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Burning Monsieur Carnaval for Mardi Gras in France
Monday, February 27th, 2006In France, Carnival is a big celebration held before the beginning of the Christian fasting season of Lent. French adults and kids who celebrate Carnival will dress up in costumes and have parties. And, as I discussed last week, at the end, they will burn an effigy of Monsieur Carnaval.
Monsieur Carnaval… is responsible for all the wrongdoing people do throughout the year. At Carnival time in France, Monsieur Carnaval is judged for his behavior throughout the preceding year. Usually he’s found guilty and an effigy of him is burned at the Carnival.
While Monsieur Carnaval is burning, people dance in a circle around the fire singing (in French)…
Adieu pauvre Carnaval. Tu t’en vas et moi je reste pour manger la soupe à l’ail.
Here’s an English translation…
Goodbye poor Carnaval. You are leaving, and me, I am staying to eat garlic soup.
The soup is made with garlic, a vegetable, since, once Carnival is over, it’s time for Lent. Traditionally during the fast, meat was not allowed to be eaten.
There’s a similar song in Occitan called Adiu paure Carnaval (Farewell Poor Carnival). Occitan was the language of the Troubadours. It’s still spoken in some areas of Southern France (and some regions in Spain and Italy.) As the effigy burns, Adiu paure Carnaval is sung, speaking of Monsieur Carnival leaving the singer to eat garlic and oil soup.
Here’s Adiu paure Carnaval, in Occitan, with an English translation and an mp3 recording.
Adiu paure Carnaval
(Occitan)Adiu paure, adiu paure,
adiu paure Carnaval
Tu te’n vas e ieu demòri
Adiu paure Carnaval
Tu t’en vas e ieu demòri
Per manjar la sopa a l’alh
Per manjar la sopa a l’òli
Per manjar la sopa a l’alh
Adiu paure, adiu paure,
adiu paure CarnavalLa joinessa fa la fèsta
Per saludar Carnaval
La Maria fa de còcas
Amb la farina de l’ostalLo buòu dança, l’ase canta
Lo moton ditz sa leiçon
La galina canta lo Credo
E lo cat ditz lo PaterFarewell, Poor Carnival
(English)Farewell, farewell,
Farewell, poor Carnival
You are leaving, and I am staying
Farewell, poor Carnival
You are leaving, and I am staying
To eat garlic soup
To eat oil soup
To eat garlic soup
Farewell, farewell,
Farewell, poor Carnival.The young ones are having a wild time
To greet Carnival
Mary is baking cakes
With flour from her home.The ox is dancing, the donkey’s singing
The sheep is saying its lesson
The hen is singing the Credo
And the cat is saying the Pater.Many thanks to Monique Palomares, of Mama Lisa’s World en français, for teaching me about the tradition of Monsieur Carnival and for translating and singing the song.
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Occitan Page for more Occitan Songs.
Venice Carnival Masks
Saturday, February 25th, 2006Last week I talked about the masks you can see at the Venice Carnival.
Today I found a link to a site that sells Venice Carnival Masks. If you’re interested in seeing how some of the Carnival masks look, check it out!
A Mardi Gras Run Song from Mamou, Louisiana
Friday, February 24th, 2006Yesterday, I wrote about the tradition of The Mardi Gras Run in Southern Louisiana, USA. Each town has it’s own version of The Mardi Gras Song or La Chanson de Mardi Gras.
The town of Mamou, Louisiana, has a very different version of La Chanson de Mardi Gras. It’s believed to have its origins in a French song from about 400 years ago. To me, it sounds like an old French drinking song!
Here it is in French and with an English translation…
La chanson de Mardi Gras
(French)Les Mardi Gras ayoù viens-tu?
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre?On vient de l’Angleterre, O mon cher,
O mon cher,
On vient de l’Angleterre,
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Les Mardi Gras quoi portes-tu?
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.On porte que las bouteille, O mon cher,
O mon cher
On porte que las bouteille,
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Et la bouteille est bue
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Il reste que la demie, O mon cher
O mon cher,
Il reste que la demie,
Tout à l’entour du fond du verreEt la demie est bue
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Il reste que le plein verre, O mon cher,
O mon cher,
Il reste que le plein verre
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Et le plein verre est bue
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Il reste que le demi verre, O mon cher,
O mon cher,
Il reste que le demi verre
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Et le demi verre est bue
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre,
Et le demi-verre est bue
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Il reste que la rinçure, O mon cher,
O mon cher,
Il reste que la rinçure
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Et la rinçure on la boit pas, O mon cher,
O mon cher,
Et la rinçure on la boit pas,
Tout à l’entour du fond du verre.Bonjour le maître et maitresse
On vous demande un peu de chose
On vous demande la fille aïnée
On va la faire faire une bonne chose
On va la faire chauffer ses pieds.The Mardi Gras Song
(English)Mardi Gras, where do you come from?
All around the bottom of the glass?We come from England, oh my dear,
Oh my dear,
We come from England,
All around the bottom of the glass!Mardi Gras, what are you bringing with you?
All around the bottom of the glass.I’m bringing a weary bottle, oh my dear,
Oh my dear
I’m only bringing a weary bottle
All around the bottom of the glass.And the bottle is drunk,
All around the bottom of the glass.Only half is left, oh my dear
Oh my dear,
Only half is left,
All around the bottom of the glass.And the half is drunk,
All around the bottom of the glass.Only the full glass is left, oh my dear,
Oh my dear,
Only the full glass is left.
All around the bottom of the glass.And the full glass is drunk,
All around the bottom of the glass.There is only half a glass, oh my dear,
Oh my dear,
There is only half a glass,
All around the bottom of the glass.And the half glass is drunk,
All around the bottom of the glass,
And the half glass is drunk,
All around the bottom of the glass.There are only the dregs, oh my dear
Oh my dear,
There are only the dregs,
All around the bottom of the glass.And the dregs, we won’t drink, oh my dear,
Oh my dear,
And the dregs, we won’t drink,
All around the bottom of the glass.Hello to the master and the mistress,
We ask you for a little something
We ask you for the oldest daughter
We’re going to make her do something nice
We’re going to make her warm up her feet*!
(*By getting her to dance!)UPDATE: John wrote to me that, “The Mardi Gras run is called the Tee Mamou/Iota Mardi Gras run” – even though the town is called Mamou. Here’s a map showing where Mamou is compared to New Orleans…
The Mardi Gras Run – Let the good times roll!
Thursday, February 23rd, 2006Mardi Gras, the American version of Carnival has been celebrated in South Louisiana, U.S.A., since around 1755. Mardi Gras literally means “Fat Tuesday” in French.
Many people are familiar with the giant Mardi Gras Parade and the other festivities in New Orleans. Much less known are the celebrations in the smaller towns which include: Le Courir de Mardi Gras or The Mardi Gras Run.
The Mardi Gras Run is traditionally done by men only, but in some places women have started their own.
During The Mardi Gras Run, everyone wears costumes and masks, except for Le Capitaine (the Captain), and his assistants. Le Capitaine wears a cowboy hat and a festive cape. All of the participants go from house to house begging for ingredients for a huge gumbo, which the whole community will eat at nighttime.
Gumbo is a traditional dish from Louisiana. It’s a thick soup, made with a variety of meats, spices, and vegetables, often including okra, which is used to thicken the soup. It’s served over rice.
Le Capitaine is in charge of the whole procession. He makes sure all the participants stay under some sort of control, as they’re likely to be drinking during The Mardi Gras Run. Le Capitiane usually rides on a horse. The participants are often on horseback too. Sometimes the procession is followed by several flatbed trucks filled with costumed women and children who watch the proceedings.
When the procession reaches a farm, le Capitaine, holding a white flag, will approach the farmer and ask if the riders can enter his property. Once given permission the men will often “beg” the farmer for a chicken. They will often chant “Ayoù la poule, ayoù la poule, ayoù la poule?” In English that’s, “Where’s the chicken? Where’s the chicken? Where’s the chicken?” If the farmer has a chicken to give, he will often throw it up in the air and the men will have to catch it. Or the farmer might give rice or some other ingredient for the gumbo. That is followed by singing and dancing. Then the procession will move on to the next house.
At the end of the Mardi Gras Run all the ingredients are given to the cooks to make a big gumbo. At night the gumbo is eaten and there’s a fais do-do, which is a big dance. Fais do-do means “go to sleep” in French. Fais do-do, in Cajun French, specifically comes from putting the children to sleep in one area at the dance, so the adults can go and party!
There are different versions of La Chanson de Mardi Gras or The Mardi Gras Song that are sung during The Mardi Gras Run. The song differs from town to town. The verse that is most common is…
La Chanson de Mardi Gras
(French)Capitaine, Capitaine, voyage ton flag.
Allons se mettre dessus le chemin.
Capitaine, Capitaine, voyage ton flag.
Allons aller chez l’autre voisin.The Mardi Gras Song
(English)Captain, Captain, wave your flag.
Let’s take to the road.
Captain, Captain, show your flag.
Let’s go to another neighbor.Below is the basic way some of the more common verses go…
In French…
Les Mardi Gras devient de tout partout.
Oui, mon cher comarade. Mais tout l’autour de moyeu.
Les Mardi Gras vient de tout partout, mais,
Tout l’autour de moyeu.Voulez vous recevoir cette bande des Mardi Gras.
Mais voulez vous recevoir cette bande des grand soulards.
Les Mardi Gras demander la rentre au maitre de la maison,
Avec toutes les politesses.English translation…
The Mardis Gras comes from everywhere.
Yes, my dear comrade, but all around the hub
The Mardis Gras comes from everywhere,
But all around the hub.Do you want to receive this band of Mardi Gras (beggers)?
But do you want to receive this band of big drunks?
The Mardi Gras asks the master of the house to enter,
With all courtesy.One expression you’ll hear at Mardi Gras is Laissez les bon temps roule!
So… Let the good times roll!
Lisa
“We Are Going to the Carnival” Song with an mp3 recording
Monday, February 20th, 2006A couple of weeks ago someone was looking for a Carnival song in English. (Carnival is a celebration held in many countries before Lent.)
David Solomons was kind enough to send a nice little song he wrote. It was performed by some children in London in 1979, for a local Carnival that was taking place there. Here’s what David wrote about the song…
We did have a “Carnival” in East London, but it wasn’t Italian style, just a lot of floats (i.e. miniature stages on top of vehicles going around Victoria Park). At that time I was living in the Coventry Cross estate near Bromley by Bow and we had our own float. The idea behind the song “We’re all going to the Carnival” is to mention all the countries represented in that multicultural part of East London, but the name of the estate “Coventry Cross” is the phrase most often heard in the actual rehearsal recording! Ah well!
Even though David’s song mentions local places, I think it’s a catchy tune and that people can adapt the basic song to where they live.
Here’s an MP3 Recording of We Are Going to the Carnival, followed by the lyrics.
We Are Going to the Carnival
by David SolomonsChoir 1
We are going to the Carnival, Carnival, Carnival
We are going to the Carnival, the Carnival todayChoir 2
Coventry Cross, Bromley by Bow
Coventry Cross, Bromley by Bow, we are hereChoir 3
[Names of lots of countries including Scotland, Italy and Trinidad all of which are countries the children's parents came from – all the children were living on the Coventry Cross estate, Bromley by Bow (East London) at the time of the recording (in 1979).]Here’s a photo of some of the kids who sang this song…
I asked David about the tradition of Carnival in England in general. Here’s what he had to say…
I don’t think the Carnival idea was ever particularly big in the UK, although I suppose Shrove Tuesday (i.e. Mardi Gras) was important in the old days. I was quite surprised when the idea was put to me back in 1979 and I never came across it as a local festival subsequently.
Here’s a photo of a mural the kids made for the Carnival…
If you’re interested in seeing photos of Bromley-by-Bow, you can visit Historic Locations in Bromley-by-Bow.
The Carnival song (rehearsal!) was performed in 1979 by the children of the Coventry Cross estate in Bromley by Bow, London, with the assistance and organisational skills of Sister Helen, to whom much thanks is given. Composed and accompanied by David W Solomons.
Many thanks to David W. Solomons for his recording of We Are Going to the Carnival. David is a one man choral singer who has been playing instruments and singing for over 30 years. Here’s a link to David Solomons’ Home Page where you can here more of his music!
Come visit Mama Lisa’s Carnival Blog Page for more about the Carnival and some Carnival Songs.
A French Carnival Song with a Connection to the Commedia dell’Arte in Italy and the Carnival in Venice
Saturday, February 18th, 2006Carnival in Venice, Italy is a time for dressing in costumes and masks, singing and dancing, and even going to masked balls. What’s interesting is that many of the masks used during the Carnival come from the Commedia dell’Arte.
The Commedia dell’Arte was a troup of actors who would travel around Italy and perform comedies outdoors. The characters they used were often the same, so that people became familiar with them. Most of the actors would perform with masks and different characters had their own distinguishable mask.
The characters included Harlequin (an acrobat), Pulcinella (a mean hunchback who goes after women, he was the model for Punch in Punch and Judy), Colombine (Harlequin’s lover), the Captain (a soldier who’s boastful, yet cowardly) and Pierrot (a dreamer and a clown).
Interestingly, some of these Commedia dell’Arte characters made their way into a French Carnival song called Monsieur Carnaval.
Monsieur Carnaval seems to be a French invention. He’s responsible for all the wrongdoing people do throughout the year. At Carnival time in France, Monsieur Carnaval is judged for his behavior throughout the preceding year. Usually he’s found guilty and an effigy of him is burned at the Carnival.
Here are the lyrics to Mr. Carnaval in French, with an English translation…
Monsieur Carnaval
(French)Monsieur Carnaval d’un coup de cymbale
Donne le signal pour ouvrir le bal.
Un polichinelle qui ne danse pas
Attend que sa belle lui donne le brasRefrain:
Zim et boum et tara ta ta
Zim et boum dansons la polka.
Zim et boum et tara ta ta
Zim et boum dansons la polka.Pauvre Colombine a le coeur bien gros
Car chez la voisine s’est enfui Pierrot
Arlequin arrache son masque de soie
Arlequin se fâche cela va de soi.Refrain
Marquis et marquises du temps d’autrefois
Dansent à leur guise la polka du roi.
Quand finit la danse l’on se remercie
D’une réverence et l’on applauditRefrain
Here is Monsieur Carnaval in English…
Mr. Carnival
(English)Mr. Carnival, with a bang on the cymbal
Gives the signal to open the ball.
A Pulcinella that isn’t dancing
Waits for his pretty one to give him an arm.Refrain:
Zim and boom and tara ta ta
Zim and boom, let’s dance the polka.
Zim and boom and tara ta ta
Zim and boom, let’s dance the polka.Poor Colombine has a heavy heart
For Pierrot has escaped to the neighbor’s house
Harlequin tears off his silk mask.
Harlequin loses his temper, it’s obvious.Refrain
The marquis and marquises from another time
Dance, in their costumes, the King’s polka.
When the dance finishes, they thank each other
With reverence, and they applaud.Refrain
Many thanks to Monique Palomares of Mama Lisa’s World en français for help with the translation.
-Lisa
UPDATE: You can see a Carnival Mask Here. Also, click on the comments below for an Italian children’s song that mentions characters from the Comedia dell’arte.
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World France page for more French children’s songs with their English translations and…
Mama Lisa’s World en français for children’s songs around the world with their French translations.
Carnival and Mardi Gras: Feasting before Fasting
Thursday, February 16th, 2006Carnival and Mardi Gras are big parties that are held before the fasting season of Lent begins for Christians. The celebrations are often the day before, but in some places the Carnival season can last the whole week before Lent.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is when people go to mass and priests make a cross in ashes on their foreheads, while saying a verse from the Biblical book of Genesis: Remember man, for dust thou art, and to dust thou shall return.
Christians fast for Lent for 40 days, not counting Sundays. The forty days represents the forty days Moses, Elijah and Jesus are all said to have fasted.
Originally, for the fast of Lent, people were only supposed to have one meal a day. They were supposed to refrain from eating meat, eggs, milk, butter, cheese and fish.
That’s why one tradition is for people to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent: to use up their milk and eggs. In England this day is also called Pancake Day.
The word Carnival comes from the word carne levare (which is believed to be of Latin origin), meaning to take away meat, representing the meat it’s not allowable to eat in the upcoming weeks. Although, perhaps Mardi Gras, meaning “Fat Tuesday” in French, makes more sense for this day since it’s a day of eating and partying.
However you celebrate this time, enjoy!
Lisa
Request for a Carnival Song
Tuesday, February 7th, 2006Silvia wrote…
Dear Mama Lisa,
I am Silvia and I teach English in an Italian school of young ladies and sirs aged from 2 to 5 years old!
It is quite impossible to find an English song about Carnival, and I thought you could help me. I know, probably this is more an Italian tradition than a British one (Viareggio, one of the two most important towns for Carnival in Italy, is close to the school!), but it would be enough to have even a lullaby or a funny song.
I really thank you for your help, and wait for your kind reply.
Best Regards
Silvia
***
If anyone knows of any Carnival songs, please comment below.Thanks!
Lisa
________
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