Mar a sgrìobhas mi am blog seo, bidh a' bhliadhn' ùr a' teannadh oirnn a rithist agus mu 'n àm seo gach bliadhna tòisichidh mi ri smaointinn air na mìosan 'sa Ghàidhlig 'is 'sa Bheurla.

'S mór mo thoileachas gum bi mìosachan 'sa Ghàidhlig ri fhaotainn, 's iad a' tighinn á iomadh ceàrna. Fhuair mi bho chionn ghreis mìosachan bho Oifis Iomairtean na Gàidhlig, bho Shìol Enterprises, bho Fhéis an Eilein agus bho Alba. Bha iad uile riochdail agus làn fhiosrachd air saoghal agus stàid na Gàidhlig agus nan Gàidheal. Bidh an fheadhainn a thig á Alba gu h-àraid tarruingeach dhomh air sgàth nan dealbh - bidh iad cho coltach ri Ceap Breatainn agus 'san aon ruith, cho eadar-dhealaichte. Bidh mi airson a bhith ann!

Ann an gach uile mìosachan, chìthear am Faoilleach ( no am Faoillteach ) mar January agus an Gearran mar February 's msaa.. Ach 's e an rud a thig thugam gach bliadhna, nach e sin na chanadh àl mo phàrantan riutha. 'Nuair a bhruidhneadh 'ad mu dheidhinn January, chan e am Faoilleach a bh' aca ach am facal Beurla, January. Agus chan e an Gearran a bh' ann am February, ach "February". Mar a th' anns an òran "Mo Shoraidh Le na Caileagan", "... Bho August gu November..."

Tòisichidh am Faoilleach ( gu dualchasach mar a chuala mise co dhiùbh ) air a' chòigeamh latha deug an January agus mairidh e gus an còigeamh latha deug am February. Tòisichidh an Gearran an déidh sin agus mairidh e naoi latha. Mar sin, bha ciall air leth ac' orra 's cha chanadh iad Faoilleach 'nuair a bhiodh January a chiallachadh iad, 's cha thogadh iad January air an Fhaoilleach.

Air bheagan rannsachaidh, gheibhear amach gu bheil ciall diofaraichte air gach mìos 'sa Ghàidhlig, co-cheangailte ris an t-saoghal nàdurra, agus ( mar a leughar ann an corp-eòlas ) gu bheil dualchas na Beurla an sàs ann an saoghal deas-gnàthachail.

Chan eil mi 'g ràdh gum bu chòir dhuinn a dhol air ais dha na seann mhìosachan ( aimhreit a bhiodh ann! Smaoinichibh! ) ach gur còir dhuinn cuimhneachadh agus smaoineachadh air stéidhean tùsail ar dualchais, cia ás a thàinig iad, agus cho eadar-dealaichte 's a tha iad bho shaoghal nan Gall ann an iomadh dòigh nach bi an còmhnuidh seo-fhollaiseach. Thogar iongantas agus foghlum ás a' rannsachadh sin!

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THE MONTHS IN GAELIC CULTURE

As I write this, the new year is upon us again and about this time of the year every year I start to think of the months in Gaelic and English.

I'm very pleased that Gaelic calendars are available, coming from many areas. Lately I've gotten calendars from the Office of Gaelic Affairs, from Sìol Enterprises, from Féis an Eilein and from Scotland. They are all attractive and full of information about the world and the state of Gaelic and the Gaels.The ones from Scotland are especially interesting to me because of the pictures - they're so much like Cape Breton and so unlike. I want to be there!

In every calendar you'll see am Faoilleach (or am Faoillteach) for January and an Gearran for February, etc.. But what comes to my mind every year is that's not what my parents' generation would say. If they'd be speaking about January, it's not am Faoilleach they had, but the English word, January. And February wasn't an Gearran, it was "February." As in the song "My Greetings to the Girls" , " ... From August until November..."

The Faoilleach starts (traditionally as I've heard it anyway) on the fifteenth day of January and lasts until the fifteenth of February. The Gearran starts after that and lasts nine days. Therefore, there is a different meaning to them, and they wouldn't say Faoilleach when they meant January, and they wouldn't call January the Faoilleach.

With a little research it can be found out that there is a different meaning to all the months in Gaelic, connected to the natural world and (as can be read in anthropology) that English culture is rooted in a world of ritual.

I'm not saying we should go back to the old months (the confusion! Think!) but that it is right and proper for us to remember and consider the original foundations of our culture, where they came from and how different they are from the world view of others in ways that are not always obvious. There's much to learn and much to wonder about in that search!