March 9th is my Hungarian Name Day. Name days are typically celebrated similarly to birthdays, but instead of focusing on the day you were born, the focus is on your name and the saint associated with it.

Even though name days are associated with saints and therefore with Catholicism, almost every Hungarian, regardless of religion, celebrates their name day in some way.

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There are many Franciskas in my family. The name goes all the way back to my great-great-great-grandmother. My great-grandmother and her mother were also named Franciska. When my great aunt came to the United States in 1956, her name changed from Franciska to Francesca.

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The family story is that the first girl of each generation should be named Franciska. That generally seems to have been true, except my great-grandmother, Franciska Schmidt Kohner, was actually the third daughter in her family.

I am Francesca, but I use the nickname Chessie. The youngest is my 16-year-old niece, who has Francesca as her middle name. However, we are still Francescas at our core.

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When I was younger, I didn't always like my name, but now that I know more about the strength and sacrifices made by the Franciskas before me, I am honored to be their namesake.

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If you want to check when your Hungarian name day is, check out the link below:

https://www.happynameday.today/hungary/alphabetical

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