In our state, where the church is separate from the state, parents can give their children any names. In addition, Russia is a country of many religions and most national names have already become generally accepted. But what if you named the child by a name under which he cannot be baptized according to the customs of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The name Ruslan, popular in Russia, is of Turkic origin and means the word "lion". In the Turkic version, it sounds like Aslan or Arslan. This name was widely spread in Russia after Pushkin's poem Ruslan and Lyudmila. After all, the name Ruslan is very consonant with "Russia". In the folk epic there is even a legend about the hero Eruslan Lazarevich. But, despite this, there are no Orthodox saints under this name. And you cannot baptize a child under the name Ruslan.
Parents can choose any other name for the child, which will be given to him at baptism. How best to do it. You can choose a name for your child according to the calendar for his birthday and the next day. For example, a baby was born on September 3rd. You can see in the Orthodox calendar which saints are revered on September 3 and 4. And having chosen the name you like, give it to the child at baptism.
You can find the name directly on the day of the baptism. Let's say baptism is scheduled for October 19th. On this day, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt is honored. You can call the boy John, in common parlance - Ivan.
Among the saints with a name close to Ruslan is the great martyr Rustic (emphasis on the last syllable). He is revered by the Russian Orthodox Church, in the St. Daniel Monastery there is an icon of St. Martyr Rustic of Paris. Most often, it is this name that the priests propose to call the child, if parents address them.
It is important to remember that you can only pray for Ruslan by the name under which he was baptized. Our ancestors believed that the more names a child has, the more likely it is to mislead the dark forces. In Catholicism, for example, children are given several names at once.
