{"id":3439,"date":"2012-10-31T06:35:51","date_gmt":"2012-10-31T06:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=3439"},"modified":"2016-10-20T21:34:57","modified_gmt":"2016-10-20T21:34:57","slug":"new-years-celtic-style-1-mi-na-samhna-in-ionad-1-eanair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/new-years-celtic-style-1-mi-na-samhna-in-ionad-1-eanair\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year’s – Celtic Style (1 M\u00ed na Samhna in ionad 1 Ean\u00e1ir)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

While January 1 is widely considered to be “New Year’s Day” in many parts of the world, including Ireland, there is\/was a Celtic concept of the New Year that placed the holiday much earlier in the winter season, specifically on November 1.<\/p>\n

I say “is\/was” quite deliberately.\u00a0 Considering “an t-aon\u00fa l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed na Samhna<\/strong>” to be New Year’s Day is primarily an ancient or folkloric belief, but some people today are reviving it as the “new” New Year’s Day (Samhain<\/strong>).\u00a0 More power to them, I say.\u00a0 I do wonder, though, whether any of the Samhain advocates actually pass up the chance to celebrate \u00a0ar<\/strong>\u00a0an aon\u00fa l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed Ean\u00e1ir<\/strong>. \u00a0Somehow, n\u00ed d\u00f3igh liom \u00e9<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Ar aon chaoi<\/strong>, this year I did get a “r\u00edomhch\u00e1rta beannachta” don Bhliain \u00dar Cheilteach<\/strong> on October 30th.\u00a0 Ceann an-deas le ceol le Loreena McKennitt (an t-amhr\u00e1n <\/strong>“All Souls’ Night”).\u00a0 Go raibh maith agat ar\u00eds, a Ph\u00e1draig\u00edn G. m\u00e1 t\u00e1 t\u00fa ag l\u00e9amh an bhlag seo!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you celebrate “an Athbhliain<\/strong>” Celtic-style, on\u00a01<\/strong>\u00a0M\u00ed na Samhna<\/strong>, or sa d\u00f3igh phr\u00edomhshrutha<\/strong> [FREEV-HRUH-huh], on 1 M\u00ed Ean\u00e1ir<\/strong>, or iad araon<\/strong>, it gives us a good chance to practice the word “bliain<\/strong>” [BLEE-in] which is “year” in Irish.<\/p>\n

Here are some forms of the word:<\/p>\n

an bhliain<\/strong> [un VLEE-in], the year (with lenition, because it’s a feminine noun), as in “an bhliain seo caite<\/strong>” (last year, btw, is also called “anuraidh<\/strong>“)<\/p>\n

na bliana<\/strong> [nuh BLEE-un-uh], of the year, as in “\u00f3 cheann ceann na bliana<\/strong>” (from year’s end to year’s end, lit. from end end of year)<\/p>\n

na blianta<\/strong>, the years, as in “na blianta \u00f3 shin<\/strong>” (years ago, lit. “the” years ago)<\/p>\n

na mblianta<\/strong>, of the years, as is “taith\u00ed na mblianta<\/strong>” (the experience of “the” years, as in teaching, etc.)<\/p>\n

Here are some additional uses:<\/p>\n

i mbliana<\/strong> [IM-LEE-uh-nuh], this year (note: there’s no word “this” in this Irish phrase; also note, this is the adverbial usage, as in “I’m going there this year,” not the noun usage, as in “This year is a lucky one)<\/p>\n

anonn sna blianta<\/strong>, on in years (if discussing age: T\u00e1 s\u00e9 ag dul anonn sna blianta<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

And if you’re being specific about ages, you have to remember when to use lenition and when to use eclipsis:<\/p>\n

bliain amh\u00e1in<\/strong>, one year<\/p>\n

dh\u00e1 bhliain<\/strong>, two years<\/p>\n

tr\u00ed bliana<\/strong>, three years (no lenition following numbers 3 through 6)<\/p>\n

s\u00e9 bliana<\/strong>, six years<\/p>\n

seacht mbliana<\/strong> [shakht MLEE-uh-nuh], seven years (eclipsis for numbers 7 through 10)<\/p>\n

deich mbliana<\/strong>, ten years<\/p>\n

fiche bliain<\/strong>, twenty years (no change to “bliain<\/strong>” for multiples of ten)<\/p>\n

c\u00faig bliana is caoga<\/strong>, fifty-five years<\/p>\n

seacht mbliana is seacht\u00f3<\/strong>, seventy-seven years<\/p>\n

Various phrases having to do with New Year’s, generally considered to be January 1st, are:<\/p>\n

an Bhliain \u00dar<\/strong> OR an Bhliain Nua<\/strong>, the New Year<\/p>\n

Athbhliain faoi mhaise<\/strong> [AH-VLEE-in fwee WUSH-uh], Happy New Year (lit. “re-year” under prosperity)<\/p>\n

O\u00edche Chinn Bhliana<\/strong>, New Year’s Eve, lit. eve of end of year<\/p>\n

san athbhliain<\/strong>, in the new year<\/p>\n

Come to think of it, most of the e-cards I’ve seen for “O\u00edche Shamhna<\/strong>” or “Samhain<\/strong>” simply leave the Irish word at that, and add the rest of the greeting in English (Happy Samhain, etc).\u00a0 I don’t think I’ve actually seen an e-card with “Samhain” imagery and a typical New Year’s greeting in Irish, such as “Athbhliain faoi mhaise<\/strong>.”\u00a0 If you wanted to make the greeting fully in Irish, it would be “Samhain Shona duit (daoibh<\/strong>, if plural).<\/p>\n

Whenever you care to send such beannachta\u00ed<\/strong>, now or i M\u00ed na Nollag<\/strong>, that’s the skinny (fios an sc\u00e9il<\/strong>) on the word “bliain<\/strong>.”\u00a0 I hope you found it \u00fas\u00e1ideach!\u00a0 SGF, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) While January 1 is widely considered to be “New Year’s Day” in many parts of the world, including Ireland, there is\/was a Celtic concept of the New Year that placed the holiday much earlier in the winter season, specifically on November 1. I say “is\/was” quite deliberately.\u00a0 Considering “an t-aon\u00fa l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed…<\/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":[255162,4074,461033,4240,461030,4303,307112,461027,307111,307113,307115,4613,4620,461032,460683,111621,4913,111617,474555,461026,96687,5111,461028,5483,96688,5937,306385,307114,307116,365257,6088,1166,6273,6274,6304,376449,211595,6547,461029,6667,6668,6779,111625,461031,7626],"class_list":["post-3439","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-all-souls-night","tag-amhran","tag-anonn","tag-athbhliain","tag-beannachta","tag-beannachtai","tag-bhliain","tag-bhliana","tag-bliain","tag-bliana","tag-blianta","tag-ceilteach","tag-celtic","tag-cheilteach","tag-chinn","tag-daoibh","tag-day","tag-duit","tag-dul","tag-e-card","tag-eanair","tag-eve","tag-folkloric","tag-happy","tag-january","tag-loreena-mckennitt","tag-maise","tag-mbliana","tag-mblianta","tag-mhaise","tag-mi-na-samhna","tag-new-year","tag-nollag","tag-nollaig","tag-november","tag-nua","tag-oiche","tag-prosperity","tag-riomhcharta","tag-samhain","tag-samhna","tag-shamhna","tag-shona","tag-ur","tag-year"],"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