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Tag Archives: evening

The Irish for Halloween and for November: Using Samhain, Samhna, Shamhna, srl. Posted by on Oct 31, 2018

(le Róislín) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain#/media/File:Snap-Apple_Night_globalphilosophy.PNG, Snap-Apple Night (1833), On the Festival of Hallow Eve, public domain, by Daniel Maclise, RA (25 Jan 1806, Cork–25 Apr 1870, Chelsea), inspired by a party he attended in Blarney, in 1832. Includes divination games with melted lead and roasted nuts. Lipéad Gaeilge le Róislín, 2018. Our Halloween topics in this blog series have…

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Eve vs. Evening in Irish (‘Christmas Eve’ vs. ‘a nice evening’) Posted by on Dec 20, 2014

(le Róislín) Oíche Nollag… it has always struck me as interesting that the Irish phrase for “Christmas Eve” actually uses the word for “night” (oíche), not the usual word for “evening,” which is “tráthnóna.”  Usual?  It’s actually an intriguing question – what exactly is “evening” in Irish, since “tráthnóna” can also mean “afternoon.”  Scéal cineál…

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Ag Tarraingt ar Oíche Shamhna (Halloween’s Coming!) Posted by on Oct 15, 2011

(le Róislín) Halloween is, of course, a very Celtic topic, and you may be familiar with some of the basics of its role sa bhféilire Ceilteach.  So in today’s blog, we’ll mostly focus on the phrase itself, its pronunciation and basic meaning. The word order of the Irish phrase is a reversal of the English. …

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Samhain (November 1st) and Lá Caille (January 1st): Two New Years! Posted by on Oct 27, 2010

(le Róislín) I suppose one could see this as an opportunity for two ways of celebrating the New Year.  The traditional Celtic New Year was November 1st, recognized as Samhain [SOW-in] but not celebrated today as the official New Year.  The January 1st version of New Year’s Day is Lá Caille (lit. day of Calends)…

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