When is Basil’s name day?

Most people named Basil keep their name day on January 1, the feast of Basil the Great. The Orthodox calendar has 5 other feasts for the name.

Every feast on which Basil is celebrated

The saints behind the name

• 

  Basil the Great

  January 1, Great Feast, Βασίλειος

  St. Basil the Great was born in Caesarea of Cappadocia in the fourth century, to a family of saints. Educated in Athens alongside his friend St. Gregory the Theologian, he set aside a brilliant secular career for the monastic life, and later served as Archbishop of Caesarea. He defended the divinity of Christ against Arianism, gave the Church the Divine Liturgy that bears his name, and organized one of the first great centers of Christian charity for the poor and the sick.

  Name days: Vasilis, Vasileios, Vassilis, Vasile, Basil, Bill, Vasilios, Vassilios, Vasos, Vasily, Vasil, Billy, Vasiliki, Vassiliki, Vasilia, Vaso, Vasso, Vasia

• 

  Three Holy Hierarchs

  January 30, Great Feast, Τρεις Ιεράρχαι

  The feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs honors together Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, the great fathers and ecumenical teachers of the Church. According to tradition, the common feast was established in the eleventh century after disputes arose in Constantinople over which of the three was greatest; the hierarchs made known in a vision that they are one before God, and a shared commemoration was appointed.

  Name days: Basil, Gregory, John, Vasilis, Grigoris, Giannis

• 

  Basil the Confessor

  February 28, Venerable, Βασίλειος

  St. Basil the Confessor was a monk of the eighth century and the companion in asceticism of St. Prokopios of the Dekapolis. When the iconoclast heresy broke out, he stood with his fellow ascetic in defense of the veneration of the holy icons, and for this confession he endured imprisonment and ill-treatment.

  Name days: Vasilis, Vasileios, Basil

The other feasts are listed in the table above, each with a link to the saint’s life.

Also celebrating on January 1

These names share the feast, many of them other forms of the same name:

Vasilis, Vasileios, Vassilis, Vasile, Bill, Vasilios, Vassilios, Vasos, Vasily, Vasil, Billy, Vasiliki, Vassiliki, Vasilia, Vaso, Vasso, Vasia

What to say on a name day

The Greek wish is Χρόνια Πολλά (Chronia Polla), “many years.” A call or a short message on the day is what people remember. See name day wishes you can send and what a name day is.