Name day
Judith: Name Day
Judith keeps the name day on the Sunday between 11 and 17 December, the feast of the Holy Forefathers: next on 13 December 2026.
- Feast
- the Holy Forefathers
- New Calendar
- the Sunday between 11 and 17 December
- Next name day
- 13 December 2026 (New Calendar) · 27 December 2026 (Old Calendar)
The feast: the Holy Forefathers
Kept on the Sunday between 11 and 17 December · Sunday of the Holy Forefathers
On the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers the Church remembers the righteous men and women of the Old Testament, the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh and all who waited in faith for His coming, from Adam onward. Among them are Adam and Eve, Abel, Seth, Enoch and Noah, and the patriarch Abraham, whom St Paul calls the father of the faithful. Many of them lived among idols and cruelty, yet they kept faith in the one God and hoped for the Messiah they would not see in this life. The Church likens them to candles of God burning in the darkness. The feast falls on the Sunday between 11 and 17 December (on the Old Calendar, the Sunday between 24 and 30 December), the second Sunday before Christmas, in the middle of the Nativity Fast. Its Gospel is the parable of the great supper, in which the poor, the lame and the blind are brought in to the feast after the first guests make excuses. The hymns of the day recall the three youths who would not bow to an idol and were kept unharmed in the fiery furnace, a sign of Christ born of the Virgin. The troparion says that God justified the forefathers by faith, and it asks Christ to save our souls through their prayers. Those who bear the names of the patriarchs and their wives keep this Sunday as their name day, and the faithful ask the forefathers to pray for them as they prepare their hearts to receive Christ.
What the faithful pray for
- faith that holds firm while we wait on God
- hope in God’s promises
- a heart made ready for the Nativity of Christ
- courage to refuse every idol
- families, parents and those who come after us
Judith in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | Judith | Judy, Judi |
| Greek | Ιουδίθ, Ioudith | |
| Russian | Иудифь, Iudif |
An icon for Judith
We don't carry an icon of the Holy Forefathers yet. Ask for it below, and we will write to you when it is in.
Closest to it
Folding diptychHoly Foremother Eve & Guardian Angel
Another of the righteous of the Old Testament$99$69
Folding diptychChrist (Zvenigorod Saviour) & Vladimir Mother of God
Christ and the Mother of God keep every Christian home$99$69
For every name: the Guardian Angel, given at baptism
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for Judith
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
The St Nicholas the Wonderworker & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych is chosen, for the Guardian Angel every Orthodox Christian receives at baptism, and the name is filled in.
Other names with this saint
Questions
When is Judith’s name day?
Judith keeps the name day on the Sunday between 11 and 17 December, the feast of the Holy Forefathers; the next is on 13 December 2026.
Which feast is Judith’s name day?
the Holy Forefathers. On the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers the Church remembers the righteous men and women of the Old Testament, the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh and all who waited in faith for His coming, from Adam onward.
How is Judith written in other languages?
Greek: Ιουδίθ (Ioudith) and Russian: Иудифь (Iudif). Every form of the name keeps the same saint.
What is a good name-day gift for Judith?
We don’t carry an icon of the Holy Forefathers yet, and you can ask for one on this page. Every Orthodox Christian has a Guardian Angel from baptism, so the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with the Guardian Angel diptych is always fitting.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name
Sources
- OCA: Accepting the Lord's Invitation (Sunday of the Forefathers)
- OCA: Troparia and kontakia, Sunday of the Forefathers
- OrthoChristian: Who Are the Holy Forefathers, and Why Do We Commemorate Them Before the Nativity of Christ?
- Patriarchate of Antioch: The Sunday of the Holy Forefathers
- eortologio.net, Greek name-day calendar (Εορτολόγιο)
- azbyka.ru, Месяцеслов (the Russian Church's calendar of saints by name)