A Year of Late Cornish

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Trei Ügens ha Pemp De Sadorn, üdnegves warn ügens mis Kevardhû Saturday, 31th December Theram ow qwitha ort dew flogh wydn, diw gath, üdn kei ha üdn  hogh Gyny. Ma whans dhe nebes esely ow theylû a weles dallath an Vledhen Nowydh. Gwell ew genam mos dhe'n gwely a-varr. Etho my a lavar "Re bo sowena, lôwena ha yehes en Vledhen Nowydh dhe bub onan." Solabres thew Calan an Vledhen gen agan cowetha ha kerens en Âwstraly ha Zelond Nowydh. I'm looking after two grandchildren, two cats, one dog and one guinea-pig. Several members of my family want to see the start of the New Year. I prefer to go to bed early. So I say "May there be success, happiness and health to everyone in the New Year." Already it's New Year's Day with our friends and relatives in Australia and New Zealand.

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Pajar ha Trei Ügens De Gwener, degves warn ügens mis Kevardhû Friday, 30th December Sowena! My a drouvyas ow hamera en copart - dres lycklod cüdhys dhort ow mab wydn feryek en kensa le, nena nakevys. Etho, my alja kemeres foto a'n rüdhek bian ma. Thera va ow mires ortham et ow lowarth. Ev a ganas ha my ow lavürya. Martesen thera va ow còrtos rag bulük ha preves.  Success! I found my camera in a cupboard - probably hidden from my inquisitive grandson in the first place, then forgotten. So, I could take a photo of this little robin. He was watching me in my garden. He sang as I was working. Perhaps he was waiting for earthworms and insects.

2022 Dedh Trei Hans Trei Ügens ha Trei De Yow, nawhes warn ügens mis Kevardhû Thursday, 29th December Ma greun rüdh dhe'n kelyn, bes na ellen nei aga debry. Da lowr ens rag edhyn. En gwav, terweythyow ma whans dhebm a dhebry mor rüdh bes nag ew an sêson còmpes rag mor cala (po sevy) ha moyar rüdh. E'n gwelha pres, my ell perna frûtys an hav rewys. Nag ens mar dha avel  frûtys er, saw thens gwell avel tra veth. Warlergh tradicyon, thera nei ow tebry sows ys rüdh gen yar Gyny, saw nag era vy ow tebry kig ha nag eus sows dhebm. My alja cawas ys rüdh sehys. Nei ell perna lies ehen a vor an hav sehys keffres ha'n re rewys. The holly has red berries, but we can't eat them. They are OK for birds. In winter, sometimes I want to eat red berries but it's not the right season for strawberries (or wild strawberries) and raspberries. Fortunately I can buy frozen summer fruits. They are not as good as fresh fruit, but they are better than nothing. Traditionally, we eat cranberry

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Trei Ügens ha Dew De Merher, ethves warn ügens mis Kevardhû Wednesday, 28th December Nei a wel an kelyn en nebes curlys. Kelyn ew meurgerys rag termyn Nadelik. Ma "An Kelyn ha'n Idhyow" keffres ha'n Curl Sent Dey. Otta versyon aral an  Curl Sent Dey. 1. Greun gwydn eus dhe’n kelyn, `ga wydn `vel an rew, Ha dinethys veu Jesus, an üdn Mab Duw. (pednposorn) Ha Jesus ew ’gan Salvador, agan pernas der y woos, Ha’n kelyn o an kensa dhe devy e’n coos, Kelyn, Kelyn, Ha’n kelyn o an kensa dhe devy e’n coos. 2. Greun glas eus dhe’n kelyn, ’ga las ’vel an gwels, Ha Maria dheg Jesus, a verwas dhe’n crows. (pednposorn) 3. Greun dû eus dhe’n kelyn, ’ga dû ’vel an glow, Ha Maria dheg Jesus, veu gorrys en vow. (pednposorn) 4. Greun rüdh eus dhe’n kelyn, ’ga rüdh ’vel an ros, Ha Maria dheg Jesus a dhassorhas e’n nos. (pednposorn) We see the holly in several carols. Holly is popular for Christmas time. There is "The Holly and the Ivy" as well as the St D

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans  Trei Ügens ha Wonan De Meurth, seythves warn ügens mis Kevardhû Tuesday, 27th December Ass ew degolyow sqwithüs! Martesen na vedham mar skith avorow.  How tiring holidays are! Perhaps I won't be so tired tomorrow.

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans ha Trei Ügens De Lün, wheffes warn ügens mis Kevardhû Monday, 26th December Ma curl a'n Oos Vyctoria rag hedhyw. Metêrn Wenceslas Da a wrüg mires a-ves war an Gool Stefan". Soweth, nag eus treylyans dhebm! Bettegens, na veu Wenceslas metêrn. There is a Victorian carol for today. Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen". Sadly I have no translation! Anyway, Wenceslas was not a king.

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Nawnjek ha Dewgens De Sül, pempes warn ügens mis Kevardhû Sunday, 25th December Du Nadelik a dheuth hag eth! An flehes o lowen gans aga royow. Nag eus tra veth sqwachys whath. Thera boos ha dewes lowr rag pubonan ha na veu nagonan clav po medhow. Na wrüg nagonan ombla po argya. Whath thera nei oll ow cowsel an eyl gen y gila. Henn ew sowena! Ha thew avorow dedh aral. Christmas Day came and went! The children were happy with their presents. Nothing is broken yet. There was enough food and drink for everyone and nobody was sick or inebriated. Nobody fought or argued. We are all still talking with one another. That is success! And tomorrow is another day. 

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Etek ha Dewgens De Sadorn, pajora warn ügens mis Kevardhû Saturday, 24th December Ma Du Nadelik ow tos. Na vedh degòl dhe nei òbma terebo De Sül, bes solabres thera degòlyow hanter-gwav en Kernow. En Pensans e veu Degòl Montol rag an cottha dedh, hag en Porth Enys e veu Nos Tom Bawcock. Keniver termyn en gwav down ma lies golow rag drivya an tewlder dhe ves, ha tüs gwiskys en tòllwisk. Ma mûsek ha dons ha whedhlow (An Gath Porth Enys rag sampel). Christmas Day is coming. We won't have a celebration here until Sunday, but there were already mid-winter celebrations in Cornwall. In Penzance there was a Mantol Festival for the shortest day, and in Mousehole there was Tom Bawcock's Eve. Every time in deep winter there are lots of lights to drive away the darkness, and people dressed in disguise. There is music and dance and stories (The Mousehole Cat for example).

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Seytek ha Dewgens De Gwener, tryja warn ügens mis Kevardhû Friday, 23rd December Ma Nadelik ow tos ha nag eus termyn luck dhebm rag gwil puptra 'car dr'ew res. Da via genam gwil lies tra - bes na ellama! Martesen avorow.  Christmas is coming and I don't have enough time for doing everything that one must. I'd like to do many things - but I can't! Perhaps tomorrow.

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Whetek ha Dewgens De Yow, nessa warn ügens mis Kevardhû Thursday, 22nd December En ymajys a Nadelik nei a wel an Werhes Maria ha'y flehik Jesus. Ma hy goor Josef ena ewedh, keffres ha lies omweler. Nei a wel bügoledh, metêrnedh (po tüs fir) ha eledh. Mons ow trei royow a on arw ò dhel, owr, fronkensens hag er.  Nei a gan an re ma en curlys Nadelik. Otta radn curl!  Trei  metêrn  on an Howldrevel, Ha 'gans royow a-dhia bell, Dres bre ha ros, reb carn ha coos, Dre steren meur y nell:      A Steren marthys, Steren ras,      Steren ha dhedhy golow bras,      Dhe'n howlsedhes 'vel travalyas      Hembronk nei en rag dhe'n wlas. In Nativity images we see the Virgin Mary and her little boy Jesus. Her husband Joseph is there too, as well as many visitors. We see shepherds, kings (or wise men) and angels. They are bringing gifts of a symbolic lamb, gold, frankincense and myrrh. We sing of these in Christmas carols. Here's a bit of carol!

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Pemdhek ha Dewgens De Merher, kensa warn  ügens mis Kevardhû   Wednesday, 21st December Ma pub tra ow chânjya. Agan mab a wrüg chânjya chei. Lebmyn ev a vedh moy nes dhe nei en Kernow. Hedhyw, thew an cottha jorna a'n vledhen. Mantol ew. Mantol lowen dhe whei oll! Ewedh, ma arwòdh an Zodiak ow treylya dhort "An Sether" dhe "An Aver".  Everything is changing. Our son has moved house. Now he will be closer to us in Cornwall. Today it's the shortest day of the year. It's the Solstice. Happy Solstice to you all! Also, the Zodiac sign is changing from Sagittarius (The Archer) to Capricorn (The Goat).

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Peswardhek ha Dewgens De Meurth, ügensves mis Kevardhû Tuesday, 20th December Curl Nadelik meurgerys aral, dyllys e'n cres an nawnjegves cansbledhen, ew "Mir emesk ergh an gwav". Creiys o va "An Hymn rag Nadelik". Rag fra o an düs en Oos an Vetêrnes Vyctoria mar kelmys dhe natoledh en gwav yeyn, hag ergh? Nag ew Bethlehem ajonys rag ergh! Martesen thew an ergh arwòdhel. Ma ergh ow tisqwedhes glanythter emesk pehasow an bes. Otta an kensa gwers ha burdhen: Mir, emesk an ergh ema Genys dhen e'n norves-ma, Omdhisqwedhys ew an On, Gwres an ambos coth ragon. Burdhen:  Mettinweth venegys, hayl!                   Bora an Daspernyas, hayl!                   Dre Jerusalem canowgh                   Crist en Bethlem genys ew.  Another popular Christmas carol, published in the middle of the 19th century, is "See amid the winter snow". It was called "The Hymn for Christmas". Why were the people in the Victorian era so obsessed wi

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Terdhek ha Dewgens De Lün, nawnjegves mis Kevardhû Monday, 19th December Curl an bobel meurgerys en Kernow ew "My a wrüg  gweles gorhel trei " (Ha my ow sedha war dobmen howlek).  Câ n pur goth ew hebma, dyllys en kensa en seytegves cansbledhen. Neppeth kehaval a veu kenys en Scottlond en whetegves cansbledhen. Leverys ew dr'o an curl kenys gen tüs bal a Gernow, ow tos emann dhort an tewlder en dadn an dor dhe'n howlsplan awarra. Otta dew wers. My a  wrüg  sedha war dobmen las,      Nadelik wydn, Nadelik wydn, En golow an howl, Nadelik wydn,      Du Nadelik en mettin. Ha my a wrüg gweles gorhel trei      En udn wolya ow tremena, Ha my a  wrüg gweles gorhel trei,      Du Nadelik en mettin. A popular folk carol in Cornwall is “I saw three ships” (As I sat on a sunny bank). This is a very old song, first published in the 17 th  century. Something similar was sung in Scotland in the 16 th  century. It is said that the carol was sung by Cornish miners

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Dewdhek ha Dewgens De Sül, etegves mis Kevardhû Sunday, 18th December Chenon Doble o bardh an Orsedh (Gwas Gwendron). Ev a guntellas whedhlow ha canow a'n bobel. Onan o Curl Sent Dey, en Sowsnek. Ev a dhescas hedna dhort lowarther en Pensans. An lowarther, henwys Watson, a wrüg desky an curl y honan dhort Thomas Beard,  den coth an pluw Sent Dey, nebes  bledhednyow  moy kens. Watson a brederas dr'o an curl orijinal o en Kernowek, etho ev a'n treylyas. Ha ev a scrifas pajwora gwers. Ma recordyans a Watson ow cana war cylinder cor. Ma nebes treylyansow, otta  üdn  kensa gwers. Ma erel. Canon Doble was a bard of the Gorsedh (Servant of Gwendron). He collected folk stories and songs. One was the St Day Carol, in English. He learnt that from a gardener in Penzance. The gardener, called Watson, learnt the carol himself from Thomas Beard, an old parishioner of St Day, several years earlier. Watson thought that the original carol was in Cornish, so he translat

2022 Dedh Trei Hans Üdnek ha Dewgens De Sadorn, seytegves mis Kevardhû Saturday, 17th December Ma nebes curlys scrifys gen benenes. Udn venyn, prydedhes ha scrifores hymnys, o Cecil Frances Alexander. Hei a veu genys en Wordhen, e'n nawnjegves cansbledhen, bes hei a scrifas en Sowsnek. Lebmyn thew hy curlys ha hymnys meurgerys treylyes en lies tavas. Epscop Benson a dhewisas "Kens en Cita Davyth Riel" dhe dhallath y ceremony a naw lesson ha naw curl en Peneglos Truru. An kensa gwers ew kenys gen canor solo. Otta an kensa gwers en Kernôwek.    Kens en cita Davyth riel B ô wjy isel o sevys, Gens an vabm mayth era g ò rrys En presep hy flogh münys: An Vabm whar o Maria, Jesu Crist an flehik-na. There are several carols written by women. One woman, poetess and hymn writer, was Cecil Frances Alexander. She was born in Ireland, in the 19th century, but she wrote in English. Now her much-loved carols and hymns are translated into many languages. Bishop Benson chose "Once in

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans ha Hanter Cans De Gwener, whetegves mis Kevardhû Friday, 16 th  December Üdn curl Nadelik meurgerys ew “Nos Taw”, scrifys e'n nawnjegves cansbledhen en Âwstria. E veu scrifys gen pronter yonk wòja an Casow Napoleonek. Whath cottha ewa vel “A-bervedh en Presep”. UNESCO a'n declaras “ertach gonisegethek antavadow”. An gwersyow orijinal ew en Almaynek, bes treylyes ens en moy es trei hans tavas. Lies recordyans re gwres. Ma whedhel. An eglos a veu livys ha'n organ shyndys. Res veu an mester keur seny gytar. Otta an kensa gwers en Kernôwek. Taw ew an nos, sans ew an nos: Oll en còsk, oll heb tros. Lebmyn ow colya en crow, ot an dhew, Gwerhes ha'y meppik wheg, crüllyes y vlew, Gòrta en còsk cres an nev! (x2) Hag otta an curl en Godhalek. One popular Christmas carol is “Silent Night”, written in the 19 th  century in Austria. It was written by a young priest after the Napoleonic Wars. It is even older than “Away in a Manger”. UNESCO declared it an “intan

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Dogens ha Naw De Yow, pemdhegves mis Kevardhû Thursday, 15 th  December Pandr'ew curl Nadelik an moyha kerys? Martesen thew “A-bervedh en Presep”. Coth lowr ew ev, scrifys en nawnjegves cansbledhen. Piw a'n scrifas? Piw a wör? Dyllys veu va en lever bian rag scolyow Sül en America. An scrifer mûsik o William J. Kirkpatrick, ser predn e'n kensa dallath. Thera whedhel emesk meur a bobel dr'o an cân kenys e'n kensa dallath gen Martin Luther dh'y flehes. Saw nag ew hedna gwir. Nag eus geryow enwejek en Almaynek. Otta an kensa gwers en Kernôwek. A-bervedh en presep, heb gwely na lesk, An Arlòdh bian, Jesu, en cres ev a gòsk; Sterednow a'n ebòrn, a vir war wòles, An Arlòdh bian, Jesu, en gora settyes. What is the most popular Christmas carol? Perhaps it's “Away in a Manger”. It's quite old, written in the 19 th  century. Who wrote it? Who knows? It was published in a little book for Sunday schools in America. The music composer was Wi

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Dogens hag Eth De Merher, pajardegves mis Kevardhû Wednesday, 14th December Genys veu an brydedhes Christina Rossetti en mis Kevardhû, ken Nadelik, ha hei a verwas en mis Kevardhû, wòja Nadelik - genesigeth wavek ha mernans gwavek. En mil eth cans trei ügens ha dew, hei a dhescrifas genesigeth gwavek aral en pemp gwers. Lebmyn ma mûsek dhe'n cân ha thew ev curl Nadelik meurgerys, "En Cres an Gwav Garow".  Da ew genam cana curlys Nadelik, ke nag eus da genam lev wheg! Otta an kensa gwers. En cres an gwav garow      'kyny gwens mar  ô r, Dowr o fast ha marow,      hornek o an dor. Ergh a g ü dhas oll an tir,       güdhas oll a tir. En cres an gwav garow,       nanj ew termyn hir. The poet Christina Rossetti was born in December, before Christmas, and she died in December, after Christmas - a wintry birth and a wintry death. In 1872, she described another wintry birth in five verses. Now the poem has music and is a popular Christmas carol, "In

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Dogens ha Seyth De Meurth, terdhegves mis Kevardhû Tuesday, 13th December Et ow lowarth, gellys ew an rew ha'n keserednow. Et y le, leyjek ew ha ma dhen promys a ergh!  Kernow ew parys! Ma pemp  trònk-carr warn ügens gen grow ha holan rag an vorrow meur. Saw nag eus na grow na holan rag an lies  bôwnder  ha lies trolergh. Kemerowgh with war droos. In my garden, the frost and hailstones are gone. Instead, it is muddy and we have a promise of snow! Cornwall is ready! There are 25lorries with grit and salt for the major roads. Though there is neither grit nor salt for the many lanes and many footpaths. Take care on foot.

  2022 Dedh Trei Hans Dogens ha Whegh De Lün, dewdhegves mis Kevardhû Monday, 12th December Garow ew an gewer hedhyw. Re yeyn ew hei dhe whilas e'n crow! An gòlowow a res gòrtos. Ma howl e'n ebòrn ha ma'n rew ow terlentry. An gwedh ew dû bedn an ebòrn. Radn anodhans ew noth bes ma whath del war wedh bythwer. Ma'n pelednow arhans war an wedhen Nadelik ow tastewydnya gòlowder a'n howl (ha'm gwlânek rüdh!).  The weather today is harsh. It's too cold to search in the shed! The lights must wait. There's sun in the sky and the frost is sparkling. The trees are black against the sky, Some of them are bare but there are still leaves on evergreen trees. The silver spheres on the Christmas tree reflect the sunlight (and my red woolly!). Gerva   Vocabulary bythwer  evergreen <  gwer  green crow  (m)  shed dastewydnya  to reflect (throw back) garow  rough, bleak, harsh, etc. gòlowder a'n howl  (m)  sunlight, sunshine gwlânek   (m)  woolly, jumper, etc. noth