Happy Halloween and Samhain

[frameacloud]

Comic for Monday, October 30, 2006.


No, it's not about therianthropes or otherkin; this one is somewhat off-topic, although festive. Anyone who looked at the cartoon and is still wondering "who?" then refer to the Wikipedia article about Samhain. It's a Celtic holiday corresponding to Halloween and a modern version of it is celebrated by Wiccans and some Pagans. It's actually pronounced more like "sow-in" or "sa-vin," but the common joke is that newbie Wiccans/Pagans tend to pronounce it the way it's written.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Don't forgot Japan. The locals say Nihon, the people are Nihonjin, the language is Nihongo, and it keeps going. So why do we call it Japan? We may never know.

[(Anonymous)]

Actually...

Japan:
1577, via Portuguese Japao, Dutch Japan, acquired in Malacca from Malay Japang, from Chinese jih pun "sunrise" (equivalent of Japanese Nippon), from jih "sun" + pun "origin." Earliest form in Europe was Marco Polo's Chipangu. Colloquial abbreviation Jap is from 1880, not originally pejorative but became so during World War II. Cultural contact led to japaning "coat with laquer or varnish" (1688), along with japonaiserie (1896, from French), japonica (1819, from variant Japon), etc. Japanese beetle attested from 1919, accidentally introduced in U.S. 1916 in larval stage in a shipment of Japanese iris. Japlish "Japanese with many English words" is from 1960.