{"id":103,"date":"2009-03-21T16:09:13","date_gmt":"2009-03-21T20:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=8"},"modified":"2016-07-22T19:39:01","modified_gmt":"2016-07-22T19:39:01","slug":"an-chead-la-den-earrach-the-first-day-of-spring-%e2%80%93-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/an-chead-la-den-earrach-the-first-day-of-spring-%e2%80%93-not\/","title":{"rendered":"An Ch\u00e9ad L\u00e1 den Earrach (The First Day of Spring) \u2013 Not!"},"content":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Shortly after St. Patrick\u2019s Day, we welcome in an tEarrach<\/strong> (the Spring). \u00a0Or do we?<\/span><\/p>\n

We may be accustomed to thinking of March 20th<\/sup> or 21st<\/sup> as the beginning of Spring, but there is actually a lot of controversy in English as to whether Spring starts on the first of the month or on the eacaineacht<\/strong> (equinox). \u00a0Then there\u2019s the question as to which m\u00ed<\/strong> (month) anyway! \u00a0Some say Spring is February, March, and April, and others say March, April, May!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of the English concept, the traditional Spring season in Ireland consists of Feabhra<\/strong>, M\u00e1rta<\/strong>, and Aibre\u00e1n<\/strong>, which resemble their English counterparts in spelling, as do most of the other months. \u00a0Three prominent exceptions are the ones derived from the ancient Celtic calendar:\u00a0m\u00ed na Bealtaine<\/strong>, m\u00ed L\u00fanasa<\/strong> and m\u00ed na Samhna. \u00a0<\/strong>You might know these from their significance in Celtic mythology \u2013 May, August, and November. \u00a0The first day of each of these months was a major holiday, L\u00e1 Bealtaine, L\u00e1 L\u00fanasa, <\/strong>and an tSamhain. \u00a0<\/strong>Celtic New Year\u2019s Eve was celebrated on O\u00edche Shamhna <\/strong>(the eve of November, i.e. October 31st<\/sup>, known now in English as Halloween).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You might wonder what happened to the fourth \u201cquarter day,” February 1st<\/sup>. \u00a0The pre-Christian festival, known as Imbolc<\/strong> in Old Irish, became L\u00e1 Fh\u00e9ile Br\u00edde<\/strong> (St. Bridget\u2019s Day) following the Christianization of Ireland. \u00a0It was linked with fertility and abundance. \u00a0It marked the first day of Spring and a least a small amount of seeds were sown that day to ensure a good harvest.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So back to an tEarrach —<\/strong> it started on February 1st<\/sup>, Celticly speaking! As the different s\u00e9as\u00fair<\/strong> (seasons) come up, we\u2019ll be discussing them sa bhlag seo<\/strong> (in this blog). \u00a0But meanwhile, we have another significant \u201cfirst day\u201d around the corner, L\u00e1 na nAmad\u00e1n<\/strong> (literally, the Day of the Fools). \u00a0So stay tuned for the April Fool\u2019s Day blog, when we\u2019ll learn the terminology for male fools, female fools, soft fools, open-mouthed fools, and perhaps a few others.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A few grammar points for today\u2019s terms, concerning the notorious tuiseal ginideach<\/strong> (genitive case). We have several examples i mblag an lae inniu<\/strong> (in today\u2019s blog). The phrases m\u00ed na Bealtaine<\/strong> and m\u00ed na Samhna<\/strong> use the word \u201cna<\/strong>\u201d (of the) in the middle because both of the names of the month are feminine and in the genitive case. \u00a0The genitive case typically shows possession, as in phrases like \u201dhata an fhir\u201d <\/strong>(the hat of the man). <\/strong>where \u201can fhir<\/strong>\u201d is the genitive form of \u201can fear<\/strong>\u201d (the man). \u00a0The genitive case may be used even when there\u2019s no actual possession or ownership, as in phrases like \u201cm\u00ed na Samhna<\/strong>\u201d (the month of an tSamhain<\/strong>).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The phrase L\u00e1 na nAmad\u00e1n<\/strong> also uses \u201cna<\/strong>\u201d (of the) in the middle, but here it\u2019s with a masculine plural noun. \u00a0It causes an \u201cn\u201d to be inserted before nouns beginning with vowels, and, like the \u201ct\u201d prefix discussed in a previous blog, it stays in the lower case, even in titles or proper nouns.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Whether or not an tEarrach <\/strong>does bring us aer cumhra<\/strong> (balmy air) and aimsir earrach\u00fail <\/strong>(springlike weather), let\u2019s hope go mbeidh s\u00e9 go deas go dt\u00ed an ch\u00e9ad bhlag eile<\/strong> (that it will be nice until the next blog).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Bhur mblag\u00e1la\u00ed–R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)\u00a0 Shortly after St. Patrick\u2019s Day, we welcome in an tEarrach (the Spring). \u00a0Or do we? We may be accustomed to thinking of March 20th or 21st as the beginning of Spring, but there is actually a lot of controversy in English as to whether Spring starts on the first of the month or…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[7698,7708,3969,3988,3989,4014,4015,4018,4019,4054,207435,4056,4061,4062,4103,4113,4114,4155,4160,4166,4167,4191,36228,4247,4266,4267,4297,4317,4458,4459,4460,4461,1977,4620,4623,4627,4632,4670,2035,4865,5030,5034,5035,930,5087,5088,5093,5104,5111,5112,5148,5155,5156,5157,5159,5164,2906,5174,1065,5194,5197,5228,5236,1083,1084,5402,6,3213,5494,5495,2201,7,5541,5578,963,5626,5650,5665,5667,5804,5807,5809,5812,5942,5981,5984,3756,6009,6010,6011,6012,2295,6019,6027,6075,6085,6086,6087,6088,6136,6179,6181,6212,3312,6270,6299,6304,6326,6327,6344,6358,6365,6383,2391,6511,6522,6523,6546,6563,6646,6667,6668,6749,3395,6750,6751,6755,6880,6899,146,1317,6919,6920,200156,6936,6994,7023,7080,7081,7083,7091,7130,3669,7164,7207],"class_list":["post-103","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-t-prefix","tag--quarter-day","tag-abundance","tag-aer","tag-aer-cumhra","tag-aibreain","tag-aibrean","tag-aimsir","tag-aimsir-earrachuil","tag-all-fools","tag-all-fools-day","tag-all-hallows","tag-amadain","tag-amadan","tag-an-chead-la-den-earrach","tag-an-fear","tag-an-fhir","tag-an-tearrach","tag-an-tsamhain","tag-ancient","tag-ancient-celtic-calendar","tag-april","tag-april-fools-day","tag-august","tag-balmy","tag-balmy-air","tag-bealtaine","tag-beginning-of-spring","tag-brid","tag-bride","tag-bridget","tag-brighid","tag-calendar","tag-celtic","tag-celtic-mythology","tag-celtic-new-years-eve","tag-celticly-speaking","tag-christianization","tag-controversy","tag-cumhra","tag-eacaineacht","tag-earrach","tag-earrachuil","tag-english","tag-english-concept","tag-english-counterparts","tag-ensure-a-good-harvest","tag-equinox","tag-eve","tag-eve-of-november","tag-feabhra","tag-february","tag-february-1","tag-february-1st","tag-feile","tag-female-fools","tag-feminine","tag-fertility","tag-festival","tag-first-day","tag-first-of-the-month","tag-fools","tag-fourth-quarter-day","tag-genitive","tag-genitive-case","tag-go-dti-an-chead-bhlag-eile","tag-grammar","tag-halloween","tag-harvest","tag-hata-an-fhir","tag-holiday","tag-holidays","tag-honorifics","tag-i-mblag-an-lae-inniu","tag-imbolc","tag-in-todays-blog","tag-inserted","tag-ireland","tag-irish","tag-la-bealtaine","tag-la-fheile-bride","tag-la-lunasa","tag-la-na-namadan","tag-lower-case","tag-major-holiday","tag-male-fools","tag-march","tag-march-20","tag-march-20th","tag-march-21","tag-march-21st","tag-marta","tag-masculine-plural-noun","tag-may","tag-mharta","tag-mi","tag-mi-lunasa","tag-mi-na-bealtaine","tag-mi-na-samhna","tag-month","tag-mythology","tag-n-amadan","tag-namadan","tag-new-years-eve","tag-no-actual-possession","tag-nouns-beginning-with-vowels","tag-november","tag-october-31","tag-october-31st","tag-oiche-shamhna","tag-old-irish","tag-open-mouthed-fools","tag-ownership","tag-phrases","tag-possession","tag-pre-christian","tag-pre-christian-festival","tag-proper-nouns","tag-quarter","tag-sa-bhlag-seo","tag-samhain","tag-samhna","tag-season","tag-seasons","tag-seasuir","tag-seasur","tag-seeds","tag-soft-fools","tag-sown","tag-spelling","tag-spring","tag-spring-starts","tag-springlike-weather","tag-st-bridgets-day","tag-st-patricks-day","tag-t-amadan","tag-tamadan","tag-the-day-of-the-fools","tag-the-first-day-of-spring","tag-the-hat-of-the-man","tag-the-man","tag-titles","tag-traditional","tag-traditional-spring-season-in-ireland","tag-tuiseal-ginideach"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t