大象传媒

A鈥� dol thar Allt an t-Si霉cair air madainn ch霉bhraidh Ch猫it鈥欌�� A bheil sibh ag aithneachadh sin? Tha e bho 鈥淎llt an t-Si霉cair鈥�, 貌ran a chaidh a sgr矛obhadh leis a鈥� bh脿rd ainmeil, Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair. 鈥橲 ann tric a chithear na faclan sin 鈥� air madainn ch霉bhraidh Ch猫it鈥� - ann am b脿rdachd Gh脿idhlig.

Tha 鈥淐h猫it鈥� goirid airson Ch猫itein 鈥� am m矛os mu dheireadh air an tug sinn s霉il an t-seachdain 鈥檚 a chaidh. 鈥橲 e am m矛os a tha a鈥� leantainn air 鈥� an t-Ogmh矛os 鈥� am fear anns a bheil rudan a鈥� f脿s gu m貌r, ag 霉rachadh na talmhainn. As d猫idh sin, bidh an seachdamh m矛os dhen bhliadhna againn 鈥� an t-Iuchar.

Thathar a鈥� smaoineachadh gun t脿inig am facal sin, Iuchar, bho futhar, an t-脿m as teotha san t-samhradh. O shean, chanadh muinntir na Beurla na 鈥渄og days鈥� ris na l脿ithean seo air sg脿th 鈥檚 gur e seo an t-脿m dhen bhliadhna nuair a bhios an rionnag ris an canar an 鈥渄og star鈥�, neo 鈥淪irius鈥� ag 猫irigh agus a鈥� dol fodha aig an aon 脿m ris a鈥� ghr猫in. Agus 鈥檚 e an t-ainm a th鈥� air an rionnaig seo, neo an reul seo, ann an G脿idhlig 鈥� Reul an Iuchair.

鈥橲 e an L霉nasdal a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air August. Tha an t-ainm a鈥� tighinn bhon t-seann dia, Lugh. B鈥� e dia na gr猫ine a bh鈥� ann do na Gaidheil ph脿ganach, agus bhathar ag adhradh dha aig an 脿m seo dhen bhliadhna. As d猫idh sin, bidh an t-Sultain ann. Tha sin a鈥� tighinn bhon fhacal sult, a tha a鈥� ciallachadh reamhrachd. 鈥橲 e sin an t-脿m dhen bhliadhna nuair a bhios beathaichean, mar chrodh is caoraich, a鈥� f脿s reamhar, mus tig an geamhradh.

鈥橲 e an deicheamh m矛os dhen bhliadhna an D脿mhair, an t-脿m nuair a bhios an damh a鈥� b霉irich, a鈥� d猫anamh fuaim m貌r anns na glinn. Tha e coltach gur e an darna p脿irt dhen fhacal 鈥� d脿ir 鈥� a tha a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渂霉ireadh鈥�. Damh-d脿ir 鈥� an D脿mhair. Nach eil e math gu bheil an t-ainm air a鈥� mh矛os sin, agus air m貌ran eile, a鈥� tighinn bhon 脿rainneachd againn fh矛n, seach bho chleachdadh R貌manach.

Agus tha sinn gar tilleadh don d脿 mh矛os air an tug sinn s霉il o chionn ceala-deug 鈥� an t-Samhain, agus am m矛os a th鈥� againn a-nise 鈥� an D霉bhlachd. Sin na m矛osan ann an G脿idhlig an latha an-diugh, ma th脿. Ach tha d脿 rud ann a dh鈥檉heumas mi r脿dh mun deidhinn. Anns a鈥� chiad dol a-mach, 鈥檚 ann tric a bhios Gaidheil a鈥� cleachdadh nan ainmean Beurla, seach an fheadhainn Gh脿idhlig. Agus, a bharrachd air a sin, nuair a leughas sibh seann sgr矛obhaidhean G脿idhlig, cuimhnichibh nach robh an t-霉ghdar uaireannan dhen bheachd gun tigeadh, agus gum falbhadh, gach 鈥渕矛os鈥� a r猫ir a鈥� mh矛osachain, neo co-dhi霉 a r猫ir m矛osachan na Beurla.

Seo criomag 脿s 貌ran a sgr矛obh am b脿rd, D貌mhnall MacEacharn, a rugadh ann an Di霉ra ann an ochd ceud deug, is sia-deug ar fhichead (1836). 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a th鈥� air 鈥淐uairt san Fhr矛th鈥�.

An crann fo bhl脿th san 貌g-mh矛os Mh脿igh,

An geamhradh dh鈥檉h脿g gun bhl脿th gun bhr矛gh,

Is ionann sin 鈥檚 mar tha mi 鈥檔-dr脿st鈥�,

Gun sunnd, gun ch脿il, am 脿nrach sg矛th.

An crann fo bhl脿th san 貌g-mh矛os Mh脿igh? Tha D貌mhnall a鈥� cleachdadh 貌g-mh矛os, chan ann mar a鈥� Gh脿idhlig air June, ach mar 鈥渕矛os 貌g鈥�, m矛os far am bi an talamh air 霉rachadh le f脿s. Dhasan, 鈥檚 e a鈥� Mh脿igh 鈥渁n t-貌g-mh矛os鈥�. Ach tha e a鈥� cleachdadh 鈥渁n C猫itean鈥� cuideachd na bh脿rdachd. F脿gaidh mi sibh an t-seachdain-sa le rann bhon 貌ran aige, 鈥淎nna Mh矛n, Mheall-Sh霉ileach鈥�:

Is cuimhne leam nuair bha sinn

Nar cloinn a鈥� ruith mun 脿irigh,

鈥橲 do chuailean donn bu tl脿ithe

A鈥� sn脿mh san oiteig Ch猫itein鈥�

an C猫itean: May; an t-Ogmh矛os: June (lit. the young month); an t-Iuchar: July; Reul an Iuchair: Sirius (the dog star); an L霉nasdal: August; sult, reamhrachd:fatness; an D脿mhair: October; d脿ir, b霉ireadh: rutting, the rut; 脿rainneachd: environment; anD霉bhlachd: December; sgr矛obhaidhean: writings; D貌mhnall MacEacharn: DonaldMacKechnie; Di霉ra: Jura (Isle of).

ag 霉rachadh na talmhainn: renewing the earth; ag 猫irigh agus a鈥檇ol fodha aig an aon 脿m ris a鈥� ghr猫in: rising and setting at the same time as the sun; bhatharag adhradh dha aig an 脿m seo dhen bhliadhna: he was worshipped at this time of the year;nuair a bhios an damh a鈥� b霉irich: when the stag is roaring; bho chleachdadh R貌manach:from a Roman custom; anns a鈥� chiad dol a-mach: in the first instance; cuimhnichibh nachrobh an t-霉ghdar uaireannan dhen bheachd gun tigeadh, agus gum falbhadh, gach 鈥渕矛os鈥� ar猫ir a鈥� mh矛osachain: remember that the author sometimes was not of the opinion that each鈥渕onth鈥� would come and go according to the calendar; Cuairt san Fhr矛th: a journey on themoor (deer forest); an crann fo bhl脿th san 貌g-mh矛os Mhaigh: the tree in blossom in theyoung month of May; gun sunnd, gun ch脿il, am 脿nrach sg矛th: without cheerfulness, withoutstrength, weather-beaten and tired; Anna Mh矛n, Mheall-Sh霉ileach: tender Ann of thealluring eyes; do chuailean donn bu tl脿ithe: your brown locks, of the very softest; a鈥� sn脿mhsan oiteig Ch猫itein: swimming in the May breeze.

Do you get confused as to when a 鈥渢-鈥� appears in front ofa noun starting with 鈥渟鈥�, annulling the sound of the 鈥渟鈥�? There are three situations, allrepresented in the Litir. [Note that it does not apply where the 鈥渟鈥� is followed immediatelyby a 鈥済鈥�, 鈥渕鈥�, 鈥減鈥� or 鈥渢鈥漖. The first situation is a masculine noun in the genitive case, egAllt an t-Si霉cair (lit. Burn of the Sugar). The nominative is an si霉car. The second is a nounin the dative case (and, here, it can be masculine or feminine eg as teotha san t-samhradh(the hottest in summer; the nominative is an samhradh). The third situation is in thenominative case of feminine nouns. Two months come into this category 鈥� an t-Sultain(September) and an t-Samhain (November). You will also see an t-seachdain (the week).How would you say the following in Gaelic?: Sweden; the eye; on the gannet; on theSabbath; the fox鈥檚 head; the room鈥檚 window.

air madainn ch霉bhraidh Ch猫it鈥�: on a fragrant May morning.This phrase often appears in song and poems and is sometimes used as something of aclich茅, much in the manner of the English 鈥渁s I went a-wandering upon a fine Maymorning鈥︹��