{"id":3580,"date":"2012-12-16T17:33:58","date_gmt":"2012-12-16T17:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=3580"},"modified":"2017-12-24T14:01:11","modified_gmt":"2017-12-24T14:01:11","slug":"seasur-na-nollag-a-christmas-and-new-years-matching-game-and-vocabulary-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/seasur-na-nollag-a-christmas-and-new-years-matching-game-and-vocabulary-review\/","title":{"rendered":"S\u00e9as\u00far na Nollag: A Christmas and New Year’s Matching Game (and Vocabulary Review)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In previous blogs, we’ve looked at various aspects of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays (URLanna th\u00edos<\/strong>). Here we’ll review some of that vocabulary in a matching game.\u00a0 The dates are given in the left-hand column and holiday names in the right.\u00a0 Please note the following:<\/p>\n

a) The dates are in chronological order.<\/p>\n

b) Not all of the cultural references here pertain to Ireland.<\/p>\n

c) Numbers 6 and 7 are the same holiday, which has two different names.<\/p>\n

d) \u00a0In the “d\u00e1ta<\/strong>” column, I’ve given the date as an ordinal number, such as “s\u00e9\u00fa<\/strong>,” but in the answer key I’ve just used the numeral itself, partly to save space and partly as a reminder that dates can be written in the two different formats.<\/p>\n

e) Further pronunciation notes, for the numbers, will be found below the “freagra\u00ed<\/strong>” (answers).<\/p>\n

f) Some of these holidays have additional names; I’ve only indicated a representative sampling here.<\/p>\n

g) Freagra\u00ed agus n\u00f3ta\u00ed fuaimnithe th\u00edos.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meaitse\u00e1il Col\u00fan A le Col\u00fan B.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nCol\u00fan A: D\u00e1ta<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nCol\u00fan B: F\u00e9ile<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1.<\/td>\nAn s\u00e9\u00fa l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed na Nollag<\/td>\na)<\/td>\nO\u00edche Chinn Bhliana<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2.<\/td>\nAn nao\u00fa l\u00e1 d\u00e9ag de mh\u00ed na Nollag<\/td>\nb)<\/td>\nO\u00edche Nollag<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3.<\/td>\nAn ceathr\u00fa l\u00e1 is fiche de mh\u00ed na Nollag<\/td>\nc)<\/td>\nNollaig na mBan (Nollaig Bheag)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4.<\/td>\nAn c\u00faigi\u00fa l\u00e1 is fiche de mh\u00ed na Nollag<\/td>\nd)<\/td>\nL\u00e1 San Niocl\u00e1s<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5.<\/td>\nAn s\u00e9\u00fa l\u00e1 is fiche de mh\u00ed na Nollag<\/td>\ne)<\/td>\nL\u00e1 Nollag i gcuid de na hEaglais\u00ed Ceartchreidmheacha<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6.<\/td>\nAn t-aon\u00fa l\u00e1 is tr\u00edocha de mh\u00ed na Nollag-1<\/td>\nf)<\/td>\nL\u00e1 an Dreoil\u00edn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7.<\/td>\nAn t-aon\u00fa l\u00e1 is tr\u00edocha de mh\u00ed na Nollag-2<\/td>\ng)<\/td>\nL\u00e1 San Niocl\u00e1s san Eaglais Cheartchreidmheach<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8.<\/td>\nAn ch\u00e9ad l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed Ean\u00e1ir<\/td>\nh)<\/td>\nO\u00edche na Coda M\u00f3ire<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9.<\/td>\nAn s\u00e9\u00fa l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed Ean\u00e1ir<\/td>\ni)<\/td>\nL\u00e1 Caille<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10.<\/td>\nAn seacht\u00fa l\u00e1 de mh\u00ed Ean\u00e1ir<\/td>\nj)<\/td>\nL\u00e1 Nollag (or “An Nollaig”)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Freagra\u00ed, N\u00f3ta\u00ed Fuaimnithe, agus Beag\u00e1n C\u00falra<\/strong> (Answers, Pronunciation Notes, and a Little Background)<\/p>\n

1d: (6 M\u00ed na Nollag), L\u00e1 San Niocl\u00e1s<\/strong> [law sahn NIK-lawss].\u00a0 St. Nicholas Day, the feast day of Nicholas of Myra (b. ca. 270, d. 6 December 346)<\/p>\n

In many continental European countries, this is the day that St. Nicholas delivers gifts to children, accompanied by his scary right-hand man, known by various names, such as P\u00e8re Fouettard<\/em>, Belsnickel (Bellsnickel),<\/em> and Zwarte Piet<\/em>.<\/p>\n

2g: (19 M\u00ed na Nollag), L\u00e1 San Niocl\u00e1s san Eaglais Cheartchreidmheach<\/strong> [… sun AG-lis HyART-HRzhEDJ-vukh].\u00a0 The “ch” sound of “cheart<\/strong>-” is like the “-ch-” in “o\u00edche<\/strong>,” in other words, it’s basically just breath, as in English “humid” or “human,” or Welsh “Huw.”\u00a0 St. Nicholas’ Day in the Orthodox Church.\u00a0 The two-week difference in celebrating St. Nicholas’ Day is due to the difference in the two types of calendars, F\u00e9ilire Gr\u00e9ag\u00f3rach<\/strong> and F\u00e9ilire I\u00fail<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

3b: (24 M\u00ed na Nollag), O\u00edche Nollag <\/strong>[EE-hyuh NOL-uk].\u00a0 Christmas Eve, lit. eve or night of Christmas.\u00a0 Note that the word for “eve” is the same as the word for “night.”\u00a0 The only way we know that this means December 24th is by tradition.\u00a0 The night of Christmas Day (December 25th) is “O\u00edche L\u00e1 Nollag<\/strong>” (the night of the Day of Christmas).<\/p>\n

4j: (25 M\u00ed na Nollag), L\u00e1 Nollag<\/strong> [law NOL-uk] \/ An Nollaig<\/strong> [un NOL-ik].\u00a0 Note the difference in the endings — “Nollag<\/strong>” means “of Christmas” while “Nollaig<\/strong>” is “Christmas” itself.<\/p>\n

5f: (26 M\u00ed na Nollag), L\u00e1 an Dreoil\u00edn<\/strong> [law un DRzhOH-leen].\u00a0 In Ireland, December 26th is recognized as Wren Day or as St. Stephen’s Day.\u00a0 In Britain, Australia, Canada and some other countries, it is also recognized as Boxing Day (from the Christmas boxes or gifts traditionally given by employers). In the United States, this holiday is not generally observed.<\/p>\n

6a: (31 M\u00ed na Nollag), O\u00edche Chinn Bhliana<\/strong> [EE-hyuh hyinn VLEE-in-uh].\u00a0 This literally means “the eve \/ night of the end (ceann<\/strong>) of the year (bliain<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

7h: (31 M\u00ed na Nollag), O\u00edche na Coda M\u00f3ire<\/strong> [EE-hyuh nuh KUD-uh MORzh-uh].\u00a0 This word for New Year’s Eve literally means “the night of the big portion,” referring to the traditional festive dinner.<\/p>\n

8j, (1 Ean\u00e1ir), L\u00e1 Caille<\/strong> [law KWIL-yuh].\u00a0 Literally, this means “the day of the calends.”<\/p>\n

9c: (6 Ean\u00e1ir), Nollaig na mBan<\/strong> [NUL-ik nuh mahn, note the silent “B”]; aka “Nollaig Bheag<\/strong>” [NUL-ik veg].\u00a0 January 6th is known in Ireland as “Nollaig na mBan<\/strong>” (the Christmas of the Women) or as “Nollaig Bheag”<\/strong> (Little Christmas, in contrast to Nollaig Mh\u00f3r<\/strong>, Christmas itself).<\/p>\n

10e: \u00a0(7 Ean\u00e1ir), L\u00e1 Nollag i gcuid de na hEaglais\u00ed Ceartchreidmheacha<\/strong> [… i gwidj djeh nuh HAG-lish-ee KyART-HRzhEDJ-vuh-khuh].\u00a0 Christmas Day in some, but not all, of the Orthodox Churches; again the two-week discrepancy (25 Dec. to 7 Jan.) is due to the 12-day adjustment in the change the Julian calendar to the Gregorian one.<\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta:<\/strong> Here are pronunciations for the ordinal numbers used above, in numerical sequence.\u00a0 Numbers not mentioned above are in the last line, just to give a sense of completion to the list.\u00a0 The pronunciations for three additional (non-ordinal) numbers, “d\u00e9ag<\/strong>,” “fiche<\/strong>,” and “tr\u00edocha,”<\/strong> are given in the last line — note the two completely different “-ch-” sounds in “fiche<\/strong>” and “tr\u00edocha<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

1st: ch\u00e9ad<\/strong> [hyayd, with the “hy-” as in “humid” or “human”]<\/p>\n

1st: aon\u00fa <\/strong>[AYN-oo] or an t-aon\u00fa<\/strong> [un TAYN-oo] is used for combinations such as “an t-aon\u00fa l\u00e1 d\u00e9ag<\/strong>” (the 11th day) or “an t-aon\u00fa l\u00e1 is tr\u00edocha<\/strong>” (the 31st day). \u00a0“Aon\u00fa<\/strong>” is based on the number “aon<\/strong>” (one) and these forms, taken very very literally, are like saying the “first and ten day” or the “first and thirty day.”<\/p>\n

4th: ceathr\u00fa<\/strong> [KyA-hroo, with the “ky” as in “cures,” not as in “Coors”]<\/p>\n

5th: c\u00faigi\u00fa<\/strong> [KOO-ig-yoo]<\/p>\n

6th: s\u00e9\u00fa<\/strong> [SHAY-oo]<\/p>\n

7th: seacht\u00fa<\/strong> [SHAKHT-oo]<\/p>\n

9th: nao\u00fa<\/strong> [NEE-oo]<\/p>\n

Orduimhreacha nach bhfuil sna col\u00fain thuas: <\/strong><\/p>\n

2nd: dara<\/strong> (DAH-ruh)<\/p>\n

3rd: tr\u00ed\u00fa<\/strong> (TRzhEE-oo)<\/p>\n

8th: ocht\u00fa<\/strong> [AHKHT-oo]<\/p>\n

10th: deichi\u00fa<\/strong> [DJEH-hyoo]<\/p>\n

URLanna:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag (The Twelve Days of Christmas)<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n