LL-L 'Traditions' 2010.12.30 (04) [EN-RU]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 30 December 2011 - Volume 04
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From: Hellinckx Luc luc.hellinckx at gmail.com
Subject: LL-L 'Seasonal'

Beste Ron,

You know, in the past we've discussed "Guten Rutsch" before, but today I
may be able to shine a new, broader light on it. I know there's an
explanation that traces the expression back to a Yiddish one, but there's
also a connection with the verb "rutschen", meaning "to slip", even "to
travel", if I may believe Wikipedia:

Guten Rutsch – Wikipedia <http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guten_Rutsch>

This is where it gets interesting, as I received seasonal greetings today
from a Tajik friend, in Russian he wrote:

Скоро, скоро всё случится!
Скоро всё произойдёт!
К нам большим драконом мчится
Долгожданный Новый год!
Он несёт на сильных крыльях
Нам здоровье и успех,
Процветание, изобилие,
Много радости для всех!
Но чтоб не спугнуть везение,
И удачно год начать,
Дракона нужно с настроением,
Обязательно встречать!

Unfortunately my Russian skills are nigh nonexistent, therefore I
translated it in Google and thought I got the gist of it. What struck me is
the image of a big flying dragon taking us all from one year to another. I
wanted to check if I understood him well and asked if that's correct. He
confirmed it was.

Moreover, it's a flying dragon, whereas Chinese dragons have no wings
usually. This could mean that Tajik mythology is more European than
Chinese. Anyway, I'd love to know more as to how dragons, snakes and even
worms (= older word for dragon) fit into our common history.

Oh yes, "rutschen" also has a cognate in Brabantish: "een ruts" is a swing
(Schaukel), and "rotsen", as in "rotsen en raan" (= "rotsen en rijden")
means travelling to and fro.

Kind greetings,

Luc Hellinckx, Halle, Belgium


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