Romania marks Saints Michael and Gabriel feast on Sunday, 8 November, with close to 1.5 million name days

What the feast marks

On Sunday, 8 November, the Orthodox Church honours the Synaxis of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel and of all the heavenly powers without bodies, according to the National Institute of Heritage. Michael is shown in armour, holding a fiery sword and a scale for weighing souls at judgement, and he is seen as the defender of the faith and leader of the heavenly hosts. Gabriel is the messenger sent to the Virgin Mary to announce the birth of the Saviour. The celebration also covers the nine angelic orders, not only the two archangels. The day is marked in red in the Orthodox calendar and is the last feast before the Christmas Fast, which begins on 15 November.

Name days and the numbers

Nearly 1.5 million Romanians will celebrate their name day that Sunday, according to figures released by the General Directorate for Persons' Records (DGEP), while Libertatea puts the total at over 1.5 million. The DGEP figures list 836,706 men and 637,217 women celebrating. Among men, the most common names are Mihai, with 364,878, and Gabriel, with 341,019, followed by Mihail with 60,853. Among women, Mihaela leads with 367,003, ahead of Gabriela with 258,945.

Mihaela (women)367,003

Mihai (men)364,878

Gabriel (men)341,019

Gabriela (women)258,945

Mihail (men)60,853

Mihaela (women)

367003 people

Mihai (men)

364878 people

Gabriel (men)

341019 people

Gabriela (women)

258945 people

Mihail (men)

60853 people

Data from the article text

Three days of customs

In some rural communities the customs stretch across three days, from 8 to 10 November. The first day is called the Head of the Archangels, the second the Middle of the Archangels and the last the Tail of the Archangels. Another account describes the day as the Summer of the Archangels and says it lasts only one day, so the length of the observance differs between sources. On the day before, 7 November, alms for the dead are given, known locally as 'Moșii de Arhangheli'. In Bukovina, villages and market towns hold prayers and alms for the departed on the feast itself, and each person is expected to light a candle to light their way in the next world.

In mountain areas the two archangels are also patrons of sheep. On the morning of 8 November, shepherds throw a large cake of maize flour, called turta arieților, into the sheep pen. If it lands face up it foretells good times, and if it lands face down it foretells hardship.

Church guidance and popular belief

The Church urges believers to avoid quarrels, insults and grudges, and to seek forgiveness and reconciliation, according to a priest quoted by Digi24. Customary practice is to leave postponable chores such as washing clothes and cleaning for another day, and to spend the time on prayer, family and helping people in need. The popular belief is that the archangels accompany people from birth to death and receive their souls at the end of life. Mediafax reports a belief that an archangel standing at a sick person's head means death, while one at the feet means the patient will recover. The day was also once kept by people seeking cures for illness, the recovery of lost things and the breaking of spells.