Month: October 2024

In the spirit of Halloween, here are some eerie words from around the world: 🎃

-Tengu (Japanese, pronounced ten-goo): In Japanese folklore, Tengu are mischievous mountain spirits with red faces and long noses, known for playing pranks on humans and guarding sacred spaces.

-Poltergeist (German, pronounced pole-ter-gahyst): known globally, this term refers to a noisy ghost that disturbs the living by moving objects or making sounds. 

-Púca (Irish/Gaeilge, pronounced poo-ka): A shape-shifting spirit tied to ‘Samhain’ (Halloween’s Celtic origin), a “púca” appears as a black horse or mischievous goblin. 

Colour is a powerful tool in communication, but its meaning can vary across cultures. 

For example, while white represents purity and innocence in many Western cultures, it symbolises mourning and death in places like China and India. Green represents nature and growth in the West but can carry negative connotations of conflict or infidelity in Indonesia. Even brands like Euro Disney have faced challenges as their use of purple in Europe clashed with its association of death in Catholic countries. 

Have you realised how naming traditions vary across the world? 

For instance, in Japan, baby names are carefully chosen based on Kanji characters, which carry both symbolic and phonetic significance. Parents often consider the meaning in the characters to reflect qualities they hope their child will embody. 

In our home country of Ireland, although English is the main everyday language, many people choose Irish names for their children, such as Saoirse, Oisín and Aoife, which connect to mythological stories and heritage.

Meanwhile in India, names are often chosen based on astrological charts, with Hindu parents consulting astrologers to see that the child’s name relates to their nakshatra (lunar constellation), to bring harmony and good fortune. 

How was your name or your child’s name chosen? Feel free to share your story in the comments – I’d love to hear!

The Arabic influence on Spanish is significant, dating back to nearly 800 years of Arab rule in Spain. Roughly around 4,000 Spanish words come from Arabic, especially those starting with “al” such as alcalde (mayor), algodón (cotton), and almohada (pillow). 

But our favourite of all these is probably “ojalá”, meaning “God willing”, which is a direct borrowing from a well known Arabic expression – who can guess which one?