January 3, 2008

To-day is my Name Day!

Did you notice how I spelt "to-day" with a hyphen? I once came across a book of poems written by my Great-Uncle Ronald and in it "today" was written with a hyphen. It seemed so charmingly old-fashioned. Did you also notice how I wrote "spelt" instead of "spelled"? In my more pretentious days I used to Anglicize many of my spellings. I still prefer "grey" to "gray", I must say. Hey, that rhymed!

So yes, today is my Name Day. For those not in the know, in Catholic tradition your Name Day is the feast day of the saint whose name you share. There is of course no Saint Jennifer, nor will there likely ever be, so I celebrate my Name Day on the Feast of Saint Geneviève. The name Geneviève is possibly (but by no means certainly) derived from the same source as Jennifer, namely the Welsh Gwenhwyfar, so it's as close as I could get. And Saint Geneviève is the patron of the city of Paris, so that makes me happy. Happy Name Day to me!

If to-day is a gloomy, rainy day near you, as it is near me, you should listen to the Innocence Mission's "And Hiding Away".