We are grateful to Leanna from the blog “All Done Monkey” for sharing her thoughts, crafts and a wonderful song from her father that tell us about this special and meaningful holiday.
Every year on November 12, Baha’is around the world celebrate the anniversary of the birth of their religion’s Prophet Founder, Baha’u'llah. Often they gather together to say prayers, read together about His life, and of course – celebrate!
“Baha’u'llah” is an Arabic title that means the “Glory of God,” since Baha’is believe He is the latest in series of Divine Messengers that have taught humanity about God throughout history – Messengers such as Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, the Buddha, Christ, and Muhammad.
Baha’u'llah founded the Baha’i Faith, a major world religion based on the principles of the oneness of humanity, the equality of women and men, the essential harmony of science and religion, the need for spiritual solutions to economic problems, the divine origin of all religions, and the need for world peace.
Though many people of all faiths agree with these principles today, Baha’u'llah advocated them in a time and place in which they were completely alien. He was born in 1817 to a wealthy family in Persia (modern-day Iran) and was known throughout His life for His kindness and generosity. Because of His teachings, Baha’u'llah was stripped of His wealth, jailed in the region’s most notorious prisons, and exiled in tortuous conditions to Baghdad, Constantinople, Adrianople, and finally Akka/Acre (in modern-day Israel).
He died in 1892 and is buried in this final place of exile, which is today a site of pilgrimage for Baha’is all over the world. Nearby Haifa is now the location of the Baha’i international administrative center as well as beautiful gardens visited by thousands of tourists every year.
Every year on November 12, Baha’is gather to remember the remarkable life and Person of Baha’u'llah. It is a time of great celebration and joy. One of my favorite childhood memories of this holiday is of our family all gathered around the piano singing the following song while my mother played (scroll to the end for a video of my father singing this song!)
This song came from the book “Sing A New Song-Baha’i Songs for Children” published in 1968 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the USA. It seems this songbook is now out of print, though you can find some information about it on this hymnals website. (Unfortunately, the site doesn’t not include information about this song).
Do You Know What We Remember…?
Do you know what we remember, on the twelfth day of November?
We give thanks to the land of Ta [Teheran], for giving us Baha’u'llah!
Ring the bells and sound the horn!
This was the day when He was born! (Ding dong, ding dong!)
So this year to celebrate I decided to make bells with my little Monkey. Not only because of this song, but also because Baha’u'llah referred to Himself as the “Most Great Bell,” ringing out to announce the dawn of a new age for all humanity.
I also thought bells would be an easy symbol for my toddler to grasp, just as the stars we made for the Declaration of the Bab holiday in the spring.
So I pulled out my handy craft foam and got to work. First I made a template out of cardboard (does anyone else have a stash of empty cereals boxes sitting around for craft projects??) and used it to trace a dozen bells out of the craft foam.
Once they were cut out and ready to go, my little Monkey and I sat down to decorate. Suppressing my natural aversion to mess, I let him go crazy with the glitter glue. After all, if you aren’t festive and sparkly on a holiday, then when are you?
It was actually much less messy than I had anticipated. The main issue was that our aesthetics were very different. Namely, his consisted of wanting to squeeze all the glitter glue out in big piles, which I was sure would never dry. I did persuade him to then create designs out of these glops of glitter glue, so in the end we only ended up with one blotch that will be permanently wet.
Nevertheless, we were both pleased with the results. You’ll never guess which of us decorated which!
After they were (almost) all dry, I enlisted my husband’s help in stringing them up over our mantel, using some royal blue embroidery thread. My very handy husband reworked one of our corncob holders in order to make holes small enough for the thread.
I purposely hung the bells up out of my little Monkey’s reach, in the hopes that the bells will last at least until the holiday on November 12th. But I also saved out two just for him, which I taped to the wall above his table and which he is free to touch and play with as much as he wants. (And he has!)
And now for the video! Nothing says love like agreeing to sing a song on video for your daughter’s blog (or agreeing to tape your husband singing the video). Since I was unable to find any recordings of this song to share, I asked my father if he would do the honors for me. He agreed!
Many, many thanks to my dad for singing and my mom for doing the video! I know you will all enjoy this as much as I do! So without further ado, here is my father singing my childhood favorite for the holiday, “Do You Know What We Remember…?”
You can find All Done Monkey (Embracing The Magic In the Madness of Motherhood) at:
The beautiful, wide and diverse continent of Africa has some truly amazing and clever musical creations. One of my favorites is a small percussion instrument called a tongue rattle. Generally made from carved wood, the rattle is shaken quickly back and forth and a “tongue” within the two carved sides makes a noise like a person who just can’t stop talking.
of the cup. Here’s a picture of what that might look like.
Play Your Tongue Rattle
Win a Carved African Tongue Rattle
Musical instruments can be as diverse as the many peoples and cultures on the planet. One of my favorite unique instruments is a traditional rattle from comes from Afro Peruvian culture called the quijada. Made from the jawbone of a donkey (the word quijada means jawbone in Spanish), the instrument looks more like an artifact from a museum than an instrument used in a musical band! And, it’s loud. The jawbone is held in one hand and punched firmly with the other fist. When the long teeth shake back and 
forth in the sockets, a loud, rattling or buzzing sound is created. Since the teeth are slightly uneven, some percussionists also play this jawbone by dragging a stick or rasp over it like a guiro.
Get Your Supplies
A Monster Rattle
Time To Play!
The song La Bamba is known and loved all around the world – even in places that don’t speak Spanish. And you might be surprised to hear that the most popular version of this song was sung by Richie Valens who didn’t speak Spanish but learned the words phonetically from his aunt! Nevertheless, the song has a special kind of magic that shares a sense of happiness and celebration that has made it a favorite all around the globe!
There did La Bamba come from? It started as a simple folksong from the region of Vera Cruz, Mexico. Most folklorists guess that the title comes from the Spanish verb “bambolear” which can mean to “to shake” or “to stomp”. It was an active dance, popular at weddings. In one folk ensemble’s version of this dance, the bride and the groom perform this dance together, doing the same set of intricate steps and creating an actual bow out of a long red ribbon (listón) by way of their fancy footwork. In many versions of La Bamba, the song gets faster and faster towards the end. And, the words? There’s no definitive set of lyrics because many of the verses were improvised. The tune and the chorus were well known in Mexico, however, clever singers or deejays would add new verses in order to charm or amuse their audiences. Although the chorus stayed the same, many different verses could be heard from one singing group to another and from one recording to another!
Every year from September 15 – October 15th, the USA celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s a series of activities and events that recognize the contributions of Latin-American and Hispanic peoples to our countries heritage. Created under President Lyndon Johnson, it has been expanded over the years and the special theme for 2012 is “Many Backgrounds, Many Stories…One American Spirit”.
For a variety of fun musical activities that focus on Latin American and Hispanic culture – visit:
Have you ever seen a movie or t.v. program about Australia? If you have, you’ve probably already heard a didgeridoo, a unique instrument originally created when termites hollowed out long sticks or branches they found in the outback. The didgeridoo produces a wonderfully odd noise that sounds like a cross between a ship’s foghorn and an elephant lost in the jungle. If you have a long tube from giftwrap or a length of pvc piping, you can create a good working version of a didgeridoo to experiment with at home.
And, to everyone’s surprise, the stick made the most wonderful, unique, incredible noise. It was the sound of the first didgeridoo! And that is the story of how one ancestor’s respect for all living creatures led to this wonderful musical instrument discovery.
ALL ABOUT THE BILMA – SPECIAL RHYTHM STICKS FROM AUSTRALIA 
What Supplies Do You Need?
Prepare Your Clapsticks
A Crafty Textured Dot Design Bilma
Playing The Bilma
One of the most wonderful things about instruments from around the world is that each is played in it’s own unique way. Some are plucked, strummed, bowed or tapped. African shekeres can be tossed back and forth or up into the air. Indian-style jingles or bells are worn on the ankles and create beautiful rhythms as part of several types of traditional dance styles. If you create a pair, you can use them to explore rhythm and dance in some really creative ways!
Ankle Bells In India
Ankle Bells For Indian Brides 
Kids and Ankle Bells
Supplies (For a basic anklet):
For ankle bells that look more like the Indian Ghungroo, start with a rectangle of felt, leaving space for an overlap of about ¾” for the velco strip. Place the bells on top of your felt in the order you like. You may wish to make marks with a pen to indicate where each bell will be sewn as it helps to keep them in straight lines or in place for a particular pattern. Then sew each one into place.
jingles and check that the anklet will fasten securely.
Want to Explore Indian Arts and Crafts? Try making Henna Hands – an easy version for kids here:
Have you ever heard the music of Trinidad or Tobago or the other beautiful islands in the Caribbean? If you’ve seen movies about that part of the world you’ve probably watched a crowd of people enjoying festive music and trying to see who can get under a limbo pole that gets lower and lower every time the dancers approach it. If you touch the stick, touch the ground or fall over you are out of the game. It’s not an easy task – but it is a lot of fun. And someone is always asking: “How low can you go?”
If you’d like to try the limbo, the dance is easy and fun and can be adapted to a classroom, summer camp, backyard, beach or party setting. Since the limbo pole was originally a broom, you can use an extra broom pole, a bamboo stick or any other long pole that is available. The official rules are fairly strict. Dancers must lean back to go underneath the pole. They may not touch the pole or touch the ground. However, when playing at a party or with children, feel free to make up the rules that work best to keep the dance a fun activity for all.
