Game Instructions

The children stand in a circle. A child (Lady White) stands in the middle and another child goes out of it, s/he's the hornet.

The children in the circle sing: "Doña Blanca está cubierta de pilares de oro y plata, romperemos un pilar para ver a Doña Blanca, quién es ese jicotillo que anda en pos de Doña Blanca" ("Lady White is covered with pillars of gold and silver. We'll break a pillar to see Lady White. Who is this little hornet in pursuit of Lady White?").

The hornet answers, "Yo soy ese jicotillo que anda en pos de Doña Blanca"(I am this little hornet in pursuit of Lady White.) and asks: "¿Está ahí Doña Blanca?" ("Is Lady White home?")

The children in the circle answer, "No está, fue… (a cualquier lugar, a misa, al mercado, a la playa…)" ["She isn't, she's gone to… (anywhere, to mass, to the market, to the beach…)".]

The child who's the hornet asks this several times until the children answer that yes, Lady White's home. Then the hornet points to the places where the children hold hands and asks "¿de qué es este pilar?" ("What is this pillar made of?"). The children answer "de oro" ("of gold"). The hornet then points to another spot and asks again, "What is this pillar made of?" The children answer, "de plata" ("of silver"). The hornet goes on asking, "¿Y éste?" ("And this one?"). The children answer, "de madera" ("of wood")... "de vidrio" ("of glass")… until they get to "de papel" ("of paper").

When they say that the pillar is made of paper, the hornet breaks it. Lady White starts running out of the circle and the hornet must catch her. The hornet is allowed to catch her only when she's out of the circle, if she manages to get back inside, she can't be caught any more. If the hornet catches Lady White, she becomes the hornet and the hornet joins the circle. Then someone else is chosen to play as Lady White.

Download

MP3: Monique Palomares

Download MIDI Tune

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Carlos Arturo Casas Mendoza for contributing this song.

¡Muchas gracias!