Mama Lisa's Books

Father's Day Traditions Around the World

In America, we celebrate dad on the 3rd Sunday of June by treating him to his favorite meal or spending quality time doing something he loves. But that's not the case in every country. Every culture has their own ways to show appreciation to their fathers. For example, in South Africa families [...]

Makar Sankranti – A Harvest Festival in India

Makar Sankranti is a harvest festival in India and Nepal that's celebrated around January 14th every year. It not only celebrates the beginning of the harvest season, but also the end of the monsoon season in southern India. It also marks the lengthening of days and the warm weather of spring to [...]

Stupas – Buddhist Spiritual Monuments

We take a lot of hikes and recently we've been coming upon arrangements of stones stacked on top of each other like those in the photo.  I couldn't help but wonder if there's a significance to these sculptures? My cousin, James Yannucci, who has travelled all over Asia and lives in China [...]

May Day – Labor Day Marches and Rallies Around the World

In an earlier entry, I wrote about the history of Labor Day. In case you were wondering, here are some of the countries where demonstrations were held or where Labor Day was in some way honored around the world today (in some cases against the wishes of the government)... Russia Belarus Japan [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Cuban Rhyme/Finger Play that starts with “Chiquitica así”?

Jeannie Backer wrote to us for help with a Cuban Finger Play. Here's her note... My mother from Cuba used to sing a song/rhyme to usthat I only partially remember, maybe you have heard something similar. It's not a song as much as a cute thing that a child says to adult to ask for

The [...]

About the Song “Cooma Lotta Veesay”

We received the note below with the song “Cooma Lotta Veesay”. Many variations of this song exist, including “Kumala Vista”. It also shares lyrics with the action song called “Flee, Fly, Flo“. Here's the email: “In the late 1950s, we lived near a [...]

Does anyone know this version of Catalina Matelina?

Dennis Lytle wrote to us asking for information about a rhyme: “Any info on the rhyme my parents taught us would be appreciated... I tell you bout vat girl of mine vat looks so sveet and dress so fine, vat come from Dootchland on the Rhine a couple of veeks ago. Her eyes are blue [...]

Make a Dragon Card for The Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is on February 10th this year. It's the year of the Dragon! The dragon symbolizes power, nobility and ambition. Since dragons are so cool, I decided to make homemade cards featuring them. Fortunately, there's a free tutorial online showing how to draw one. You can purchase [...]

Most Popular Christmas Cookies by State in the USA

Google Trends has released a map of the Christmas cookies most searched for by state. It's interesting how popular Italian Christmas cookies are along the east coast. There's more variety in the westward states. Though interestingly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the favorite cookies in New Mexico [...]