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Contents
Posts
Can Anyone Help with a Dutch Children’s Song?
Thursday, May 14th, 2009Mrs. Brein from Argentina is looking for two Dutch songs that her father sang to her when she was a child. Here is what they sounded like -the spelling is phonetical
1. Traláreche: Traláreche, traláreche, oh my muther so fader chessen, eisi bebirj, eisi bebirj, oh my muther so fader cheseen. (It was sung while turning the hands from side to side, in place).
2. Oh Susana: Oh Susana, oh Susana, evarescas liver vonder shen, oh Susana evarescas liver shein. Sjeimen ofen drepken, sjeimen ofen drepken, has das kleinen esen trepken, Sjeimen ofen drepken, sjeimen ofen drepken, has das kleinen esen trepken (sung faster and faster).
If anyone can help Mrs. Brein, please let us know in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Traditional Dutch Children’s Songs from 1895
Thursday, February 26th, 2009Peter pointed out an online collection of traditional Dutch songs published in 1895. The site is only in Dutch. Some of the songs may have archaic language. But it may be interesting for those of you who speak the language.
Thanks for letting us know about this site Peter!
-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 Someone Help with a Dutch or Frisian Children’s Song?
Saturday, June 7th, 2008Chris sent me this email:
Greetings! Google led me to your website when I was looking for help. I hope this request doesn’t end up being too difficult!
I’m not a fluent Dutch speaker (in fact, I know very little Dutch at all beyond the basics). But my grandmother is the daughter of a Dutch immigrant, and she was raised as an “American Dutch girl” in Iowa.
She just celebrated her 94th birthday, and we’ve seen a decline in her mental faculties over the last decade or so. But one thing she still remembers – are the old children’s songs that she heard as a girl from her father. She remembered the song well enough that she could even sing it to my two-month-old daughter when we came to visit!
Unfortunately, because of her mental condition, she would not be able to write the song down. But she dictated the original words (along with what I think is a non-literal English translation) to my mother, who did her best to write down the Dutch sounds phonetically. We have no idea if her phonetic words are even close to the original Dutch words.
Another complication: the language might not actually be Dutch, but Frisian, since her father came to Iowa from Ternaard, in Friesland. But if it’s possible, I’d like to find the original words to the song, as well as a more literal English translation. Here goes our best attempt at writing down the song:
Original Dutch (?):
Suza nona Popkin
Kelta lyin gropka
Mam in huis Sofear van hoos
See caneet verrupkeEnglish gloss:
Just a little calf, there
Lying in the straw there
Mother and father so far from the house
They can’t hear him crying.Thanks in advance for any direction you can provide!
Best regards,
:Chris
If anyone can help out Chris, please comment below.
Thanks in advance!
Lisa
Does Anyone Know a Dutch Children’s Song the Title of which Sounds like “Saitcha Fara”?
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008Elyse wrote:
Does anyone know anything about an old Dutch children’s song about girls and boys picking flowers, drinking tea and sweet milk with honey, giving chickens water, and the clock striking ten? My grandmother sang it to me years ago. The title sounds like “Saitcha Fara” though no such Dutch words with those spellings exist in my dictionary. I’ve never seen the song or the title in writing.
Elyse
If anyone can help out with this song, please comment below or email me.
Thanks!
Mama 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!
Can Anyone Help with a Dutch Song that goes “”In the Vintertime when the vind blows…”"?
Wednesday, October 31st, 2007Gail wrote me:
Greetings Lisa,
I am wondering if you have ever heard of a Dutch children’s song that starts out: “In the Vintertime when the vind blows…” some of the other words were vindowpane and vestibule. It goes something like:
In the wintertime when the wind blows (and something) then frost forms on the windowpane… (something else) and then a phase containing – in the vestibule.
Thank you so much for your assistance. My grandmother used to sing it to me and I don’t remember the words. I having been trying to find out about this little ditty for around 30 years. With your help, I may finally get an answer.
Thank you so much!
Gail E. Mann
If anyone can help with this song, in Dutch and/or English, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
Does Anyone Know the Dutch Song “”Het Maria Klokje”"?
Sunday, July 15th, 2007Lorraine simply wrote, regarding “Het Maria Klokje”:
Do you know this song? Thanks Lorraine from Ontario Canada
If anyone knows the lyrics to this song, please comment below or email me. If you can possibly provide an English translation, that would be great too.
Thanks!
Lisa
Does Anyone Know a Song, Possibly from Spain, called “Chichiwa”?
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007Sarah wrote:
My father-in-law came back from Spain singing this song called “Chichiwa”, and my 5 year old son loves it, but none of us know the words. Can anyone help? I’ve been trying to find it on the internet and there are references to it on a couple of Dutch websites, but no lyrics.
Hope someone can tell us more about it!
Sarah
If anyone can help out with this song, please comment below or email me.
Thanks!
Lisa
UPDATE: Maxine wrote to me that this song is in Spanish. She heard it while on vacation in Majorca. She wrote…
It starts off:
Compania (Hands go around head)
Brassand dah (Arms go outstretched)I then do not know the rest of the words, but the arms are then in a position to become some sort of creature… where the verse is Chichiwa, chichiwa, chichiwa wa wa
I’ve written to the holiday company on the hope they can help!!
Does Anyone Know the Dutch Song, “”Klap eens in je handjes, blij blij blij”"?
Monday, March 19th, 2007Nancy wrote:
Dear Lisa,
Do you know this Dutch song? My mother used to sing it to our children in the 1960’s:
Klap eens in je handjes, blij blij blij…
Appreciate if you can let me know the rest of it and any background history you may have.
Thanks,
Nancy Reimers
If anyone can help out with this song, and an English translation if possible, please comment below.
Thanks!
Lisa
Can Anyone Help with an Bahasa Indonesian Translation of a Little Song Called “Cat’s Head”?
Sunday, March 18th, 2007We have a special circumstance where we’re looking for a Bahasa Indonesian translation of a song called Cat’s Head. The song is originally Dutch. We were able to get an English translation of it. If anyone can translate it into Bahasa Indonesian from either language, we would greatly appreciate it. Both versions are below:
Cat’s Head
(English)It was the birthday of the cat’s head.
His little legs were celebrating
His little tail could not join the party,
It recently has been ill,
He just came out of the hospital
And he has such a pain in his throat
All the dancing and jumping
Is too much for him.Kat Kop
(Dutch)De kop van de kat was jarig
zijn pootjes vierden feest
het staartje kon niet meedoen
dat is pas ziek geweest
het kwam pas uit het zieken huis
en had zo’n pijn in z’n keel
en al dat dansen en dat springen
dat was hem veel te veel.If you’re able to provide a translation, please comment below or email me.
Thanks in advance for your help!
-Lisa
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
Free Online Language Dictionaries
Friday, December 22nd, 2006While I have this link at hand, I’d like to recommend www.freedict.com. It’s a site devoted to free online language dictionaries. You can translate between English and the following languages:
Afrikaans
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French
Hungarian
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Latin
Norwegian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Swahili
SwedishI find that it can usually succeed at translating the words I need.
Feel free to recommend other language dictionaries that you like in the comments below.
-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.
St. Nicholas Arrives in Holland on a Steamboat with his White Horse
Sunday, December 4th, 2005Kirsten Kerkhof wrote me the following about St. Nicolas Day in Holland…
“In the Netherlands, Christmas is not as important for children as Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicholas) on December 5th. It’s on this day that children get their presents, instead of on Christmas Day. Sint Nicolaas is the patron saint of children. He is said to come from Spain, although the real Sint Nicolaas came from what is now Turkey.”
In November St. Nicholas arrives on a steamboat from Spain, with his helpers and his white horse. Children go to watch his arrival.
Here’s a song they sing in Dutch, with an English translation…
Zie Ginds Komt de Stoomboot
(Dutch)Zie ginds komt de stoomboot,
Uit Spanje weer aan.
Hij brengt on Sint Nicolaas,
Ik zie hem al staan.
Hoe huppelt zijn paardje,
Het dek op en neer,
Hoe waaien de wimpels,
Al heen en al weer.Zijn knecht staat de lachen,
Hij roept ons reeds toe.
Wie zoet is krijgt lekkers,
Wie stout is, de roe.
Oh, lieve Sint Nicolaas,
Kom ook toch bij mij,
En rijd toch niet stilletjes,
Ons huisje voorbij.Look, There is the Steamboat
(English)Look there is the steamboat
From far-away Spain.
It brings us Saint Nicholas,
I can see him, waving.
His horse is a-prancing
On deck up and down,
The banners are waving,
In village and town.His servant is laughing
And tells everyone,
The good kids get candy,
The bad ones get none.
Oh, dearest Saint Nicholas,
If Pete and you would,
Just visit our house,
For we all have been good.Here’s a version of Look, There is the Steamboat from Belgium…
Zie Ginds Komt de Stoomboot
(Dutch)Zie ginds komt de stoomboot,
uit Spanje weer aan.
Hij brengt ons Sint-Nikolaas,
ik zie hem al staan.
Hoe waaien de wimpels,
al heen en al weer.
Hoe huppelt zijn paardje,
het dek op en neer.
Zijn knecht staat te lachen,
en roept ons reeds toe:
“Wie braaf is krijgt lekkers,
wie stout is de roe.”See There Arrives the Steamboat
(English)See there arrives the steamboat,
From Spain again.
It brings us Saint Nicolas,
I see him standing there already.
Look how the flags,
Flutter back and forth.
Look how his little horse,
Hops up and down the deck.
His servant stands there, laughing
And he shouts at us:
“Who’s good, gets sweets,
Who’s bad, gets the whip.”Here’s another St. Nicholas song from Belgium…
Hoor de Wind Waait
(Dutch)Hoor de wind waait door de bomen,
hier in huis zelfs waait de wind.
Zou de goede Sint wel komen,
nu hij ‘t weer zo lelijk vindt?
nu hij ‘t weer zo lelijk vindt?Hoor wie stapt daar kinderen?
Hoor klopt daar kinderen?
Hoor wie tikt daar zachtjes tegen ‘t raam?‘t Is een vreemdling zeker?
Die verdwaald is zeker?
Ga maar vlug eens vragen naar zijn naam!Sint Nikolaas! Sint Nikolaas!
Breng mij vanavond ook een bezoek!
en strooi dan wat lekkers in een of d’andere hoek!Hear How the Wind Blows
(English)Hear how the wind blows through the trees,
Even here inside the house the wind blows.
Will the good Saint come,
When the weather is that bad?
When the weather is that bad?Listen, who’s stepping there children?
Listen, who’s knocking there children?
Listen, who’s tapping, softly at the window?Must be a stranger, I’m sure?
Who lost his way, I’m sure?
Quickly, go and ask his name!Saint Nicolas! Saint Nicolas!
Please visit me too, tonight!
And throw some sweets in this or that corner!Many thanks to Kirsten Kerkhof for contributing the version of Zie Ginds Komt de Stoomboot from Holland and for her helpful comments, and to Rudy Welvaert for the Belgian songs. Dank u wel!
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Netherlands Page for more Children’s Songs from the Holland and…
The Mama Lisa’s World Belgium Page for more Belgian Children’s Songs.
Happy Sint Nicolaas!
Lisa
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