Happy Mereth Nuin Giliath (or Feast of Starlight) mellyn! I hold this day very near to my heart because I have always been fascinated with the stars, as they happen to be my favourite source of light.
Mereth Nuin Giliath translates directly to "Feast Under Stars", "Mereth" meaning "Feast" and "Nuin Giliath" meaning "Under Stars". But, as I have said before, rough translations are wonderful things, and "Feast of Starlight" sounds better.
Mereth Nuin Giliath or The Feast of Starlight is an elven holiday celebrating the stars. We know it to be celebrated in Mirkwood, but nowhere else, so I'm not sure if it's a holiday all elves celebrate or just the Silvan elves (please don't ask me). It is mentioned in "The Hobbit" novel as simply a feast that is happening the night the dwarves arrive in Mirkwood, but is expanded on in "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" as The Feast of Starlight.
If you, like me, love the stars, I would strongly recommend taking tonight to celebrate the wonder that is the stars. You may be saying "But Carson, how do I celebrate? I didn't have time to plan!" You don't really need to plan a whole party or anything (Not that you should, considering that it's a worldwide pandemic) you just need a blanket, a night sky and a pair of eyes. What I do, is walk out to the amphitheater at my school with a blanket and a group of friends, sit there and look at the beauty of the world we live in.
Especially during this hectic time we are living in, it's nice to know that in the sky there is a constant source of beauty and light that, no matter what, will be there to remind us that the dark world always holds some amount of light.
(I know I mentioned that I go to an amphitheater with friends after discouraging gathering together, but the people I meet with and I all live together, have tested negative for COVID and wear masks. We're students, but we're not that dumb)
YOU ARE READING
A Guide to Sindarin
FantasyÊl hílatha nan lû e-govaded vîn, this is a book to help those who are seeking to learn the lovely Elvish language of Sindarin. It will cover the history of the language and those who speak it, phonetics, alphabet and many other useful bits of inform...
