Occasional Word in Merechi: sànyis

sànyis   ['sanjis] n. quintuple, quintet; five-day week.

For the final day of chèmbel pëpíümnö, we're doing sànyis, a word meaning a group of five or the five-day week of the mërèchi ceremonial calendar. The word is derived from sàn, five, and -yis, "group of".

There is more variation across mërèchi-speaking lands with respect to the names and attributes of the five days of the sànyis compared to those of the lènyis. In the south, they assign colors to the days -  atými "gold",  làti "green",  kúbi "blue",  càli "red" and  fúi "white" - and consider each day to be associated with one of the Five Useful Things:  kshía fire,  gúta the reed,  ténrëk the pen or stylus,  aník the knife and  dènti the abacus. In the north, the days are called by the names of five animals: hawk, cat, orca, the ganàki lizard, and the turtle.