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The Turnip Fair in Switzerland – Marked by Thousands of Lanterns made out of Turnips!

Friday, November 11th, 2005

To celebrate the end of the harvest, people in the Swiss town of Richterswil have a turnip fair called Räbechilbi. The fair takes place every year on the second Saturday in November.

Nowadays, they harvest 25 tons of turnips! In honor of the festival they make lanterns out of the turnips. There are so many turnips that they’ve made a machine to help hollow them out. Once the turnips are hollow, they carve beautiful designs into them.

For a few days before the fair, the whole town is busy making these lanterns.

After dark on the day of the fair, they parade through town with their lanterns lighting the way.

The tradition of carving out the lanterns came out of a legend dating back to the mid nineteenth century, telling how the farmers’ wives living in the hills around the town would make lanterns out of turnips, to light the way home from church at night in the middle of the winter. The first known parade dates back to 1884. Nowadays the parade is led by churchgoing women dressed in dark colors.

The people in Richterswil also make large group sculptures by placing many lanterns in a pattern. Every year, on this night in November, the town glows in a beautiful yellow light.

I couldn’t find a song related to this festival, so I thought you might enjoy a different Swiss children’s song, courtesy of The Embassy of Switzerland…

Sepp Has a Little Hen

Sepp has a little hen
And in the morning on its perch
It cackles and it cackles.

Now that Seppy has a hen,
He wants to have a goat,
Shaggy Coat he’ll call his goat.

Now that Seppy has a goat,
He wants to have a cow,
Sturdy Brow he’ll call his cow.

Now that Seppy has a cow,
He wants to have a horse,
Steady Course he’ll call his horse.

Now that Seppy has a horse,
He wants to have a lad,
Not So Bad he’ll call his lad.

Now that Seppy has a lad,
He wants to have a maid,
Pull Her Braid he’ll call his maid.

Now that Seppy has a maid,
He wants to have a wife,
Strain and Strife he’ll call his wife.

Seppy has a little hen,
He calls her Henny Pen.

Come visit The Mama Lisa’s World Switzerland page for more Children’s Songs from Switzerland.

If anyone knows of any songs related to the Turnip Festival or other Swiss songs, please comment below.

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Posted in Animal Songs, Hen Songs, Holidays Around the World, Swiss Children's Songs, Switzerland, Turnip Fair in Switzerland called Räbechilbi | 1 Comment »

A Lullaby from Belgium called “The White Hen” or “Une Poule Blanche”

Monday, October 17th, 2005

A couple of weeks ago I posted the French lullaby Dodo, l’enfant do. Here is a lullaby from Belgium called Une Poule Blanche. It shares part of the 1st verse (the first four lines) with the French lullaby. The English translation is first, then the French version.

Midi of Une poule blanche

A White Hen

A white hen
Is in the barn.
She made a small egg
For the child who sleeps.
Sleepy time, sleepy time, pussy-cat,
Sleepy time, sleepy time, kitty-cat.

A black hen
Is in the cupboard.
She made a small egg
For the child who sleeps.
Sleepy time, sleepy time, pussy-cat,
Sleepy time, sleepy time, kitty-cat.

Here’s the original lullaby in French from Belgium.

Une Poule Blanche

Une poule blanche
Qui est dans la grange,
Elle a fait un petit coco
Pour l’enfant qui fait dodo,
Dodo, dodo, minette,
Dodo, dodo, Mino.

Une poule noire
Qui est dans l’armoire,
Elle a fait un petit coco
Pour l’enfant qui fait dodo,
Dodo, dodo, minette,
Dodo, dodo, Mino.

Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Belgium Page for more Belgian Children’s Songs and the France Page for French Children’s Songs with their English translations.

You can also visit Mama Lisa’s World en français for children’s songs from around the world with their French translations.

Many thanks to Monique Palomares for creating the midi!

Stay tuned because more lullabies are coming soon!

-Lisa

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Posted in A White Hen - Une poule blanche, Animal Songs, Belgian Children's Songs, Belgian Lullabies, Belgium, Cat Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Dodo, l'enfant do, French, French Lullabies, Hen Songs, Languages, Lullabies, Songs by Theme | 3 Comments »

A French Lullaby called “Dodo, l’enfant do” in French with an English Translation and the Midi Music

Thursday, October 6th, 2005

Marie-Thérèse wrote me looking for a French lullaby…

My maman used to sing a lullaby to me, and then to my children when they were born, that I want to remember all the words to, and sing now to my grandchildren. I wonder if you would know the lyrics? I know the first was Do Do L’enfant Do. If you know this lullaby can you email me the lyrics – it has great sentimental meaning to me – and my mère has passed and will never be able to sing to my grandbabies as she did my children. Thank you so much for any help. – Marie-Thérèse

I wrote to Monique, my partner at Mama Lisa’s World en français, asking if she was familiar with the song. Monique wrote back…

I am – my mother used to sing that to me too a loooooooooooooooong time ago (only the first four lines).

The lyrics are:

Dodo, l’enfant do

Dodo, l’enfant do,
L’enfant dormira bien vite
Dodo, l’enfant do
L’enfant dormira bientôt.

Une poule blanche
Est là dans la grange.
Qui va faire un petit coco*
Pour l’enfant qui va fair’ dodo.

Dodo, l’enfant do,
L’enfant dormira bien vite
Dodo, l’enfant do
L’enfant dormira bientôt.

Tout le monde est sage
Dans le voisinage
Il est l’heure d’aller dormir
Le sommeil va bientôt venir.

*Monique said, “…young children call an egg an ‘egg’ and not a ‘coco’ any more.”

Monique also sent me the Midi Music for Dodo l’enfant do.

I translated the lullaby into English.

Sleepy Time, The Young One Sleeps

Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep very soon
Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep oh, so soon.

A white hen
Is in the barn.
It’ll make a small egg
For the child who goes to sleep.

Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep very soon
Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep oh, so soon.

Everyone is calm
All around
It’s the time for all to sleep
Sleep will come soon.

Many thanks to Monique for the lyrics, the midi and help with the translation and to my husband Jason, for help with the English version. – Lisa

Please visit The Lullaby Page in French for French Lullabies and other Lullabies from Around the World with their French translations. The English version is coming soon.

and

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 from Around the World with their French translations.

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Posted in Animal Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Dodo, l'enfant do, France, French, French Kids Songs, French Lullabies, Hen Songs, Languages, Lullabies, Midis, Recordings of Songs, Songs by Theme | 6 Comments »

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The Turnip Fair in Switzerland – Marked by Thousands of Lanterns made out of Turnips!

A Lullaby from Belgium called “The White Hen” or “Une Poule Blanche”

A French Lullaby called “Dodo, l’enfant do” in French with an English Translation and the Midi Music