The meaning and origin of the name Varvara - the character and fate of the owner

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The formation of the name Varvara consists of several variations. The most common version of the appearance is that it originates from the name Barbara, common in ancient Greece, or from “barbaros” and means “foreigner”.

In Russian speech, the name “barbarian” appeared during the existence of Slavic peoples. It firmly took its place in everyday life, as a designation for residents of other countries, and subsequently flowed into the name Varvara with the meaning of “cruel”, “rude”.

Some scientists agree that the origin of the name is associated with ancient Rome. Residents of this state perceived the language of foreigners as “var-var.” During the transformation of Rome into a majestic country, immigrants from the colonies began to gather in these regions, and they began to be called Varvarus.

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Every Orthodox believer knows that every person has an angel day. It's safe to say that angel's day is much more important and revered than birthday. By the way, for many decades there has been an opinion among people that if you choose a name for a child according to the Orthodox calendar, then he will definitely be happy.

It is impossible to say how true this is, but it cannot be refuted either. We can only say with certainty that each of the names, both female and male, has its own patron saint, who serves as their Guardian Angel, protecting them from all evil. In this article we will look at the meanings of the female name Varvara and present all the dates when the day of the angel Varvara is celebrated according to the church calendar.

The fate of the name Varvara in love and marriage

Does the meaning of the name Varvara promise happiness in love? The girl Varvara dresses with taste, knows how to show herself off, she is usually a tall, stately, interesting woman, but she is overly timid with men, although she craves impressions, especially voluptuous ones. Varya imagines these sensations through taste, smell, image.

Varvara often falls in love, but since it is extremely difficult for her to take the first step towards a representative of the opposite sex, many of her feelings remain platonic. She never takes the initiative to meet someone into her own hands and patiently waits for someone to choose her. Since Varya is secretive, suppressed passions can find a negative outlet. Therefore, next to her there should be an uninhibited but wise person who can find the key to her rich soul and fiery heart.

Varvara marries the first person who proposes to her; later he may not turn out to be as good as he initially seemed: a bungler, a bully, a miser. This girl will endure everything, gradually instilling in him her own tastes. And in a year or two, the chosen one, under the wise leadership of Varvara, will become an ideal husband.

But her patient attitude towards him will instantly change if she finds out about the deception. Then it’s better for him to stay away from Varvara, she becomes angry and unfair, she can even grab her rival’s hair. Varya will not get along with her cheating husband. Varvara often blossoms in her second marriage.

The hostess is good and knows how to create a comfortable environment. At home she is leisurely, feminine, calm. Varvara is a caring, attentive mother; she always feels if something is not going well with her children, and is ready to help them with practical advice.

It’s very bad if Varya doesn’t find a life partner at all. With age, she will become the opposite of her younger self: gloomy, grumpy, unfair, especially towards the wives of her closest relatives.

A little about Saint Barbara

Before we find out when Angel's Day is, let's study a little history of the Saint. Barbara is a great martyr. She was the daughter of a noble man. Her father, wanting to hide her from prying eyes, forbade her to go out, but when the time came to marry her off, the father received an affirmative refusal from his daughter.

Thinking that his daughter would change her mind, he allowed her to leave the palace. But going out into the street, the saint met a Christian who told her about faith and Jesus Christ. Having heard the news about the existence of one God, Varvara accepted the Sacrament of Baptism. Having learned about this, her father tried to force her to renounce her faith, but when he failed, he took her to the ruler and gave her over to be tortured.

Celebrities named Varvara

1. Varvara Mikhailovna Arsenyeva is the youngest daughter of the steward and Yakut governor Mikhail Afanasyevich Arsenyev.
2. Varvara Nikolaevna Asenkova (1817-1841) - Russian actress.
3. Varvara Massalitinova (1878 - 1945) - Russian Soviet theater and film actress.
4. Varvara Panina (1872 - 1911) - pop singer, performer of romances.
5. Varvara Ryzhova (1871 - 1963) - Russian and Soviet theater and film actress.
6. Varvara Stepanova (1894 - 1958) - Soviet artist and avant-garde style designer.
7. Varvara Bakhmeteva (1815 - 1851) - Russian noblewoman, lover of the poet Mikhail Lermontov.
8. Varvara Mey (1912 - 1995) - ballerina, teacher, Honored Artist of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1969).
9. Varvara Orlova (1907 - 1991) - Russian linguist, specialist in the history of the Russian language and dialectology.
10. Varvara Semennikova (1890 - 2008) - according to unconfirmed reports, considered the oldest person on the planet since August 2007.
11. Varvara Adrianova-Peretz (1888 - 1972) is a well-known literary critic in the field of studying ancient Russian satire.
12. Varvara Karaulova (1774 - 1842) - married - Princess; Russian translator and writer.

Name day of Varvara according to the church calendar

Surely many girls who bear such a beautiful name are interested in what date Angel Barbara Day is celebrated. According to the Orthodox calendar, Varvar’s name day is celebrated on the following dates:

• January 11,

March, 6,

• 5th of April,
• July 18,
• December 17.

But remember that Angel Day is celebrated on the date that is closest to your birthday. Therefore, do not forget to congratulate your friends who bear this name.

May the Lord protect you!

Also watch the video about Angel Barbara Day:

November 16, 2022 at 10:20 am

What does each letter of the name mean?

Considering the letter-by-letter characteristics of the name Varvara, it can be noted that each line must be multiplied by two - after all, the letters are repeated.

Here's what the transcript says:

• “B” is a monogamous woman with the ability to passionately express her feelings. Sociable, optimistic, sincere, simple-minded, prudent.
• “A” is the owner of leadership qualities. Entrepreneurship and creativity, success in the field of interest.
• “P” - indicates sensitivity, the ability to subtly sense the world around us. The owner of unique abilities that require development. Delicacy and patience will be present exactly until attempts to invade personal space are detected.

Characteristics of the birthday girl Varvara:

From the ancient Greek language - foreigner, savage, barbarian. The original meaning of the word “barbaros” is close to our “gibberish”, balabolka - chattering incomprehensible things, i.e. speaking non-Greek. There was also a masculine form of this name - Barbarian, which is rarely used, but is found in literature.

Two main features characterize Varvara, and their combination determines the originality of this name. One trait is passionate inflexibility, the other is dreaminess. Like the martyr, every Varvara cuts herself off from the life around her and, although she sees it, does not see it. She does not take life soberly, because she has no real contact with it, looking at it from some window from a tower height, admiring it like a stranger and does not want to delve into life as it really is. Varvara instead dreams of life and has the will to pursue this dream.

What does the name Varvara mean?

The difficult fate of this saint affected the name and its owners. This does not mean that all Barbarians face a similar fate and are destined for suffering, but some character traits are still imprinted. The origin of the word “Barbara” has Greek roots, since it was the Greek word “barbaros” (foreigner, foreigner) that formed the basis of this ancient name.

Owners of this name are more often calm and balanced people, ready for self-sacrifice and despise vanity in all its manifestations. We should not forget that education is of great importance, and only then, personal influence.

A short prayer to Saint Barbara for every day

Pray to God for me, holy servant of God Barbara, as I diligently resort to you, an ambulance and prayer book for my soul.

A female name of Greek origin, translated as “stranger”, “savage”. The name, on the one hand, is beautiful and sonorous, but on the other hand, it is not entirely clear, especially for a child who asks his parents about it.

This duality of the name Varvara explains the contradictory nature of the girls and women who wear it. On the one hand, they are quiet, calm, sometimes even withdrawn, on the other hand, they are reasonable, calculating, purposeful and sometimes very persistent, almost stubborn.

This is probably one of those cases when parents should be clearly aware of their participation in the formation of character and be ready to constantly show and prove their love to the child. Varya, for example, is a very soft and gentle name for a girl, and if this meaning and energy is preserved in the full name - Varvara, then you can be sure that the girl will not end up with suitors.

In the family, Varvara is usually friendly, open and trusting. She cooks deliciously, knows how to create harmony in the interior and, most importantly, in relationships with loved ones. Her patience and poise are her main advantage in communication.

In her career and business, Varvara is capable of achieving great heights. Hard work, self-demandingness, flexibility and a sharp mind are an almost ideal combination for a business person. However, at the same time, Varya retains her openness and charm. Congratulate her on her name day or other holiday and there will be no limit to your gratitude.

Meaning of a girl's name

Early childhood:

As a child, Varenka is ashamed of her name; she does not understand why her parents punished her like that. This depression and constraint accompany her in the future. In contrast to the meaning of her name, little Varvara is usually polite and trusting. The girl Varvara is kind, modest, smiling. She is lazy and slow, likes to put things off until later. Varya is a “daddy’s girl”, she looks like her father both in appearance and in her habits. She spends a lot of time near her parents, but not because she is afraid or does not want to communicate with other children - she is simply sincerely attached to her parents, especially to her father.

Teenager:

Varvara the schoolgirl impresses teachers with her exemplary behavior, diligence in her studies and accuracy in completing written work. She has few friends at school, but the girl can rely on each of them, since she understands people quite well. The girl is a man of her word, she will never let you down and will help you in difficult times. You shouldn’t expect any surprises from her: everything is planned for months, or even years, in advance.

Adult:

Adult Varvara will feel better in her own fictional world, where she reigns at lavish receptions. Outwardly, she is calm, sociable and friendly, she has many friends, but none of them are allowed into her secret. They feel some of Varvara’s detachment and are not inclined to trust her completely. Intuition is of particular importance to her. She serves Varvara’s life plans. Varya is a bit of a schemer, sometimes she makes compromises with her own conscience.

Varvara likes quiet work that does not require excessive activity from her. She carries out the professional task given to her slowly, thoroughly, prefers to do the work slowly but efficiently. In her interactions with people around her, Varvara is open and friendly, but she does not like to talk a lot, preferring to listen to her interlocutor, which may be regarded by some as a sign of Varvara’s isolation and distrust.

Saint Barbara

Holy Great Martyr Barbara (III century)

The Great Martyr Barbara was born into a noble pagan family in the city of Iliopolis in Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon). Her father Dioscorus was a representative of the aristocracy in Asia Minor under the Emperor Maximian (reign 285–306). Having lost his wife early, the parent focused all his attention and care on his daughter. Seeing her extraordinary beauty, Dioscorus decided to hide her from prying eyes for the time being, building a tower where he settled Varvara along with servants and teachers.

The life of the saint tells that a young girl, looking out of the windows of her home, admiring the amazing beauty of nature, wondered: Who could arrange everything in this world so beautifully and wisely? She asked the teachers assigned to her about this, and they answered that this was done by the gods whom her father revered, to which Varvara replied: “The gods whom my father reveres were made by human hands. How could these gods create such a bright sky and such earthly beauty? There must be one God, Whom was not created by human hand, but by He Himself, having His own being.” Thus, the future martyr, contemplating this world, gradually approached the comprehension of its true Creator.

Martyrdom of Saint Barbara. 1546

When the time came for Varvara to get married, many noble suitors came to Dioscorus to ask for her hand in marriage, but the daughter responded to her father’s affectionate proposals with a firm refusal, saying that she wanted to remain a virgin all her life. Frightened by such an unusual desire, the parent allowed Varvara to leave the tower and communicate with whomever she wanted. He hoped that by communicating with people, his daughter would gradually change her mind. But the saint, having received freedom, immediately met local Christians, from whom she finally learned about the one God. After some time, she received Baptism from a priest who was passing through her city under the guise of a merchant (even then a new wave of persecution of Christians began). The saint hid what happened from Dioscorus.

During the long absence of Dioscorus, construction was underway at his house; Varvara ordered a third window to be installed in the new building - in honor of the Holy Trinity. When Dioscorus returned and began asking the builders why they had made an extra window, they referred to his daughter. “Three are better than two,” Varvara answered her parent, “for the impregnable, ineffable Light of the Trinity has Three Windows (Hypostases or Faces).” The father was furious when he learned that his daughter had become a Christian. The next morning, he took her to the city ruler Martian, before whom he renounced her and asked to be judged for neglecting pagan traditions. The martyr remained adamant after much persuasion from Martian to be obedient to her father’s will. The torture began. The saint was beaten with ox sinews, and the deep wounds were rubbed with hair shirt (coarse fabric made of goat hair). Varvara spent the night in prison, praying to God that He would strengthen her before new suffering. In the morning, not a single wound was found on the martyr’s body. One Christian woman, Juliana, seeing this miracle, began to openly confess her faith and wanted to suffer for Christ in the same way. Both martyrs were subjected to severe torture and then beheaded. Varvara's own father volunteered to execute her. In the 4th century, the relics of Saint Barbara were transferred to Constantinople, and later to Kyiv.

Influence of date of birth

In addition to the name, the stars also influence the fate and character of a person. What are the nuances of Varvarushki born under different constellations?

1. Varvara-Aries. A temperamental young lady who knows how to look like a queen in any circumstances. One gets the impression that she has a perpetual motion machine inside her. It seems that she does not feel tired and knows no limits in literally anything. Even in the most difficult circumstances, he does not lose his presence of mind, and even manages to help those around him. The fans don't count, just like the novels.
2. Barbara-Taurus. Charming woman with an open heart. Despite his tolerant attitude towards people, he will not impose himself or flatter, but he perfectly feels his own benefit. It’s easy and pleasant to communicate with her, which attracts a great many girlfriends and friends. But this is the trouble - men perceive her more as a friend, and not as a pretty young lady.
3. Barbara-Gemini. She goes through life laughing. Warm as the sun, light as the wind. He can make promises in all directions, but immediately forgets to fulfill them. He comes to work to socialize rather than to run errands. She is sincerely surprised when she receives a scolding for a failed business or a contract that failed due to her fault. Frivolity and frivolity do not make her a reliable partner. But colorful relationships can give new sensations and pleasant experiences.
4. Varvara-Cancer. A capricious and eccentric beauty who finds it difficult to make even the simplest decisions. Any critical remark causes a flurry of negative emotions, and sometimes even hysteria. There are many fans, but upon closer acquaintance, not everyone is able to withstand the storm of emotions that it requires.
5. Varvara-Leo. “And after us - even a flood” - this is the motto of this lioness. She cares little about the feelings and opinions of others. Zealously guarding her own boundaries, she periodically singles out one person from the host of admirers, bringing him closer to her royal person. And he is firmly confident that the others will patiently wait for the grace to be nearby.
6. Varvara-Virgo. Prefers classical approaches to lifestyles and work rules, rejecting any innovations. Enterprising and persistent, Varya always knows what to do right, because she is confident that she is right. Prefers cozy home gatherings to noisy parties. She communicates with a rather narrow circle of people, as she is not very trusting. It is difficult to enter into relationships with men.
7. Barbara-Libra. She has excellent business acumen, is confident and calm. He will find a common language with literally everyone, since he knows how to not only listen, but also hear, and sometimes feel the inner voice of his counterpart. In the process of seducing and conquering a man, the spirit of the goddess of the hunt Diana awakens in her - the process itself is important. Long-term relationships are seen as a rather vague prospect.
8. Barbara-Scorpio. The efficiency of this young lady is off the charts. She can work without rest or sleep, and may not even think about the end result. Throwing oneself into work helps to distract from the internal worries that almost always torment her. She is looking for a reliable partner to whom she can open up. If such a person is found, she will become that dream woman for him.
9. Varvara-Sagittarius. A constantly tossing nature with an ebullient thirst for activity. She cannot choose just one field, because she wants to try everything at once. The result is disappointment and instability. It's the same story in love relationships. The fear of becoming dependent on her partner literally forces her to restrain her feelings and move away from everyone with whom she is planning a long-term relationship.
10. Barbara-Capricorn. Always polite and correct with everyone around her. An excellent performer, but only during working hours. Outside of work, not only will he not perform any overtime tasks, but he will not even communicate with colleagues. In love, she is looking for a partner whom she could not only love, but respect. The same attitude is expected in return.
11. Varvara-Aquarius. This organized, pragmatic, prudent woman always has her affairs in order. It is extremely difficult to surprise her, as well as to flatter her. He hates ignorance and laziness, senses the slightest falsity in a person and will not fail to point it out. It is very difficult to win her heart.
12. Barbara-Pisces. A young lady looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. Sensitive, gentle, with a rich imagination, she is very worried about facing harsh reality. Because of his soft character, he will never be able to take a leading position. She is often deceived by men, whom she always forgives. This Varyusha’s stock of patience is enviable.

Varechki, who has the same description? What else is typical for you?

Interesting facts about Saint Barbara:

The Martyr Barbara is depicted in Raphael’s famous painting “The Sistine Madonna” (to the right of the Virgin and Child).

In Spain there is a well-known saying “No one will remember Saint Barbara until thunder strikes”, similar to the Russian version “Until thunder strikes, a man will not cross himself.”

The left foot of the martyr is located in the St. Barbara’s Cathedral in the city of Edmonton (Canada), where she was taken in 1943 from Kyiv.

Varvarka Street, one of the oldest in Moscow, is named after the church in the name of the Great Martyr Varvara. It runs from Red Square to Varvarskie Gate.

Other famous saints named Barbara:

Martyr Varvara (Derevyagina) (1912–1942)

Born in the Ryazan province into a peasant family. When persecution began in the 1930s, the temple she went to with her family was closed, and then believers began to gather in each other’s homes to pray. In June 1940, Varvara Dmitrievna and her father were arrested. The court sentenced both to camps. A year later, in the Karaganda camp, the martyr was arrested for refusing to go to work. On January 11, 1942, Varvara was shot. In 2000, at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, she was canonized.

Venerable Martyr Barbara (Konkina) (1868–1938)

Born into a peasant family in the Ryazan province. At the age of 19, she became a novice of the Spaso-Blachernae Monastery. Here she labored until the monastery was closed in 1923. In 1937, the saint was arrested for “participation in a counter-revolutionary church group.” She was sentenced to ten years in a forced labor camp. The most difficult conditions of imprisonment, constant beatings and torture brought the martyr to the point of being “unfit for work.” On April 5, 1938, she was shot at the Butovo training ground. On December 26, 2006, nun Varvara (Konkina) was canonized by the Holy Synod.

Talents, profession, career

Choice of profession:

The ability for introspection, the desire to get to the bottom of things and find the root cause of events and actions predispose Varvara to work as a psychotherapist and psychiatrist. She often works as a teacher, librarian, accountant, and salesperson. Here she is independent, assertive, and has the ability to use others for personal gain.

This girl is modest, hardworking, reasonable and reserved. Varvara’s inner world is brighter and more alive than the present. She feels beauty and is interested in everything related to art. She can be an artist, a model, a fashion model, she is a wonderful actress, because the fictional world is her world, she is very impressionable and always imagines herself as a different person.

Welfare:

Varya’s prudence helps her provide a comfortable existence for herself and her family. Varvara may even become a wealthy woman, although she will have to pay too high a price for all this.