than celebrate the saint.

Today in France the tradition of name celebration still continues, often in the form of a small gift for a friend or family member whose name is being celebrated. Some holidays in France are often referred to by their saint’s day. Le réveillon du Jour de l’an (New Year’s Eve) is more often referred to as le réveillion de la Saint-Sylvestre because le 31 décembre (December 31st) is also Saint Sylvester’s Day.

My saint day is le 1er septembre (September 1st) – Saint Josué.

Curious to see if your name has a saint day? This page is a wonderful resource. On the right, you can search for your name under “Un Prénom“, and it mostly takes into account different spellings or other translations of it.

Quel est votre fête du prénom ?