April 21

When I was born (in Warsaw, Poland, April 21, 1953), my mother displayed her rebellious streak by refusing to name me according to the conventions of the day: she did not want to be constrained to the use of names that were those of known saints. Her decision was so out of conformity with the norms of the time and place that it took a while for the governing authorities to approve her choice. But eventually she got her way and so I came to have a name that was not on the calendar of Saints. Thus, in addition to belonging to the .000001 % of non-Catholics in Poland at the time (or so the percentages seemed to play out for me), I also had a name that had no “Name Day” celebration associated with it.

Perhaps this is of no consequence to those who read this here, in the States, but for me this was deeply disturbing (at least from a kid’s point of view) as in Poland Name Day celebrations were far more consequential than birthdays. You were a star in school on your Name Day. You brought treats for the class. People fussed. Your house was filled with drop-in visitors all day long.

April 21 has thus had to serve double duty, or, more often, no duty at all, since celebrations of this sort were of no great consequence in my childhood household, particularly once one passed the age of 10. Still, for me, this day isn’t only about a birthday. Really, I just like this time of the year. I also like the symbolism of days that stand for progress, movement forward, a leap into the future with a glance and a smile at the past.