2024 Dedh Peswardhek warn Ügens
De Sadorn, tryja mis Whevrel
Saturday, 3rd February
Wòja Calan Whevrel ha Degol Maria an Cantollyow, thera nei ow tos dhe’n tryja dedh a vis Whevrel. Ewa neppeth specyal? Hedhyw nag ewa jorna whel raga vy. Hedhyw, thew an jedh rag perthy cov Sent Ia – prinses dhort Wordhen. Hei a dheuth dhe Gernow “war dhelen”.
Gero nei mires orth nebes geriow rag dedhyow specyal.
After the first day of February and Candlemas, we come to the third day of the month of February. Is it anything special? Today it’s not a workday for me. Today, it’s the day for remembering St Ia – a princess from Ireland. She came to Cornwall “on a leaf”.
Let’s look at some words for special days.
The word de for “day” appears at the beginning of another word used for a special day, celebration or festival.
By extension it means a “holiday” (remembering that the only days that people used to have off work were holy days or days of festivals)
i.e. degol (plural degòlyow).
e.g. degol kebmyn bank holiday, public holiday
e.g. degòlyow scol school holidays
Sometimes the de is missed off, with no change of meaning.
This leaves the second part of the word, with a lengthened vowel, i.e. gool (plural gòlyow), meaning festival or feast of a saint, etc.
e.g. St Ia’s Day Gool Ia (see picture)
e.g. St Piran's Day Gool Peran or Golperan
Degol and Gool are sometimes used interchangeably,
e.g. Michaelmas Degol Mehal and Gool Mehal
A Michaelmas daisy is egor (plural egrow) gool Mehal. (see picture)
Most of the festivals date from when Cornwall was a Catholic country.
Epiphany or Twelfth Night Degol Stool or Degol Stoul
(Lhuyd had “Degl stûl”)
All Hallows or All Saints Day Degol a'n Ollsens
The Annunciation Degol Maria mis Meurth
Candlemas or the Purification Degol Maria an Cantollyow
date of the Immaculate Conception Degol Maria kens Nadelik
Boxing Day (day after Christmas) Degol Stefan (first Christian martyr)
Some festivals are associated with a particular parish or time, where any special religious association may have been lost
e.g. Helston Flora Day Degol an Furry (en Helles)
e.g. carnival Gool Enys (cf. Mardi Gras)
e.g. harvest festival gool deys or goldeys (dialect “guldize”) or degol deys
e.g. a centenary celebration gool cans bloodh
e.g. a day’s holiday, celebration jorna gool
Not just Christian celebrations can be a “gool”:
“Eid al-Adha" Eid al-Ad'ha or Gool an Sacrifis
“Eid al-Fitr" Eid al-Fitr or Gool Diwedh Ramadan
