Thursday 16 December 2010

Bouan Noué, bouan pid! (A Christmas leg-end!)

Colosso di Costantino - Musei CapitoliniJ'avons 'té à liéthe dé tchi entouor Noué auve nos jannes gens - coumme dé raison - viyant qu'ch'est la Fête dé Noué. Et y'a tchiques jours, iun d'nos hardgieaux choppit sus eune expression dans eune histouaithe. "Bouan pid? Mais pouortchi un pid?" I' n'connaîssait pon l'diton. Nou lî'explyitchit qué ch'est un vièr souhait Jèrriais: "Bouan pid, bouan yi, bouanne dent, et l'Paradis à la fîn d'vos jours!" Et coumme dé raison, à chutte saison-chîn nou peut souhaiter Bouan Noué, Bouanne Année, bouan pid, bouan yi, bouanne dent, et l'Paradis à la fîn d'vos jours.

As we've been in the festive season, it's not surprising that some of our youngsters have been reading some Christmassy stories. One lad was pulled up short by one expression: " Bouan pid". What have feet (pid=foot) to do with Christmas? Well, there's an old way of wishing someone well: "Bouan pid, bouan yi, bouanne dent, et l'Paradis à la fîn d'vos jours!" (good foot, good eye, good tooth, and Paradise at the end of your days), so it's not unnatural to add on the seasonal greetings to this catalogue: Bouan Noué, Bouanne Année, bouan pid, bouan yi, bouanne dent, et l'Paradis à la fîn d'vos jours (Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, good foot, good eye, good tooth, and Paradise at the end of your days).

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