Month: February 2023

There is a Swedish word “Lagom” which refers to when something is just the right amount. 

It is attested to come from the plural dative form of lag (“law”), so literally “with the laws”. Folk etymology claims that it derives from a phrase used in Viking times: “laget om”, which means ‘to the whole team’. It’s allegedly used to describe how much mead or soup one should drink when passing the bowl around a group, to make sure that everyone received a sufficient portion. It speaks to the idea of equity and balance.

Waldeinsamkeit is a German word that describes the feeling of solitude and interdependence with nature when being alone in a forest. It is a compound word made of ‘der Wald’ (forest) and ‘die Einsamkeit’ (loneliness). 

Similarly, there is the word “Waldbaden” (forest bathing), in which people connect with the forest through the senses. This concept actually originates from the Japanese term  ‘Shinrin-Yoku’. Shinrin means “forest,” and yoku means “bath.” So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmosphere, or taking in the forest through our senses.

Pancake Tuesday, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday, is a tradition that’s been around for over 1000 years. The word ‘shrove’ originates from the word ‘shrive’. 

Historically, shriving is a Christian ritual in which you confess your sins prior to receiving absolution for your sins. This process is done in preparation for Lent, a six-week period of fasting. Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday.

In addition to this, Shrove Tuesday is known as Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) in many countries. It is the day before the beginning of Lent, and the last day of the Carnival, a period when the usual restrictions of daily life are temporarily lifted. In cities such as New Orleans (U.S.), Rio Janeiro (Brazil), and Venice (Italy), there are week-long festivals leading up to Mardi Gras.

The well-known Danish word “Hygge” (pronounced hue-guh) suggests a very strong feeling of cosiness, of a special moment, alone or with friends, where you feel utterly content, reassured, comforted, and even connected if you’re among loved ones. Interestingly, it is much more common to use this term in the month of November. 

There are around 14 words that express “love” in the Arabic language. Each word for “love” describes specific stages of falling in love. For example, “Al-Hawa” describes the initial attraction towards someone, “Al-Shaghaf” when love begins to surface within,  “Al-Huyum” the insanity that follows falling in love, and “Al-Istikana” a blind desire.

Ireland is the only country in the world to have a musical instrument as its national symbol. As a testament to the country’s history of music, Ireland uses the harp as its national emblem. It is found on the state coat of arms and on the euro coins minted in Ireland. 

The Harp was first recorded as the arms of Ireland in medieval times. The model for the current standard representation of the heraldic Harp is the 14th century harp now preserved in the Museum of Trinity College Dublin, popularly known as the Brian Boru or Brian Borumha Harp.

There is a German word for making something worse while trying to fix it – Verschlimmbessern. The term verschlimmbessern is colloquial, and it is a fusion of verschlimmern (“to make something worse”) and verbessern (“to make something better”). Thus, verschlimmbessern means making something worse while intending to make it better.

There is a welsh word ‘Hiraeth’ (pronounced he-reyeth) that describes a nuanced kind of homesickness. It is not limited to only missing a place or a home. Instead it has a multi-layered meaning, in that it translates to a kind of unattainable longing for a place, person or time that is unreachable and perhaps doesn’t even exist. It is not inherently negative, as it also suggests a place of comfort that you can return to. It combines elements of longing, nostalgia and homesickness.

The Basque language, also called Euskera, is spoken in the Western edge of the Pyrenees in Spain and France. The latest figures show that there are around 900,000 speakers today.

It is said to be the only remnant of the languages spoken in southwestern Europe before the region was Romanized in the 2nd through 1st century BCE. Interestingly, there is a high concentration of Palaeolithic sites and cave art within this area of the Pyrenees. This is one of the factors that has been investigated in the identification of Euskera’s linguistic roots.

Despite the efforts of many researchers to shed light on the origins of the Basque language, the linguistic roots remain speculative. Euskera is known as a language isolate, which means that it has no relation to another known language or that its connections with other languages are yet to be discovered.

“Omiyage”’ is the Japanese word for souvenir, although the concept of omiyage has a more nuanced significance than its direct translation. Omiyage is a souvenir that is purchased for others, rather than yourself. Specifically, it is a gift that you buy for your work colleagues, family and friends after returning from a trip. The gift often represents something unique and specific to the place you have visited, and is wrapped in a brightly coloured box. Bringing back omiyage is a sign of respect and appreciation for those you left behind whilst abroad.