The Wrong Day
In Cyprus, we tend to celebrate name days more than birthdays. According to the Greek Orthodox Church, a child should be named after a christian saint. Although in recent years, the Church no longer refuses to christen a child by the name the parents have chosen, most Greek Cypriots would name their children after a grandmother or a grandfather who's already got a christian orthodox name. Very often, not naming a child after a grandparent may lead to serious misunderstandings and arguments between parents and grandparents. As a result of this ritual, name days are very important here. A couple of months ago, as I was surfing on the Net, I suddenly remembered my mother's name day on the 25th. I had not even got a present for her! In a panic, I called Alkis and begged him to send some flowers to mum despite the fact that I knew he was jammed with work. He was preparing a meeting at that time, but he said he'd ask his secretary to arrange that. I ...