Gaelicking....Holy Eve thru Hogmanay
       It's my turn to do the lesson this week. The three of us are each taking a different aspect,
      and mine is to give translations of the Gaelic in the Outlander books. However, since I
      haven't got my pronunciation dictionary yet, and Halloween is this weekend, I thought I'd go
      through the upcoming holidays for everyone.

      A thousand thanks go to Lea for sending me copies of back issues of The Gaelic Column.
      And I'm sorry to say, I have no wonderful sound files for you like Rita did. They were
      marvelous, Rita.

      The following is taken from The Scottish Banner, The Gaelic Column by Dr. Philip D.
      Smith. All rights reserved.

      "Halloween was a major Scottish folk holiday and the North American custom of costumes
      and 'trick or treat' is directly traceable to Gaelic folk culture."

      Halloween is "Holy Evening"
      Oidhche Shamhna
      EY-kuh HOW-nuh

      The word for happy or merry is sona.
      When used with a feminine noun, it becomes shona and follows the noun.

      So (and this is my guess):
      Happy Halloween would be
      Oidhche Shamhna Shona
      EY-kuh HOW-nuh HOH-nuh

      "Until this century, Christmas was an English holiday. Scots celebrated New Year,
      Hogmanay.

      Christmas is Nollaig (NOHL-ek).

      When giving greetings to a family or more than one person, you say...
      Merry Christmas To You (plural)
      Nollaig Shona Dhuibh!
      NOHL-ek HOH-nuh GOO-eev

      To a single person, a friend, you say...
      Merry Christmas To You! (singular)
      Nollaig Shona Dhuit
      NOHL-ek HOH-nuh Gooch

      A Christmas tree is, literally, tree Christmas...
      craobh Nollaig
      kroov NOHL-ek

      New Year's Eve is
      Oidhche Challain
      EY-kuh HAHL-een

      It's the time for a "visit" or ceilidh.
      Ceilidh (KAY-lee) doesn't mean "party" or stage show. It's means a "visit" where there is
      singing and storytelling by all involved.

      New Year's Day is
      La na bliadh'ur
      lah nah BLEE-uh-nuh oor

      La is the modern form of latha.
      So (mine again) Jamie would have said...

      latha na Bliadh'ur
      LAH-uh nah BLEE-uh-nuh oor

      If you want to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, you use agus, meaning "and".

      Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
      Nollaig Shona agus Bliahna Mhath ur
      NOHL-ek HOH-nuh Ag-us BLEE-uh-nuh MAH

      Last, but not least...an old stand by.

      Happy Birthday (to you)
      La breith shona (dhuit)
      LAH-bree HOH-nuh (gooch)

      Hope you all enjoy the upcoming holidays.

      Valerie L.