Can Anyone Help with a Norwegian Rhyme with the Line, “Kan du gleme gammel Norge”?

David Russett wrote: I'm trying to find the words to a Norwegian rhyme or song. The only part I know goes something like: Kan du gleme gammel Norge? O vey! Ya, ya, gleme kan! Or it may be: Kan du huske gammel Norge? Ove! Ya, Ya, huske kan! Does anyone know the rest of this little rhyme? Some of the old Norwegians [...]

Lyrics to the Norwegian Birthday Song with an English Translation and YouTube Videos

Here are lyrics to the Norwegian Birthday song “Hurra for deg som fyller ditt år!” (Hurray for You for Celebrating Your Birthday). It's a birthday song written by Margrethe Aabel Munthe (1860 — 1931): Hurra for deg som fyller ditt år! (Norwegian) Hurra for deg som fyller ditt år! Ja, deg vil vi gratulere! Alle i ring omkring deg [...]

Mama Lisa Now Has a Facebook Group

We'd love it if you'd join the Mama Lisa Facebook Group. You can post anything you'd like about your culture. You can post your own musical recordings or YouTube videos… Links to culture and musical sites… Photos of your country… Questions about songs or cultural issues… Anything related to World Culture and [...]

Bay Ridge — A Norwegian Neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York

Guest Blogger, Ed Gawlinski, has been involved in many cultural organizations throughout his life. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, near Bay Ridge, which was then a Norwegian neighborhood. The Norwegian neighborhood is now a great place for Middle Eastern cuisine. There are many fine restaurants in this area. Many of the [...]

Can Someone Help with a Norwegian Lullaby?

Janice wrote: My grandmother used to sing me a Norwegian song that sounded like this: Kishey louie barnay Glueten stewie yarnay I remember that it meant “Rock-a-bye my baby, put her in the kettle”, but of course my mom says that's not true! Do you have any idea what the song was or what the translation would be? Thanks, Janice If anyone can [...]

May Celebrations

Guest blogger Ed Gawlinski sent me this short post about celebrations in May… On May 5th a lot of people in the United States are going to have tacos or burritos for lunch to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. On May 5th of 1862 Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halted a French invasion of Mexico in [...]

Can Someone Help with a Norwegian Song about a Horse with the Line, “Stodola Pumpa”?

Jeanette wrote me… Good Evening; My husband's Grandmother was from Norway and she used to sing a song to him as a little boy about a poor man's horse, a rich man's horse, a soldier's horse etc. My children and Grandchildren only remember the chorus — and only phonetically as they remember my husband (who is [...]

Symbolic Foods Eaten Around the World for New Years

In many parts of the world, the foods eaten on New Years Eve and New Years Day have important symbolic meanings. These symbols seem to fall into several major categories. The first class symbolizes financial prosperity. This type of food is round like coins. Often, the dish will be round beans, like lentils, [...]

A Santa Lucia Day Song and Saying, plus why it's a Festival of Light

Several days ago I wrote a post about the Santa Lucia holiday in Sweden and Scandinavia. A popular saying associated with this holiday is: Lucy Light, The Shortest day & The Longest Night. This saying celebrates the association of St Lucia's Day, December 13, with the Winter Solstice which, under the old Julian calendar, used to fall [...]

St. Lucia's Day in Sweden and Scandinavia

Santa Lucia's Day is celebrated on December 13th in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. It commemorates the life of Santa Lucia, who is also known as Saint Lucy. St. Lucy was born in Syracuse, Sicily around 283 and died in 303 AD. The myth is that her parents wanted her to marry a man [...]