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dnowicki
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 9:10 am Post subject: Question about Easter greetings

I was wondering whether the Easter greeting Wesolego Alleluja is still in common use in Poland. It was the usual Easter greeting used by my grandparents and their contemporaries, the form they brought along when they immigrated to America. Just curious about the contemporary use in Poland. Thanks.
Dave

BobK
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 5:47 pm Post subject: Re: Question about Easter greetings

dnowicki wrote:

I ran your "Wesolego Alleluja" through Google and it gave me back "Happy Easter" -- BUT "Alleluja" alone didn't translate at all!?!
I'd guess it is "hallelujah" (looks like it)

Wesołych Świąt is also "Happy Easter" and I've only seen that on Polish Easter cards. Interestingly, Google says that
"Happy Easter" translates to "Wesołych Świąt" but reverse it and "Wesołych Świąt" translates to "Merry Chistmas"!!!!!

I hope someone that speaks Poland well can explain those anomalies.

Elzbieta Porteneuve
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 6:34 pm Post subject:

Greetings Dave and Bob,

"Wesołych Świąt" means "Happy Holidays" in English or "Joyeuses fêtes" in French, it can be used for Christmas or for Easter.
But you don't say "Merry Holidays" or "Merry Easter" ?

When you want be more explicit, it is:
Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia for Christmas, or
Wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych (variant Wielkiej Nocy) for Easter

or in French:
Joyeux Noël (variants: Joyeuses fêtes de Noël, Bonnes fêtes de Noël), for Christmas
Joyeuses Pâques, for Easter

Alleluja is definitely for Easter, one word alone translates by Google into alleluia (or with h).

My 2 cents.

Elzbieta

BobK
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 7:20 pm Post subject:

Ok, that makes sense..
The more I play with Google though, the more confusing it gets..

"Christmas" translates to "Boże Narodzenie", but "Świąt" translates to "Christmas"
And both "Boże" & "Narodzenie" as single words, has no translation to English..

Most puzzling, or most "Googly" is: "Happy Holidays" in English which becomes "Happy Holiday" in Polish or Russian

I guess that's why my mother gave up trying to get me to understand Polish.. I'm too literal (Logic) minded.
German was easier to learn as English derives from Germanic root language.

dnowicki
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:05 pm Post subject:

Easter Greetings to Elzbieta & Bob,

Thanks for your responses.

Elzbieta, Which form of Easter greeting would be most commonly used in Poland today?

Bob,
Google translations are simply literal translations of words from one language to another, but accurate translation from one language to another also requires the use of idiomatic expressions. In Polish Easter is expressed as "The great night" (wielka noc) and this originates from the ancient Christian custom of keeping night vigil as a solemn preparation for a celebration or other great event. Since Easter is the great Christian feast, the night vigil was "the great night vigil" to distinguish that vigil from all other vigils. Although English has some Germanic roots, it actually has been influenced to an even greater degree by Latin (and also Classical Greek). 65% of our English words are derived from Latin and 10% from Classical Greek. The Germanic and Greek roots explain some of the far from simple rules for English spelling like farmer is a word of Germanic origin, but a word with the same initial sound like "phone" has a radically different spelling and the reason is that phone comes from Greek and the ph is the symbol for the Greek sound. And that sort of trivial knowledge and a dime used to get you a transfer on any bus in Chicago in 1960.

Dave

dnowicki
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:15 pm Post subject: Easter Greetings

Another bit of trivial knowledge---Wishing happy Easter by saying "Wesolego Alleluja" originates from one of the characteristics of the Catholic liturgy. For the vast majority of the year the reading of the Gospel at Mass is preceded by the Alleluia verse. However, before the beginning of the penitential season of Lent Alleluia was not used and it only reappears (and with great frequency) before the reading of the Gospel during the Easter vigil service. Using that expression as part of Easter greetings was a way of expressing joy for something which had been absent for a long time.
Dave

Elzbieta Porteneuve
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Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:29 am Post subject:

dnowicki wrote:

Elzbieta, Which form of Easter greeting would be most commonly used in Poland today?

Easter Greetings to All,

Thank you for Latin and Greec explanations Dave.

My observation of wishes received in Polish (this Easter), few emails, two SMS, no more cards ... are:

two "wesołych spokojnych Świąt Wielkiej Nocy" from Poland
two "Wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych" from Poland or Germany
one Smacznego jajeczka! from Poland
one WESOŁEGO ALLELUJA from Poland
one wesolego Aleluja from Canada

Smacznego jajeczka -- means litteraly Tasty Egg, Google gives it in plural, tasty eggs

Elzbieta

sirdan
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Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 1:32 am Post subject:

I don't know what are origins of greetings, but i can say what is in common use today in Poland. Halleluiah is just same as Alleluja. Speaking for myself, I don't use "Wesołego Alleluja" at all. I can find merely on postcards nowadays, it sounds rather bit oldschool.
"Wesołych świąt" is in common use for Christmas holidays. Easter is not happy holiday (before the day of resurrection), but anyway, You can say "Happy holidays" or better: Wesołych świąt Wielkanocnych or Wielkiej Nocy - Elżbieta pointed that. Very common in use is to add to greetings about Happy chickens or ram, tasty eggs Smile

Nowadays young people send text messages with Easter rhymes, there are lot on internet. I'm not sure if that rhyme "tradition" existed earlier time.

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