(Welsh pronunciation: [hɪraɨ̯θ, hiːrai̯θ]) is a Welsh word for homesickness or nostalgia, an earnest longing or desire, or a sense of regret. The feeling of longing for a home that never was. A deep and irrational bond felt with a time, era, place or person.
The word ‘Hiraeth,’ according to the Wikipedia explanation above is a word for homesickness and nostalgia, a longing for a home that never was, perhaps only in your head, a feeling, a sense of something good that you thought existed, but only ever drew breath inside your own imagination, a place that made you feel safe. it’s a bond that can be felt for a time, a place or a person. It is a sanctification of what felt good to us, regardless of whether it ever existed as we remember it.
I heard this word throughout my childhood, either in the classroom or in my home listening to my parent’s conversations. The word can be used to describe the feelings you have due to bereavement, a period of time in your life you remember well, or a feeling of homesickness when you’re away from all that is familiar to you — in many ways, it is a whitewashing of memories that are dear to us, so we can feel better in our present.
Never have we needed this feeling more…
According to Wikipedia, there is a Cornish and Breton equivalent — “hireth” and “hirzezh” respectively. I…
