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Contents
Posts
Signs of Spring
Friday, March 27th, 2009It’s amazing that people over 5000 years ago knew enough about astronomy and the seasons to create a cave and have specific chambers within it be lit up by the sun only on specific days of the year… specifically on the solstices and equinoxes.
I’m talking about the Loughcrew Megalithic Cairns in Ireland.
Michael from Newgrange.com sent me this:
"At the 5000 year old Loughcrew megalithic cairn T in Ireland, the rising sun on the mornings around the equinox illuminate the passage and chamber."
You can see cairn T being lit up on March 20th of this year in the photo below.
When you stop and think about it, it’s really amazing that mankind was able to work out the placement of the sun in this detail over 5000 years ago!
Check out Signs of Spring the Big Picture to see photos "from Stonehenge and Mayan pyramids to Dutch meadows and Texan beaches" that show different signs Springtime is coming in the northern hemisphere.
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
Mama Lisa Now Has a Facebook Group
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009We’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 Music…
Click on the icon below to access the group. If you have a Facebook account already, you just need to click on “Join the Group” to join. If you’re not a member, you simply have to sign up for free to become a member and then you can join the Mama Lisa Group…
Looking forward to seeing you in Facebook!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with a Short Irish Lullaby?
Sunday, November 9th, 2008I received this email today…
I am desperately searching for any words to any short Irish lullaby. A friend of my is pregnant and I want to put the lullaby on fabric for her as a baby shower present. Thank you so much for your time.
I asked my colleague, Monique, in France, if she had any suggestions. She wrote:
Perhaps she can write just one verse of one of these lullabies below…
Too ra loo ra loo or…
The Connemara Cradle Song or…Irish Lullaby
I’d rock my own sweet childie to rest
In a cradle of gold, on a bough of the willow,
To the sho-hen sho of the wind of the west
And the lull-a-lo of the soft sea billow.
Sleep, baby dear,
Sleep without fear,
Mother is here beside your pillow.
Sleep, baby dear,
Sleep without fear,
Mother is here beside your pillow.I’d put my own sweet childie to sleep
In a silver boat on the beautiful river,
Where a sho-heen whisper the white cascades,
And a lull-a-lo the green flags shiver.
Sleep, baby dear,
Sleep without fear,
Mother is here with you for ever.
Sleep, baby dear,
Sleep without fear,
Mother is here with you for ever.Lull-a-lo to the rise and fall
Of mother’s bosom ’tis sleep has bound you,
And O, my child, what cosier nest for rosier rest
could love have found you?
Sleep, baby dear,
Sleep without fear,
Mother’s two arms are clasped around you.
Sleep, baby dear,
Sleep without fear,
Mother’s two arms are clasped around you.If anyone can suggest any other Irish lullabies, pease let us know in the comments below.
Many thanks to Monique Palomares of Mama Lisa’s World en français for her suggestions!
-Lisa
Looking for Specific Translation to Tum balalaika
Sunday, May 4th, 2008Tum balalaika is a Yiddish folk song. John Ringo wrote me that he was looking for help finding a version from his childhood that’s different than the one we have posted (click the link for our version). Here’s what he wrote…
I was actually looking for a set of lyrics to this I remember from my childhood. I could recall the last two verses but not the first. My recollection (from, gulp, 30+ years ago) was that the introductory verse was less about a ‘young man trying to choose the right wife’ than a minstrel trying to woo a girl smarter than he was.
If I might dare to suggest an alternate translation to the last two verses:
Maiden, maiden, this I must know.
What can grow without rain or snow?
What can blaze and never die?
And what can weep and never cry?Tumbala tumbala tum balalaika
Tumbala tumbala tum balalaika
Tum balalaika, play balalaika
Tum balalaika laugh and be gay.Idle lad you’re joking I know.
A stone can grow without rain or snow.
Love can blaze and never die
And a heart can weep and never cry.Chorus.
It’s just a more singable version in English. I used to use it as a lullabye for my kids.
Now if I can just find the translation of the first verse.
Take care,
John Ringo
If anyone is familiar with a version of the first verse of Tum balalaika that’s about ‘a minstrel trying to woo a girl smarter than he was’, please let us know about it in the comments below, or you can email me.
Thanks in advance!
Lisa
Symbolic Foods Eaten Around the World for New Years
Saturday, December 29th, 2007In 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, that will expand when it cooks, symbolizing expanding fortunes. Another financial symbol is food with big green leaves, representing paper money. The green may also be for growth. Foods like this are cabbage, collard greens and kale. Golden colored foods are also good for financial rewards in the New Year.
The second type of New Years food symbol represents the hope of having food on the table throughout the year. Pork is one important symbol of eating well year round. It’s also a sign of prosperity. In the olden times, if your family had a pig, you were doing well!
In some countries, actually having food on your table and/or plates at the stroke of midnight is a sign that you’ll have food throughout the year.
A third symbol involves eating sweet food in order to have a sweet year. In some countries people bake a coin in a sweet cake and the person who gets the coin will have good luck throughout the year. In Spain, Portugal, and parts of South and Central America, 12 sweet grapes, one for each month of the year, are eaten at midnight. The hope is to eat 12 sweet grapes to have 12 sweet months!
Fish is thought to symbolize good luck in many countries.
Another symbol for good luck involves eating food in a ring shape – like doughnuts or ring shaped cakes. This represents coming full circle to successfully complete the year – that’s good luck.
In Japan, long Buckwheat Soba noodles symbolize long life. Just don’t break them while you’re eating them!
Here’s a list of some symbolic food types and the places where they’re eaten for the New Year. Feel free to let us know what’s eaten for New Years in your country, in the comments below.
Round Food (Like Coins for Monetary Luck)
Italy, Brazil & Germany (Lentils)
Germany (Pancakes)
Philippines (Round Fruit)
Southern US (Black-eyed Peas)Green Leafy Vegetables (Like Paper Money for Monetary Luck)
Southern USA (Collard Greens & Turnips)
Denmark (Kale)
Germany (Sauerkraut)Golden Food (Like Gold for Monetary Luck)
Southern USA (Corn Bread)
Pig (Symbol of Plentiful Food in the New Year)
Hungary (Roast suckling pig with a 4 leaf clover in its mouth)
Italy (Cotechino con lenticchie – pork sausage with lentils)
Germany (Kassler mit Sauerkraut – financial luck)
Pennsylvania Dutch (USA – Pork with Sauerkraut)
Austria
ChinaFood on the Table or Plate at Midnight (Symbol of Plentiful Food in the New Year)
Germany
PhilippinesSweets (Symbolic of a Sweet Year or Good Luck)
Hungary (Doughnuts)
Greece (Round cake called Vasilopita – made with a coin baked inside – whoever gets the coin is lucky throughout the year)
Israel (Jewish New Year – Apple dipped in honey & grapes)
India
Egypt (Candy for kids)
Korea (Sweet Fruits)
Norway (Rice Pudding with an almond inside – good luck to the one who gets the almond)12 Grapes at Midnight (Symbolizing 12 Sweet Months)
Spain
Portugal
Mexico
Cuba
Ecuador
PeruRing Shaped Food (Good Luck)
Mexico (Rosca de Reyes – Luck)
Netherlands (Olie Bollen – Doughnut)Fish (Symbol of Good Luck)
Germany (Herring & Carp)
Poland (Pickled Herring)
Denmark (Boiled Cod)
Italy (Dried Salted Cod)
Japan (Red Snapper – Pink is a lucky color)
Vietnam (Carp)
China
Sweden (Seafood Salad)A Happy, Lucky and Prosperous New Year to All of You!
Mama Lisa
Many thanks to Ed Gawlinski for pointing out that they eat lentils in Italy for the New Year, which lead me on this long quest that resulted in this discussion!
Happy Saint Stephen’s Day
Thursday, December 27th, 2007Ed Gawlinski pointed out that today is St. Stephen’s Day. He wrote…
St. Stephen’s Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian saint’s day celebrated on December 26th in the Western Church and December 27th in the Eastern Church.
In Irish it is called Lá Fhéile Stiofán or Lá an Dreoilín – the latter translates literally as another English name used, the Day of the Wren or Wren’s Day.
There is a song that goes with this day …
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
On St. Stephen’s Day was caught in the furze*,
Up with the kettle and down with the pan,
Give us some money to bury the wren.*A prickly, dense evergreen shrub.
On Wren Day, people go from door to door dressed in motley attire, sometimes with ribbons, singing and asking for money. This is based on an ancient tradition that’s still practiced in parts of southern Ireland.
It was also the tradition to “bleed” horses (i.e. to let some of their blood out for medical purposes). It was thought to be good for them. Of course, they now know it’s not! In Austria, priests still bless horses on this day, since St. Stephen is the patron saint of horses.
-Mama Lisa
Many thanks to Ed Gawlinski for letting us know about St. Stephen’s Day and for the midi tune of the Wren Song!
A Little about Limericks
Thursday, March 15th, 2007In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a little information about limericks.
A limerick is a five-line poem, with the rhyming pattern A-A-B-B-A.
In other words, lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme with each other. They usually have 7-11 syllables per line.
Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other and have 5-8 syllables per line.
Limericks can be sung or recited.
Here’s an example of a limerick, written by Frank Richards.
From the elephant paddock one day,
They took poor Barbara Woodhouse away;
There’s no harm in the least,
Shouting ‘Sit’ to the beast,
But she should have got out of the wayOne tale behind the word Limerick is related to the city of Limerick in Ireland. It’s said that in the 1800’s, when people would gather together for parties and such, they would sing little nonsense songs. The songs talked about people of different towns around Ireland, but they ended with the line “Will you come up to Limerick?” It’s told that these songs followed the pattern of limericks. There’s no printed proof of any of this. But that’s one of the legends about limericks!
It seems that the limerick form was known in the 1800’s. But Edward Lear from England is the man who made it popular with “A Book of Nonsense”, which was published in 1846. It contained limericks that he illustrated.
Here’s one of Lear’s limericks with an illustration:
There was an Old Man with a nose,
Who said, ‘If you choose to suppose,
That my nose is too long,
You are certainly wrong!’
That remarkable man with a nose.So when you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, along with your corn beef and cabbage, don’t forget to recite a few limericks!
You can find more of Edward Lear’s Limericks online at Nonsense Books by Edward Lear at Project Gutenberg.
Spanish Translations of English Children’s Songs
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007Jackie wrote us looking for some Spanish versions of English songs.
Online, at Mama Lisa’s World, we already have Itzi, bitzi araña, which is the Spanish version of Itsy Bitsy Spider. There’s also Estrellita, which is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in Spanish. You can click on the links for the lyrics in Spanish with English translations.
Monique, at Mama Lisa’s World en français, and I will be working on a Spanish version of Mama Lisa’s World this year. It will feature children’s songs from around the world in the original languages with Spanish translations. Monique’s already translating some of the songs into Spanish.
Since Jackie was also looking for a Spanish version of Lavender’s Blue, Monique translated it for her. So, as a preview of Mama Lisa’s World en español, here’s Lavender’s Blue, the old English song, with an mp3 of the tune and a Spanish translation (it’s a literal translation of the English version)…
MP3 of Lavender’s Blue – Piano Recording of the Tune
(Performed by Susan Pomerantz)Lavender’s Blue
(English)Lavender’s blue,
Diddle diddle,
Lavender’s green,
When I am king,
Diddle diddle,
You shall be queen.Call up your men,
Diddle diddle,
Set them to work,
Some to the plow,
Diddle diddle,
Some to the cart.Some to make hay,
Diddle diddle,
Some to cut corn,
While you and I,
Diddle diddle,
Keep ourselves warm.Lavender’s green,
Diddle diddle,
Lavender’s blue,
If you love me,
Diddle diddle,
I will love you.La lavanda es azul
(Spanish)La lavanda es azul
Diddle diddle
La lavanda es verde
Cuando sea rey
Diddle diddle
Serás reina.Llama a tus hombres
Diddle diddle
Mándalos a trabajar
Algunos al arado
Diddle diddle
Algunos a la carreta.Algunos a hacer heno
Diddle diddle
Algunos a cosechar trigo
Mientras tú y yo
Diddle diddle
Nos mantenemos al calor.La lavanda es verde
Diddle diddle
La lavanda es azul
Si me quieres
Diddle diddle
Yo te querré.¡Aprovechen! (Enjoy!)
-Lisa
Many thanks to Susan Pomerantz for the piano recording and to Monique Palomares for translating Lavender’s Blue ahead of schedule.
How to Find Sheet Music, Tunes and MP3’s on Mama Lisa’s World
Saturday, January 6th, 2007In addition to this blog, I also host Mama Lisa’s World. Mama Lisa’s World is a large collection of children’s songs and rhymes from countries all around the globe.
Matt, a music teacher from Rhode Island, wrote a question to me, the other day, about Mama Lisa’s World:
Hey Mama,
I love the concept of your site. It’s been exciting to watch it grow. My only frustration is not being able to find either written (preferably) or audio music to accompany the lyrics. How do I find the tunes for all these great lyrics?
Matt
Music Teacher, Rhode Island, USAHere’s what I wrote back, I’m sharing it with you, in case it helps you too…
Hey Matt,
Thanks for writing!
We’ve just added basic sheet music to a lot of songs on the Germany, France, Hungary, Spain and Mexico pages – plus many others.
We’re now in the process of converting the whole site to a database. We’re halfway through. Hopefully by the summer we’ll have a feature that will let you do a search on songs that have sheet music, midis or mp3’s. Midis play the tune of a song. MP3’s are recordings – usually of someone singing the song.
But for now, the songs on the countries that are in the database are working on a simple system. On the country pages they have symbols next to the song if they have special features. Here’s the key…
KEY TO SYMBOLS
– this song has sheet music
Midi – this song has a Midi tune
MP3 – this song has an MP3 recording
– this song has a Video recording
If there’s anything in particular you’re looking for, you’re welcome to ask – in case I know if we have it or not – I may be able to guide you to the right place to find what you’re looking for.
And, of course, we’re always looking for more sheet music, midi’s and mp3’s, so if you’d like to contribute any from your culture, we’d be thrilled!
I hope this helps!
Mama Lisa
Mama Lisa’s World News and Multimedia Features
Thursday, November 30th, 2006A 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 order to make it easier to access all of the songs, we are in the process of converting the sites to a database. The database allow our visitors to search for songs on the site by language, by songs with sheet music, recordings, etc.
While we’re putting the songs into the database, we’re trying to obtain as much information as possible about each song. So if we can find the tune, we’ll include a midi tune and sheet music. If we find a recording of the song on the internet, we’ll provide a link to the recording. Sometimes we’ll make a recording ourselves. Anything we can do to help you know everything possible about that song.
If you happen to see any songs on the site that are missing a tune or recording and you know it, we’d be very pleased if you could help us get the tune. We’re able to make midis from sheet music, if that’s what you can send. We’re also happy to post recordings if you’d like to sing the song, play it on an instrument, or even hum it. Really, anything to help others get an idea how to sing or play the song.
Once the database is complete Mama Lisa’s World will have 98 countries and cultures and over 850 songs. How great is that!
-Lisa
UPDATE: The Database is now complete! We have 100 countries and cultures. We’re now working on a Spanish version of Mama Lisa’s World which will feature children’s songs, folks songs and nursery rhymes from around the world with Spanish translations.
Looking for a Song Sung to Babies in Ireland about That Shirt Me Mother Made for Me
Tuesday, November 14th, 2006Mary wrote me looking for the full lyrics to an Irush lullaby:
My sister-in-law is trying to find a lullaby sung to her as a child but she doesn’t know the title. She has a very new little grandson…
I remember the day that I was born
T’was a frosty winter morn
The doctor said I was a chubby chap
And when the nurse she put me on her lap
She washed me all over I remember
And powdered me all up you see
Then she put me in the cradle by the fender in that little shirt
me mother made for me.Anything you can help us with would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mary Cunningham
If anyone knows more lyrics to this lullaby, or the name of it, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
My Mom’s Recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day
Wednesday, March 15th, 2006
Corned Beef and Cabbage is a very traditional meal that Irish Americans eat for St. Patrick’s Day.
I’m one-eighth Irish. My great grandmother came from Ireland. The tradition of eating Corned Beef and Cabbage was passed down through the family to my Mom. Here’s Mom’s delicious, and easy, recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage.
We like to serve it with Mustard, Boiled Potatoes, Rye Bread and/or Irish Soda Bread, and Ale. Some people like it with Prepared Horseradish.
Recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage
Corned Beef (3-4 pounds)
Fresh Cabbage1) Clean corned beef by rinsing it under cold water.
2) Place in large pot and cover meat with cold water.
3) Bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer.
4) Cook for 2-3 hours, until tender when pierced with a fork.
5) Meanwhile, to prepare the cabbage, take off and discard its outer leaves.
6) Rinse cabbage well under water.
7) Remove any imperfections from the cabbage.
8) Cut cabbage into 4ths or 8ths, depending on the size of cabbage pieces you prefer.
9) Once the meat is done, remove it from the water. Place cabbage in the same water and bring to a boil. Then let it simmer for about 10 to 20 minutes, depending upon how wilted or firm you like your cabbage.
(Some people prefer to cook the cabbage with the corned beef during the last 10-20 minutes of cooking the meat.)
10) Drain the cabbage and cover to keep it warm.
11) Slice the corned beef in thin slices, against the grain.Enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe Mom!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Top of the Morning to You All!
Lisa
Please Send An Endearing Term for Grandma and Grandpa in Your Language
Wednesday, March 15th, 2006Kathy wrote me…
Dear Mamalisa,
I was delighted to find your website and will be using it in the future. I am researching translations for the word “grandma” in various languages. I am most interested in the familiar, sweet terms children might call this individual. I am aware that in some cultures this would be a different word for the mother or the father’s side of the family. I have spent hours on Internet, through many websites as well as your website and links. I have thus found: Cajun, Hawaiian, Ukrainian, Italian, Scottish, Irish, Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Farsi. I am not clear about Russian or Greek since I am not completely sure of their letters. Now I am certainly not expecting you to do hours of research for my project. But I thought you might be familiar with an easier way for me to accomplish my task.
For example, I happened on a page called “I Love You” in Various Languages and found 18 pages for “I love you”. Wow! Anyway, whatever help you can give me would be much appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Kathy
If anyone knows any endearing terms for “grandma” and “grandpa”, including any in those languages listed, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
St. Patrick’s Day
Sunday, March 12th, 2006
About St. Patrick
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in Roman controlled Britain around 390. He died on March 17, 460. March 17th is when Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated.
St. Patrick was abducted by Irish raiders when he was 16 and was taken to Ireland, which was pagan at that time. There he was sold into slavery and forced to work as a shepherd for 6 years. It was during this time that he became devoutly religious. He also learned to speak the Celtic language and he learned about Druidism, a pagan religion practiced in Ireland.
After 6 years, he is said to have had a vision in which God told him to leave Ireland. He escaped to Britain. That was when he is said to have had a second vision in which God told him to return to Ireland one day as a missionary. After that he began training as a priest in France, where he was ordained. Eventually he was sent back to Ireland to convert the pagans to Christianity.
Legends about St. Patrick
St. Patrick decided to try to convert the Irish by using their preexisting symbols and traditions. One legend is that he created the Celtic cross. The sun and moon were important symbols in Ireland. They were shown by drawing a circle. With this idea in mind, the legend says that St. Patrick superimposed a circle onto the cross to make the cross more familiar and important to the Irish people.
Another popular legend about St. Patrick is that he banished all the snakes from Ireland. It’s thought that the snakes were really a symbol for the pagans and that he rid Ireland of all the pagans by turning them into Christians.
He is also said to have used the shamrock in his teachings. He related its three leafs coming out of one stem to the three part trinity (the father, son and the holy spirit) being the one god of Christianity. That’s why the shamrock is one of the symbols of St. Patrick’s Day.
Traditions of St. Patrick’s Day in the US and Ireland
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was actually held in the US in the 1700’s by Irish soldiers. The tradition of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade continues to this day.Irish Americans also established the tradition of wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day and decorating with the symbol of the shamrock or three leaf clover. In Ireland they wear a sprig of a real shamrock on their clothes. Girls in Ireland will wear a green ribbon in their hair. But they’re careful not to wear any other green! In Ireland people believed that the fairies loved green and if they saw anyone wearing that color, they would steal them away.
In the US, the traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal is corned beef and cabbage, sometimes potatoes, Irish soda bread and Irish beer (which is sometimes dyed green!).
In Ireland they might eat a popular dish called colcannon, which is made with mashed potatoes, onions and kale. (This is also a traditional meal for Halloween.) They might also eat Irish bacon (which is like ham), potatoes and possibly cabbage. They might also eat Irish soda bread. The children eat lots of sweets.
In Ireland, they’ll greet each other saying in Gaelic, Beannacht na feile Padraig oraibh, in English, May the Blessings of St. Patrick be with you. In the US, you’ll often see sayings about the “Luck of the Irish”.
In both the US and Ireland, people were traditionally given a reprieve from the Lenten fast and were able to eat meat in celebration of this special day.
St. Patrick’s Day has only recently become a bigger celebration in Ireland. It used to be only a religious celebration and pubs weren’t even allowed to open on this day. The law was changed in 1995 when the Irish government decided that St. Patrick’s Day was a good opportunity to promote Irish culture. They established the St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, that takes place over several days. About one and a half million people attend it.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! May the luck of the Irish be with you!
Lisa
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Ireland Page for some Irish Songs to sing for St. Patrick’s Day!
________
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