Tia Anica
Loulé, Fuseta and Alportel are all locations in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. That's where this song originates.
Ana from Portugal wrote, "If you're familiar with traditional Portuguese outfits, you know that the skirts, even the black ones, are embellished with colorful strips of fabric. It's the same for the 'mantel', a sort of woolen cloak or overcoat in the Tia Anica song. So in my opinion, it's likely that women would pass down this embroidered strip of colorful fabric from mother to daughter, even when the skirt was worn out or torn because it had the family colors (like the plaid tartan pattern for the Scots). Then it would be sewn onto a new skirt. As for the 'caixinha do rapé' (snuffbox), it can't be ruled out that she would keep a little money inside!
Ordinary people didn't own much..."
Tia Anica
Aunt Anica
Children's Song
Children's Song
(Portuguese)
(English)
Tia Anica, tia Anica,
Tia Anica de Loulé
A quem deixaria ela a caixinha do rapé?
Tia Anica, tia Anica,
Tia Anica de Loulé
A quem deixaria ela a caixinha do rapé?
(Refrão)
Olé, olá,
Esta vida não está má,
Olá, olé,
Tia Anica de Loulé.
Olé, olá,
Esta vida não está má,
Olá, olé,
Tia Anica de Loulé.
Tia Anica, tia Anica,
Tia Anica da Fuseta,
A quem deixaria ela a barra da saia preta?
Tia Anica, tia Anica,
Tia Anica da Fuseta,
A quem deixaria ela a barra da saia preta?
(Refrão)
Tia Anica, tia Anica,
Tia Anica de Alportel,
A quem deixaria ela a barra do seu mantel?
Tia Anica, tia Anica,
Tia Anica de Alportel,
A quem deixaria ela a barra do seu mantel?
(Refrão)
Aunt Anica, Aunt Anica,
Aunt Anica from Loulé
To whom will she leave her snuffbox?
Aunt Anica, Aunt Anica,
Aunt Anica from Loulé
To whom will she leave her snuffbox?
(Chorus)
Olé, ola,
This life is not bad,
Olé, ola,
Aunt Anica from Loulé.
Olé, ola,
This life is not bad,
Ola, olé,
Aunt Anica from Loulé.
Aunt Anica, Aunt Anica,
Aunt Anica from Fuseta,
To whom will she leave the strip from her black skirt?
Aunt Anica, Aunt Anica,
Aunt Anica from Fuseta,
To whom will she leave the strip from her black skirt?
(Refrão)
Aunt Anica, Aunt Anica,
Aunt Anica from Alportel,
To whom will she leave the strip from her cloak?
Aunt Anica, Aunt Anica,
Aunt Anica from Alportel,
To whom will she leave the strip from her cloak?
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Ana Ruellon for providing such interesting commentary.
Translation by Monique Palomares and Lisa Yannucci.
Obrigada!
