Chris can be celebrated on 3 feasts in the Orthodox calendar. People keep the feast of the saint they were named for, or the one their family has always kept.
Every feast on which Chris is celebrated
| New Calendar | Feast | Old Calendar (civil date) |
|---|---|---|
| February 12 | Christos the Gardener | February 25 |
| July 24 | Christina the Great Martyr | August 6 |
| December 25 | Nativity of Christ | January 7 |
The saints behind the name
Christos the Gardener
February 12, Martyr, Χρήστος ο Κηπουρός
St. Christos came from Albania and worked as a gardener in Constantinople. After a quarrel with a Turk over the price of apples, he was falsely accused of having promised to become a Muslim and was thrown into prison.
Christina the Great Martyr
July 24, Martyr, Χριστίνα Μεγαλομάρτυς
St. Christina the Great Martyr suffered for Christ at Tyre in the third century. Born to a prominent pagan family and kept apart by her father, she came to knowledge of the one true God, and destroyed the idols of gold and silver set before her, giving the fragments to the poor. For this she endured imprisonment and cruel tortures at the hands of successive judges, remaining unshaken until she received the crown of martyrdom.
Name days: Christina, Christiana, Kristina, Chris, Tina
Nativity of Christ
December 25, Great Feast, Χριστούγεννα
The Nativity of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, kept on December 25, celebrates the birth in the flesh of the Son of God from the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. Laid in a manger because there was no room at the inn, the newborn King was glorified by angels, worshipped by shepherds, and honored with gifts by Magi from the East.
Name days: Christos, Christodoulos, Chris, Christian, Christoforos, Hristos, Emanuel, Emmanuel, Christopher, Christakis, Christiana, Christina, Christine, Kristina
Also celebrating with Chris
These names share the feast, many of them other forms of the same name:
Christos, Chrestos, Christina, Christiana, Kristina, Tina, Christodoulos, Christian, Christoforos, Hristos, Emanuel, Emmanuel, Christopher, Christakis, Christine
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.
The calendar, on your phone each morning
Today’s saints, whether it is a fast day, and the people in your contacts who have a name day. Free, with no ads.
