2025 Day 122

2025 Dedh Cans Dew warn Ugens

De Gwener, nessa mis Me

Friday, 2nd May 

Calends 

In Ancient Rome this was the day to settle your debts!

Cala Me en Lanwedhenek ew moy didhanus.

May Day in Padstow is more fun.

calan the first day 
SWF “main form” uses <k> instead of <c> at the beginning of words,
e.g. Kalan instead of Calan.  
Final <n> may be lost and initial <c/k> may change to <h> 

Cornish words from the Latin: 
calander (m) calendar 

Calan Ebrel  the first day of April ~ April Fools’ Day 

Cala Me the first day of May ~ May Day 
Cala Me lôwen! Happy May Day! 
Hei ew gwiskys avel Cala Me!  
Gwiskys ew hei avel Cala Me! 
(Word order affects emphasis.) 
She’s dressed up like May Day! (i.e. She’s over-dressed) 

gwedhen Cala Me ~ gwern Cala Me maypole 

(no mutation, although gwedhen (f) tree and gwern (f) mast or alder would normally cause soft mutation c/k > g) 

Ma'n flehes ow tonsya adro dhe'n wedhen Cala Me. The children are dancing around the maypole 

bleujen Cala Me > bleujyow Cala Me lily of the valley

(May Day flower - also called lily Helles because traditionally worn for the Helston Flora) 

Donsyoryon ha donsyoresow en Helles a dheg bleujyow Cala Me. Dancers (m&f) in Helston wear lilies of the valley.

Calan Gwav ~ Du Halan Gwav ~ Ollsens  
the first day of winter ~ All Saints Day 
Nos Halan Gwav the night/evening before the first day of winter ~  
Halloween or All Hallows Eve 
Calan Genver ~ Du Halan an Vledhen 
the first day of January ~ New Years Day 

Nos Halan an Vledhen the night/evening before the first day of the year ~ New Years Eve 

You can, of course, use Calan for the first day of any month or season, but they are not so well attested. 
We have Calan Gwav - the pagan beginning of the dark half of the year - so why not Calan Hav for the first day of summer – May Day – the pagan beginning of the light half of the year? 

We have Calan Ebrel, so perhaps Calan Hedra, etc. - though no not culturally significant.  

Calan is a fancy way of saying the first day of something on the calendar. 
Generally the first day of something is an kensa dedh. 
De a veu an kensa dedh an mis. Yesterday was the first day of the month. 
Cala Me ew an kensa dedh a vis Me. May Day is the first day of May month. 
Hedhyw ew an kensa dedh a remenat ow bownans. Today is the first day of the rest of my life.