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Day of the Dead

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

Today and tomorrow, November 1st and 2nd, are the Day of the Dead. It’s celebrated in Mexico. Family and friends get together to remember those who have died. People also make alters to the dead and visit the graves of their loved ones.

We went to a Mexican restaurant this evening and saw an alter.

Day of the Dead Alter

There were skulls on it made of sugar, and favorite foods and drinks of loved ones who have passed away. A woman who works there told me about some of the desserts that were on the alter. One was made of sweet potatoes and another of guava fruit…

Day of the Dead Desserts

They gave us a special hot chocolate drink and sweet tamales for dessert, specially for the holiday.

The lady who works there told us how in small towns in Mexico they decorate their houses with flowers in the doorways and petals strewn about the floor. Marigolds are particularly important. It sounds pretty.

The day is all about celebrating those loved ones who have passed on. It’s nice to have a day each year specifically for that.

Check out some other posts about the Day of the Dead…

•Day of the Dead

•A Song about Skeletons in Spanish with an English Translation from Costa Rica

•Skull Poem for the Mexican Day of the Dead

•About the History of Halloween and The Day of the Dead ("Los Dias de los Muertos")

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, Holidays Around the World, Mama Lisa, Mexico, Photos, Photos of People, Photos of Places, The Day of the Dead | 2 Comments »

Walt Whitman’s Woods and his Poem "Miracles"

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

We took a walk today in Walt Whitman’s woods in West Hills, on Long Island, east of New York City. I highly recommend taking an autumnal hike or stroll if you can. Then you may feel the truth in Whitman’s line, "As to me I know of nothing else but miracles". There’s much beauty out there. Here are some photos I took in Walt’s woods, followed by his poem "Miracles", and then recordings of two people reading the poem.

Miracles
by Walt Whitman

Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.
To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim-the rocks-the motion of the waves-the ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?

*****

MP3 of Miracles read by Jeannette Selig

MP3 of Miracles read by Mark J. Wilson

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, English, Fall, Languages, MP3 Recordings, Miracles, Nature Photos, Photos, Photos of Places, Poems, Poetry, Poets, Seasonal, USA, Walt Whitman | 1 Comment »

A Little about Indonesia with some photos of Indonesian Kids!

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

I learned this week that Indonesia has tens of thousands of islands. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Indonesia has 13,670 islands, over half of which are inhabited. Wikipedia puts the number over 17,000. The truth is that the number of islands continuously changes due to seismic activity in the area.

Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, after China, India and then the US.

Here’s a photo taken by Marlina Efrida of some Indonesian kids. What I love about this photo is that it shows how children are alike all over the world. Our kids love to make faces and signs when they have their photos taken too!

Here’s another lovely photo from Indonesia by Marlina…

If you’d like to share any photos from your country, feel free to email me.

Many thanks to Marlina Efrida for sharing her photos and to Lin Fdln and Dedy Subandowo for telling me about Indonesian life!

Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Indonesia pages for Indonesian kids songs.

Cheers!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, Indonesia, Photos, Photos of People, Photos of Places | 4 Comments »

Proverb: Time and tide wait for no man.

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Now’s a good time to keep this proverb in mind… if you’re going to take a walk on the beach or near a river… you may want to check a high tide chart… because…

Time and tide wait for no man.

My husband and I almost learned this lesson the hard way today. We were taking a hike on the shore of a river… on the way back we noticed the water was very obviously rising. Good thing we decided to turn back when we had or we would have had to swim back and I wouldn’t have had these lovely shots to take home (my camera would have gotten wet!)…

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, England, English Proverbs, Photos, Photos of Places, Proverbs, Sayings, USA | 3 Comments »

Scarecrows in Gambia, Africa

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

I blogged recently about how Del Dallimore has been collecting Gambian children’s songs on YouTube.

Del took these photos below of scarecrows in the rice fields of Brufut, Gambia. I thought it was interesting how they look different from those here in the US. The scarecrows in Gambia are made out of plastic bags.

Del said, "They look really realistic from a distance."

Del wrote, "They were arranged in a group of three – for some reason I assumed that the Gambians would not use scarecrows."

Many thanks to Del for sharing these photos with us! Be sure to visit Del’s YouTube Channel to watch her videos of Gambia featuring kids songs!

Mama Lisa

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, Customs, Gambia, Gardens, Photos, Photos of Places, Scarecrows | No Comments »

Cherry Blossom Viewing in Japan

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

When the Cherry Blossoms bloom in Japan it’s traditional to go to the park to view the blossoms and have a picnic. Cherry Blossom viewing is called called Hanami. Ayako Egawa generously shared her photos of this years cherry blossom viewing.

Ayako wrote, "We walked under the flow of cherry blossoms in the park. It was beautiful!"

Close up of the cherry blossoms.

Ayako continued, "Lots of people enjoy sitting and eating ‘bento’ (their lunch)."

Ayako wrote, "We hiked along the road hearing the twitter of Japanese Bush Warbler.
I like the feel of spring!"

I asked Ayako what the Japanese Bush Warbler sounds like and she wrote, "Hearing the twitter of the Japanese Bush Warbler is a sign of Spring in Japan. They sing like ‘Whoo Who ket kyo’! It’s a unique twitter." Later Ayako sent me this YouTube video below she found to hear the bird’s tweet.

Ayako wrote, "Small purple flowers in the park. They are pretty."

Ayako wrote, "Cherry blossoms in this school playground are really beautiful! It’s common that there are lots of cherry blossoms in school playgrounds in Japan."