Recipe for Orehovki – Bulgarian Walnut Cookies

Orehovki (...) are Bulgarian cookies that are eaten at Christmas time and throughout the year. They remind many Bulgarians of their childhood. As a bonus, they're gluten free and easy to make. Here's the recipe... Recipe for Orehovki Makes 20 cookies Ingredients 2 cups Walnuts (225g.) 1 1/2 cups [...]

Tropanka – A Bulgarian Dance

The tropanka is a folk dance from the Dobruja region of Bulgaria. In Bulgarian, it's spelled . It's traditionally danced as a line dance in the shape of an arc.  The dancers generally hold hands throughout the dance. There are many regional variations to it. You can listen to the Tropanka [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Bulgarian Song?

Roger wrote asking for help.  Here's what he emailed us: Dear Lisa, I am trying to find information about a song which I believe to be Bulgarian. I starts: Todora todorke vecheya la lisi... Obviously I'm not sure about spelling. Do you know it? Thanks for any info, Roger If anyone can help [...]

The Symbolism of the Egg

As Easter approaches, it's natural to think a little about eggs! In days gone by the egg, due to its shape, was a symbol of the earth. Thanks to its obvious association with the beginning of life, it has also been the basis of many ancient creation stories. It has been a symbol of fertility, [...]

Elaborately Decorated Eggs for Easter In Eastern Europe

Guest Blogger, Ed Gawlinski, has been involved in many cultural organizations throughout his life. Here, he discusses Easter traditions in several Eastern European cultures. A common custom is to color hard boiled eggs for Easter. We usually colored them on Good Friday, while eating hot cross [...]

International Scouting Campfire Songs – “Can you send us one from your country?”

Larraine wrote to me looking for Scouting Campfire Songs from around the world. Here's what she wrote, followed by my response with some suggested songs and sites to go to for help: Dear Mama Lisa, It has been suggested that I contact you with my request. I am the sketch producer of “The [...]

Mama Lisa's World News and Multimedia Features

A significant part of the Mama Lisa sites is a large collection of songs and nursery rhymes from around the world. We currently have about 750 songs from around 90 countries and cultures. When you consider how many languages there are in those cultures – that's a lot of information! In [...]

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

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 [...]