Day Three Hundred and Sixty-one
Trei Hansves
Dedh ha Trei Ügens hag Onan
De Gwener,
ethves warn ügens mis Kevardhû.
Friday,
28th December
Ma cân coth adro dhe’n dewthek
dedh a Nadelik. Ra fra (praga) ma dewdhek dedh? Martesen thera odhom dhe’n Düs
Fir a dhewdhek dedh rag drehedhes Bethalem. E’n cân o wheg-oll a dhavonas dhebm
royow. An kensa dedh an ro a veu grügyar. A veu va grügyar en gwedhen peren?
Dres lycklod na veu. En Frenkek an ger rag grügyar ew “perdrix” ha ma hedna o
seny pecar’a “gwedhen peren” en Sowsnek. Hanow Laten (ha hen-Greka) an edhen ma
ew “Perdix perdix”. Edhen gam ew
hei. Nag eus bes nebes en Kernow lebmyn – ma mentenours owth ynia tiogow dhe
witha aga glesinyow rag edhyn ow tinethy.
There is an old song about the twelve days of
Christmas. Why are there twelve days? Perhaps the Wise Men needed twelve days to
reach Bethlehem. In the song my true love sent me presents. The first day the
present was a partridge. Was it a partridge in a pear tree? Probably not. In
French the word for partridge is “perdrix” and that sounds like a “pear tree”
in English. The Latin (and ancient Greek) name for this bird is “Perdix perdix”.
It is a game bird. There are only a few in Cornwall now – conservationists urge
farmers to look after their grasslands for breeding birds.
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