Category Archives: names

Emma’s name day

Emma’s name day is associated with romance

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI- Yes, indeed. Today is Emma’s Day, according to the Czech calendar. My mom Ella gave me the name based on a novel she read a long time ago.

The guy in the novel kept writing letters to his love, always starting with:

“Dear Emma, ”

I love you.

Czech name days

Many years later, I would receive letters and postcards from all over the world with that same greeting in Czech:

“Mila Emmo,”

“How are you?” mom always wrote.

I loved the name so much that I gave it to our daughter who is now Doc Emma. Emma permanently lives in romantic Burgundy, France. The romantic name originates in France.

Today is also Emma’s birthday. Every year, she has a double celebration. Happy birthday and name day, dear Emma.

My lifelong friend Eva of Kromeriz loved the name too, and she named her daughter Emma.

When I moved to America,  and started going to St. Pat’s Church in Parnell, I came across another Emma, who sings in the choir, and she also has a matching great last name Darling.

And until this year, Emma was the top name for girls around the world.

And how about poet Emma Lazarus, Emma Watson and Emma Stone?

“We’re losing the first place now,” singer Emma informed me earlier in the year.

Both my husband and son wished me a happy Emma’s Day, earlier in the day. I usually get early spring flowers. This year, I got a purple primrose.

In the Czech calendar, names are attributed to each date. And people celebrate their name days much like birthdays, with family and friends. They get gifts, and a cake.

Due to the recent influx of new names, some dates in the Czech calendar double or triple up on names.

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Sweet gingerbread wishes

I’ve always wondered why Hallmark never really picked up on these charming name days, other than Saint Pat’s.

Name days are often based on the names of saints. For example Saint Terese Day is on Oct. 15 and Saint Mary is on Sept. 9. The wildly popular name day Catherine falls on Nov.25. Saint Martin is on Nov. 11. Saint Joseph/Saint Josephine falls on March 19.

Mom Ella’s name day falls on Oct. 5. Her real name is Eliska. She has always hated that name, so she changed Eliska to Ella. It is pretty much the same name.

Mom Ella just called me from Venice, Florida as I was writing this post. They’re getting ready with my dad Vaclav to head back up North to Michigan.

“See I gave you inspiration with that name,” she laughed.

“Thank you, mom for the lovely name.”

In many villages in Czech Republic, the Saint Days are big parish and community feasts. People bake for these feasts, butcher a pig, go dancing, and some dress up in traditional costumes. Rides come into towns.
Follow me into Easter traditions in Czech and Slovak republics.

Which traditions do you celebrate, how and why?

Copyright  (c) 2017. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

I love Saint Patrick’s Day and the luck of the Irish

This post is also in response to the Daily Post prompt Luck

Luck

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI- I am not Irish by any stretch of imagination, no matter how deep I dig in the Konecny family roots in my immigration saga. But, I love St. Patrick’s Day when everybody is Irish on March 17, no matter where I am.

I totally disregard news media claims that it costs $38 to celebrate Saint Patrick with green beer, corned beef and cabbage.

Believe it or not, the Czech calendar has this saint down for February 19, by the workings of some troll in the pre-press department of the Balousek Tisk.

I have to laugh at this mistake without evil or spite.

Below is a poster for local St. Pat’s celebration in Smyrna still going strong tomorrow on March 18. Same time, same place, same Irish fare.

smyrna saint pats
St. Pat’s at Smyrna still going strong on Saturday, March 18.

I was born in Czech Republic (old Czechoslovakia), and we vaguely knew of Saint Patrick, because it was completely overshadowed by the Feast of Saint Joseph on March 19.

As I permanently started adopting American traditions as part of my new life, I came across Saint Patrick more and more. I definitely cemented the Irish tradition when we moved next to the communities with Irish legacies that is Parnell and Canonsburg in northeast Kent County, Michigan.

My journalism trek through the regional media helped strengthen the tradition as well. My first official Irish story was in Plainwell for the Union Enterprise. It was a lighthearted story about a woman of Irish origin, who each year celebrated her Irish heritage with Bailey’s, and by baking soda bread and making some Irish stew. She invited me for some Bailey’s and cake in her Irish decked out house.

I wrote about the Irish tradition again for the Ionia Sentinel-Standard. I drove my jeep in a snowstorm 30 miles northeast into the Irish community of Hubbardston, and wrote about the Irish pub, Shiels Tavern and the Irish store owned by Pat Baese, The Celtic Path. Shiels used to be a “speakeasy” during the prohibition.

On several Saint Patrick’s Days we tasted the tavern’s version of stew, soda bread and green beer. The Irish Dance Troupe under Baese’s tutelage has always danced at the tavern and at the regional fine establishments.

For the Ledger in Lowell, some fun-minded individuals sent me over to the Irish Larkin’s pub next door to get a photo of the owner Mike toasting with green beer. It worked out excellent for all sides. Mike still has the pic from the Buyer’s Guide.

One of the most shocking St. Pat’s events, was the Saint Pat’s parade in Chicago in 2002. We drove to Chicago for the Czech celebration of the Feast of Saint Joseph. It was a big deal, because in Czech, every other man’s name is Joseph.

Since, we were already in Chicago, we decided to go the annual Saint Pat’s parade.

Wow, speaking about coincidences. Not only was the Chicago River dyed green, but among the green ubiquitous hats, I spotted tall metal frames and people pressing against them. Then, I noticed snipers on the rooftops. We had to go through security to get to one section of the parade.

“What’s going on?” I asked my husband.

Well, it was nothing less than the former president George W. Bush marching in the parade with firefighters. That was the only time I saw a sitting president, shortly after 911.

When I think of it today, other than the fact that the sales of green beer were limited, it was quite brave of W. to march out there, among the Chicago liberals and freethinkers.

Back to the reality of 2017, and its precipitating circumstances in view of tomorrow’s Saint Pat’s party in Parnell, hosted by Knights of Columbus.

We became members of Saint Pat’s Church of Parnell in 2014. Our son Jake got married at the church in 2014, our grandson Samuel was baptized there and granddaughter Ella went to Saint Pat’s summer school in 2016 with the hopes of going back this year.

Like many families in the area, we have become a part of the Saint Pat’s greater church family located in the tiny unincorporated village of Parnell.

And what I love even more about the Irish, and being catholic, is that we got pardoned from Friday’s Lenten abstinence from meat and drinking.

“Saint Patrick is our patron,” explained Father Mark Peacock apologetically last Sunday.

So, let the Luck of the Irish ring

And  to hook my Saint Pat’s Day post to the Daily Post prompt Luck @luck.

It only occurred to me, after I had submitted my resume for the position of volunteer manager for the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park about three hours ago, that it is a sign of luck.

I first submitted the app and resume to the human resources yesterday, but it came back with, this message could not be delivered.

I worked on it some more today, and I hit the send button on my screen today around noon.

And I am in luck of the Irish today.

For info on Saint Patrick go to wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick’s_Day

Copyright © 2017 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Happy Valentine’s Day

May all your sweet dreams come true today and every day, because every new day is a celebration in our lives.

Sladkosti k svatemu Valentynovi a ke vsem svatkum. Desserts for your sweetheart for Saint Valentine’s Day and beyond.

Also in response to the Daily Post prompt:

Check out the recipe for the lush Saint Isidore dessert with rum and walnuts at

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/lush/”>Lush</a&gt;

Top recepty

https://www.toprecepty.cz/recept/15070-rezy-izidor/

Source: Svatek Svateho Valentyna

Grandma Anna

Family members inspire memoir

This is the first post in a series about family relationships that have inspired me to write the memoir “Greenwich Meridian where East meets West” (c)

Some time ago, I wrote the post “Two sisters still at war” about the friction between my mother Ella and her sister Anna aka Anyna. The derogatory version of the beautiful name refers to the relationship between the two aging sisters. Notice that the word Anyna is missing on the greeting card for Anna’s Day.

Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters”  and Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” kindled my inquisitive mind  to further explore relationships and psychology.

Watch as I pick up on the tension between the two sisters. Check out the post at the following link:

https://emmapalova.com/2014/05/10/mom-ella-aunt-anna/

Popular name brings back memories By Emma Palova EW Emma’s Writings Lowell, MI- As I was checking Facebook for messages, I came across a greeting card for Anna from the group Czechoslovak Friends o…

Source: Anna

Copyright (c) 2016 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Anna

Popular name brings back memories

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI- As I was checking Facebook for messages, I came across a greeting card for Anna from the group Czechoslovak Friends on Facebook. The greeting card wished well to all the girls and women who carry this beautiful name.

In the Czech calendar each day is dedicated to a certain name, known as “svatek” or saint’s day. July 26th is Anna’s day. The name Anna has a very special meaning to me. I write about it in the memoir “Greenwich Meridian where East meets west.”©

Anna & Anna Drabkova
Front row from left to right: grandparents Anna & Joseph. Top row: Sisters Eliska and Anna.

Our family celebrated Anna’s day to honor three great women: Grandmother Anna Drabkova of Vizovice, aunt and godmother Anna Chudarkova of Zlin and paternal aunt Anna Tomankova of Otrokovice.

However, not everyone thought they were great.  But, time changes everything.

I spent all the summers with grandma Anna and my grandpa Joseph; first at their old dwelling “chalupa” near the river Lutoninka and later at their ranch no.111 on a hill.

Grandma Anna accompanied me to the first grade at the Vizovice Elementary School in mid 1960s. At the time my parents and brother Vas were in Sudan, Africa. Dad Vaclav Konecny was teaching physics & mathematics at the University of Khartoum.

Wallachian town Vizovice was a paradise during formative years for the future writer. My first memory goes back to Vizovice. I remember chasing after our neighbor farmer Vlada for whatever reason, as I fell on the crushed asphalt path leading to the river Lutoninka and the wheat fields.

I hurt my knee. A little trickle of blood came out of the scratched skin. I couldn’t get up and I desperately reached out to Vlada.

“Wait for me, wait for me,” I screamed.

Farmer Vlada kept on walking. I finally got up, turned around and ran back to the “chalupa.”

“Babiiiii, babii, I am hurt,” I whined.

“That’s nothing,” said grandpa Joseph without looking up from the sewing machine that he was just repairing.

“Look here,” I cried pointing at my first wound.

Anna bent down to me and patted me on the head and then on my hurt knee.

“Come on little one,” she soothed me.

Grandma Anna was the youngest of seven children. Some of them died prematurely. She was taking care of her two single brothers, farmers Frank and Joseph. The brothers owned the family field called “Hrabina” close to the famous plum brandy plant “Jelinek.”

The field was a fraction of what they used to own prior to the 1948 socialization of private businesses and farms.

Both grandparents spent endless hours working in the fields after work and on weekends. They worked at the local shoe factory Svedrup. Grandpa Joseph as the lead machine maintenance man.

Anna was a seamstress, who also worked at Svedrup until she got a heart attack.

That day, the family forgot to pick me up from kindergarten.

 

To be continued….

 

Copyright © 2016 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Czech calendar names for boys

Czech calendar names for boys

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI- I’ve been writing about the Czech female names in the family like Anna, Mary, Martha & Eliska.

Today, I am going to write about the male names in the family. First of all the big ones of course, Joseph. I wouldn’t be able to count how many Josephs we have had in the family. The name day falls on March 19, and it has a flavor of a national holiday.

According to astrologists, the name is a traditional one full of courage, showmanship and personality.

“I want to show the world who I am and that I am here,” say Josephs.

Czech calendar names for boys
Czech calendar names for boys

Every Joe likes his beer and gossip in restaurant more than talk in a confession booth. Josephs have bigger personalities than this world, and they are good partners for the right zodiac sign.

Very true, my grandpa Joseph used to like to show off at any and every occasion. I always thought he should have been an actor.

Other old classic is Franta or Frank. We had a lot of those too in the family. It too is a traditional old Czech name that has never grown old. It carries eternal karma with it. We call our men named Frank with love. However, the planet Mercury causes problems, behavioral and health, even though Franks are adaptable to bad luck and destiny.

Later in life they harden inside and grow increasingly sad.

“This name does not bring much good in family life,” according to astrolife.cz and Healing Stars. “The old age comes with crankiness.”

Forty is especially bad for Franks. The astrologist does not recommend this name because of its inner anxiety. The only things that can set Franks free are altruism and love for the nature. It is only recommended in Pisces. The name day for Franks is on Oct. 4.

I do have to attest that all the above facts are true. I had an uncle Frank, and he was a one unhappy soul. He was a train conductor, and later he got divorced.

My other uncle and paternal grandpa had the honest Czech name Anthony. They are good family men with ordinary life without any big ups and downs. It’s appropriate for all zodiac signs, according to astrolife.cz

The name day for Anthony is on July 13.

Another name from this great classy suite is Vaclav. Both my dad and my brother have this great royal name.

Vaclav is intelligent, loves to learn, he loves his family. However, there is some karmic burden in the traditional Czech name that is not too optimistic for normal life. This karma disappears in work for others and in sacrifice.

If Vaclav is a materialist and selfish, this karma works against him causing him to be unhappy with himself. The name day for Vaclav is on Sept. 28.

I do want to mention my cousin’s name Bronislav. The name literally puts brakes on any luck in life. Around 40 it worsens even if there is a good combination with the last name and the date of birth.

“This person gets only minimum luck through parents or partner,” says the astrologist. “The Damocles sword is constantly above his head. I do not recommend this name.”

The name day for Bronislav is on Sept. 3.

More on modern names next time. These will include Jakub, Ludek, Pavel, George and Olin.

Sources: www.astrolife.cz

Healing Stars

Copyright © 2015 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Czech calendar names-part II

Names show personality traits

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Name day cards in Czech Repub;ic.
Name day cards in Czech Repub;ic.

Note: I often write about different names in the Czech calendar and in our multi-cultural family. In the memoir “Greenwich Meridian” I write about the people behind the names. Recently, I found out that each name has certain characteristics that may be a perfect fit or a perfect misfit.  This is a second part of a mini-series about calendar names. The first part ran on April 10. Look for the greeting card logo. I focused on female names first.

Another name in the family is Julie. That was my late mother-in-law. I have very fond memories of her. Julie lived to be 92 years old, she was up and running until the very last minute when she passed away peacefully  in her nap. She took care of our daughter Emma, while I was studying at the Technical University of Brno.

The name has bold characteristics. According to Soul’s Touches, Julie is a dragoness, who is both sensitive and attractive. She takes deep interest in men into late years, caused by the vibrations of Mars. When she falls in love, she tears down bridges, and rebuilds them again. But, most of all she’s a woman. As a mother, she can be both loving and strict. The name is right for all zodiac signs except for Scorpio. Julie celebrates her name day on Dec. 10.

Mother-in-law Julie Palova was very beautiful.
Mother-in-law Julie Palova was very beautiful.

Anna, was my grandmother and her daughter Anna is  my aunt and godmother.  The characteristics for the name are: a true woman, loving, devoted, but living her life through others. It is a troubled life of labor & worries, a constant circle of obligations and feelings of being in debt to all. Anna is foremost a mother and a wife.

The astrologist does not recommend this name, because it carries the premonition of a hard life. Anna celebrates her name day on July 26 in the Czech calendar.

While penning my memoir “Greenwich Meridian” © copyright Emma Palova, I realize how true these name attributes are.

Martha is the name of my paternal aunt, as well as first and second cousin’s names.  According to Soul’s Touches, the name carries traits of satisfaction. Even though Marthas do not reach the most coveted goals, they end up usually married. Martha is foremost a woman. She matures emotionally later in life, quite often divorces. Not recommended in Gemini, Libra and in Capricorn. Her name day is on July 29.

Mary is my mother’s cousin name, and we probably had a lot more Marys in the family.

Mary is a universal name used in all languages. She is motherly, devoted and hardworking.

The traits: always willing to learn, intelligent, sensitive and strict. Only a bad coordinate with the last name and birth date can worsen her life’s path, according to Soul’s Touches.

The feast of Saint Mary falls on Sept. 12  and it is celebrated around the world with festivities and pilgrimages to sacred places like Hostyn, in Moravia.

Lenka is the name of my second cousin, the daughter of Mary. The name has bad karmic vibrations. Lenkas do not have an easy life or a happy life. There are only a few exceptions depending on the birth date and coordinate with the last name. The biggest problem can be in relationships. The astrologist writes, “When a relationship ends and Lenka asks why?” I answer “Because you have bad vibrations. I would recommend to shorten the name to Lena at the birth registry.”

The name is influenced by Mars, Sun, Venus and Saturn. The Saturn negatively impacts Venus. That’s where the bad karma comes from.

I covered only a few female names in the family, and a fraction of female names in the Czech calendar. From time to time, I will be coming back to this subject, because it fascinates me. Most descriptions fit like a glove depending on the zodiac sign, and sometimes on the last name.

Trending names in Czech are: Tereza, Natalie, Anna, Adela, Eliska, Karolina, Katerina, Barbora, Lucie, Kristina, Michaela, Nikola and Veronika.

Next week I’ll write about the characteristics of male names in the family.

See you then. Hope you find your name a great fit.

Sources: “Soul’s Touches” and “Greenwich Meridian”

Here is a link to American family names:

jmenaprijmeni.blog.cz/1309/americka-prijmeni-zebricek-top-100-a-vyznamy

Copyright © 2015 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2015 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Calendar names fit personalities

Name day cards in Czech Repub;ic.
Name day cards in Czech Repub;ic.

Find your name a perfect fit to personality

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI- Most European countries have calendars with a name attributed to each day of the year. These are known as name or feast days. Even though some of them originate with the saints, or in the testaments, their secular counterparts are much more prevalent.

They are more like stars in the sky and their constellations.

Most recently with our EW writing team, we found out that each name carries certain characteristics depending on the zodiac sign of the birth date, and even on the last name. The astrologist in “Soul’s Touches” advises parents to do research before giving a certain name.

“Some names I wouldn’t recommend at all,” writes the astrologist.

Name days  in the Czech calendar.
Name days are listed in the Czech calendar.

Only a few names carry strong personality traits in all the zodiac signs, others do poorly. Some names are so bad, that the astrologist advises to go and have them changed at the birth registry office.

Naturally, I write about the personalities behind some names in the family in my memoir “Greenwich Meridian.” © copyright Emma Palova.

I actually know a lot of people, who hated their names so much, that they just prefer to be called someone else. My artist friend originally named Karen is now Casey. My mother Eliska uses the name Ella.

Here are a few examples of names with their personality traits. Let’s start with my mom, Eliska. The name day is on Oct. 5th.

Eliska is an old-fashioned name used in many European countries. Famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven used the German version of the name in his symphony bagatelle “For Elise.”

Editorial calendar
Prague horloge on the Old Town Hall by
“I love Czech Republic” group

The traits for Eliska according to Soul’s Touches: She loves to communicate, but she is very sensitive and longing for parental love.  Eliska has common traits like Edita. They’re both very efficient, true women. They get their men where they want them to be.

Other traits for Eliska and Edita: inquisitive, eager to learn, happy, sometimes wild and very protective of their nests with the little ones.

The astrologist recommends the name for all zodiac signs.

My own name Emma with the name day falling on April 8th carries with it emotional problems because of the Sun in reverse position, according to Soul’s Touches. Other than that, Emmas are intelligent, lucky with huge personalities. However, the planet Pluto stops them or slows them down right before attaining their goals. Jupiter gives them luck, as well as the Sun. A career for Emma is a possibility, but there are problems in the family.

It’s interesting that Emma can help other people, but refuses to help herself. She is a fatalist by nature, meaning she believes in destiny and fate. The astrologist recommends the name in Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 18).

However, I was born in May( Taurus), and even though most characteristics apply to me, one definitely doesn’t. And that is that I am lucky. I never won a dime in my life, except for $4 on a $1 ticket at a general store.

There’s an old saying in Czech, if you have luck in love, you won’t have it at game. (Lotto, gambling)

My mom gave me the name based on romantic connotations, when she a read a novel about a man deeply in love with a woman named Emma. He wrote her a letter, “Dear Emma.” In Czech, it sounds better, “Mila Emmo.”

Early on some people called me Ommo, which was a laundry detergent. I’ve always liked my name, because it is so short. The name originates in France.

I love the name so much that I named my daughter Emma, who was coincidentally born on her name day. My friend Eva named her daughter Emma in honor of me. The name has had  a recent upsurge and trends in popularity.

On March 19th, I wrote about the name day Josephine, but not about the characteristics of the name, because I didn’t  know them yet.

The characteristics that come with the name Jos are: talented, but shy, humble with karmic burden. Sensitive, more comfortable with animals than people, especially early in life and in puberty. Josephine needs to know that she is loved. Later, in life, the characteristics will also depend on her last name, main coordinate and date of birth. She is influenced by the Sun, Mars, Mercury and Saturn. The astrologist recommends the name in warm and stable zodiac signs, where Josephine feels the best.

My sister-in-law Jarmila, who inspired my first novel “Fire on Water” © copyright Emma Palova, carries the full burden that comes with the name. She tries hard and is eager to learn. Jarmila has a potential to go far with her career, but emotional problems prevail. She refuses to adapt, thus the inner inadaptability creates chaos in her life. The name is influenced by the Sun, the Moon, reversed Sun with Pluto.

Pluto is a tiny and treacherous planet.

“I wouldn’t name my daughter Jarmila, because of its primordial vibrations that affect the entire life,” wrote the astrologist in Soul’s Touches. “I don’t recommend it at all.”

In spite of the bad vibrations, Jarmila said she would not change her name.

“I like it,” she said.

Jarmila celebrates her name day on Feb. 4.

To be continued……….

Sources: “Soul’s Touches” and “Greenwich Meridian.”

Copyright © Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.