OÃche Shamhna
Upon this very culturally Celtic holiday, I take a very perplexing language diversion…
It took Six-Year-Old-Son-Alex to translate ‘Happy Halloween’ into Irish for me. Based upon his pronunciation (confirmed by Now-10-Year-Old-Daughter-Kate), it is roughly spoken as EE-u HOW-na, or something to that effect. Based upon the wide range of Irish pronunciation on this tiny island…generally each county having its own…I’m guessing that there are probably 26-32 different pronunciations of that alphabetic combination! Have to say I would have never gotten that sound from those letters.
In anticipating our fifth Halloween here in Dublin, I’m getting used to the loud bangers, firecrackers, and flares which have been going off at all times of day or night since the calendar changed to October. I’m not as shocked to see large bonfires commonly built on nearby green spaces and football pitches. Nor am I now amazed when a small tike, with trolley in tow, rings the bell to ask if I have any spare combustible bits to add to it. Doesn’t necessarily need to be wood….sofas and odd pieces of carpet are welcomed too. So much for a ‘carbon neutral’ night….
Yes, some things are very different in this End-Of-Summer-Evening-Before-All-Saint’s-Day celebration, but some are the same. The neighbourhood will come alive with families taking a stroll on this crisp autumnal evening, while little ones shyly or brazenly ring the doorbells hoping for a good haul of tooth-decaying sweets.
And so, in the midst of answering our own door (mindless knitting in hand cuz I won’t be able to do much else this evening) handing out candy to a myriad of witches, warlocks, wizards and vampires, we wish you and yours ‘OÃche Shamhna.’
Postscript: Had a picture of our jack-o-lanterns to add, but I believe Blogger is bewitched this evening….
I have heard it pronounced in many ways too, mostly ‘Sam-haine” and “Sowe-aine” neither is close in any way to your pronunciation. Galic speakers are pretty scarce in my neck of the woods. In any case, happy all saints eve!
01 Nov 2006 at 2:53 am