Music was an important aspect of daily life in Ancient Egypt. Not only was it part of religious ceremonies, festivals, and private parties, but it was also used to boost morale and set the work pace in farmers’ fields and craftspeople’s workshops. It was found on battlefields and in tombs too.

Egyptian musicians played drums, bells, flutes, harps, rattles, and trumpets. The sistrum—a sort of metal rattle—was the featured instrument in religious ceremonies. Music was often accompanied by rhythmic clapping, singing, and dancing.

Both men and women were musicians, though only women were permitted to perform in the temples. These priestess musicians held a lofty place in society. Musicians to the Pharaoh and other royalty were also admired by society. Unfortunately singers, dancers, and musicians who entertained at parties and festivals did not share this high status.

Ancient Egyptian musicians didn’t write their music down, and since they lived long before tapes and CD’s, modern people have no way of knowing what their music sounded like. We can only guess.

To find out more about me and my books, please visit my website: www.kristinbutcher.com

Check out our review of Kristin’s wonderful book – Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers: One Hundred Ancient Egyptian Jobs You Might Have Desired or Dreaded
http://favoritemulticulturalbooks.com/?p=1308

Read more about the sistrum here:
http://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/the-sistrum-an-instrument-that-dates-back-to-ancient-egypt/

Color a sistrum:
http://www.dariamusic.com/images/SistrumColoringPage.pdf

Get a cool Egyptian mini-poster:
http://www.dariamusic.com/images/SistrumFullColorPoster.pdf

Download Instructions – How To Make a Recycled Sistrum (With a Clothes Hanger)
http://www.dariamusic.com/images/SistrumMYORecycle.pdf

Download Instructions – How To Make a Natural Sistrum (With a Tree Branch)
http://www.dariamusic.com/images/SistrumMYONatural.pdf

Illustration by Madcow Designs (www.madcow-designs.com)

Almost every culture in the world has created some form of instrument that will either shake, rattle or roll.  Ancient Egypt is no exception.

If you could travel back in time to the days of the pyramids and pharaohs you might see a special kind of hand-held rattle called a sistrum.  Played mainly by women, it was moved from side to side and the bangles would rock back and forth creating a unique sound and a distinctive rhythm.

What exactly did a sistrum look like?  We’ve created a coloring page based on many of the hieroglyphics and historical data that we’ve found. We’ve also come up with some fun ways that you can make your own sistrum at home.  You can either start with a wire coat hanger or you can take a nature walk and look for a branch shaped like the letter “Y”.  And your bangles?  They can be jingle bells, pop-top tabs, metal washers or even buttons beads or seeds.  Whatever you use, you’re sure to create an amazing sounding instrument that’s both old and new at the same time!

Download – A Sistrum Coloring Page

Download Instructions – How To Make a Recycled Sistrum (With a Clothes Hanger)

Download Instructions – How To Make a Natural Sistrum (With a Tree Branch)

One of the most exciting things about exploring instruments from around the globe is how completely unique and different they are.  Shapes, sizes, materials and manner of playing instruments vary from culture to culture or from country to country. One great example of an unusual instrument is a bronze or metal bowl from the region of Tibet, Nepal or Northern India.  Called “singing bowls”, these instruments date back to the dawn of the bronze age – about 3,000 years ago – and are pictured in some of the oldest artifacts found in this region.

But can a bowl really sing?  These specially crafted metal bowls do create beautiful tones when they are struck gently with a mallet or when pressure is applied to their sides in a circular motion.  In the same way that a water glass creates a ringing tone when rubbed with a finger, these bowls ring out in tones that are considered to be relaxing, meditative and even healing or therapeutic by many.  The beautiful and complex sounds they create is the reason they are said to “sing”.

How big are singing bowls?  You can find smaller singing bowls that fit in the palm of your hand.  You can also find sizes and shapes that are as big as a large soup pot or a cauldron!  In addition, there are also crystal bowls that are played in the same manner as the metal singing bowls.  These are especially beautiful in sound and appearance and many believe that they possess even greater healing properties.

Singing bowls can be very simple and plain or they can be beautifully adorned with symbols and writing such as Buddhist mantras, a type of repeated prayer.  Commonly manufactured in Nepal, China and Japan; singing bowls can be found as part of Buddhist prayers and meditation throughout Asia, as well as part of yoga or spiritual practices around the world.

Singing bowls are also used in classrooms in a variety of different ways.  They can help students focus, call for quiet or can help a class develop better listening skills.  Timothy Lomas, a talented art teacher with a good deal of international experiences shared this description of his work: “I teach art at the IDEAL School of Manhattan. It is an inclusion school which means that we have students with special needs (Down Syndrome, ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s, etc) alongside typically developing students. Transition time is always a challenge. To get the students settled and ready to work I introduced the Tibetan Singing Bowl. I demonstrated how to use it and passed it to the student that was the quietest and most attentive. They then would pass it to the next student they thought was ready.”  Says Timothy: “I started with one bowl but now have several and the students know to go directly to the box and pull out the bowls. It’s a great way to get the class centered and focused for a creative experience!”

Chinese dragons (龙 lóng): kids, teens, and adults love them and they appear everywhere from books to tattoos to Chinese New Year Parades. Unlike European dragons, who breathe fire and must be defeated, Chinese dragons are well-meaning mystical beasts who breathe clouds, often appear in human form, and are frequent characters in ancient stories. Dragons symbolize importance, power and strength, and were the symbol of the Emperor of China.  Dragons are also essential in agricultural life, since they are seen to control the seasons and the weather.  

Chinese Dragons appear at Chinese New Year time, during parades and celebrations. The holiday begins with a dragon dance, performed in public with men holding sections of the Golden Dragon, made of bamboo, paper and linen. Store owners near the procession let off fireworks (invented in China long ago) to attract the dragon’s attention and hopefully have a prosperous business in the new year.

According to the Chinese Zodiac (astrology), every 12 years is the year of the dragon. 2012 is the Year of the Dragon! Many consider that years of the dragon are especially prosperous and dynamic years. If you’d like to learn more about Chinese dragons, visit kidworldcitizen.org, an educational web site with multicultural activities that increase global awareness among kids and families.

Check out other related Kid World Citizen posts with fun and crafty ways to share the excitement of Chinese New Year:

Kid World Citizen  – Post on Chinese New Year Crafts

http://kidworldcitizen.org/2012/01/11/chinese-new-year-crafts/

Kid World Citizen – Chinese New Year With Props and Stories

http://kidworldcitizen.org/2012/01/11/a-lesson-plan-for-chinese-new-year-w-props-and-stories/

Special thanks to Amanda “Miss Panda” Hsiung-Blodgett for this exciting and informative guest post!

“Gong Xi!  Gong Xi!” – The Excitement of Chinese New Year

The fragrance of Mom’s special stew and the “Ten Vegetarian Delights” fills the kitchen just before Chinese New Year arrives. That’s the first memory that floods into my mind each time someone asks me about the Chinese New Year celebration. In my opinion it’s the best of all Chinese festivals and has been my favorite since I was a little girl.

Growing up with Chinese New Year
Links of sausage, strips of bacon, and cured fish hung to dry on bamboo rods (back then the equivalent of clothes lines in the West) in almost every yard. We would run around with friends from one yard to another to check out how soon these goodies would be ready to eat. The smell of all the cured meat was another one of the indicators to me that Chinese New Year was just around the corner. Vendors with all kinds of Chinese New Year decorations, such as large gold-nugget-shaped candy containers, cut-paper artwork, and spring scrolls with lucky words are everywhere in the open market and in the stores. For a small fee professional calligraphers will even write your spring scrolls for you with their big Chinese calligraphy brushes. Big and small rolls of firecrackers are being sold and traditional Chinese New Year music fills the air of the open market as you walk through the crowd.

The Fifteen Days of the Chinese New Year Celebration:

Preparations kick off – The preparations for Chinese New Year start on the 23rd day of the last month on the Chinese lunar calendar. On this day, the tradition is to send the “kitchen god” (the protector of the family and the most important of Chinese domestic gods in Chinese mythology) back to the sky to report to the Jade Emperor (the supreme ruler of all heaven and earth) about how the family has been doing the whole year. The portrait of the kitchen god is posted on the wall in the kitchen. Families might spread melted sweets on the mouth of the kitchen god’s picture so that he would go and say only sweet and good things about the family.

Out with the Old and In with the New – The next few days see a major cleaning of the house. All clutter should be removed, the house dusted from ceiling to floor and the bedding in each room thoroughly washed. “Chu jiu bu xin” (remove the old and decorate the new) is the concept behind this major clean up. We are also welcoming the new year by posting lucky, red paper spring scrolls on the front door. Phrases or words like “xin nian kaui le” (Happy New Year); “gong xi fa cai” (congratulations and prosperity) and “ fu” (good fortune) and “chun” (spring) can be been seen on doors everywhere.

The Chinese New Year’s Eve Family Feast – Chinese New Year’s eve dinner marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year celebration. This is a family reunion feast bringing together grandparents, or even great grandparents, down to newborn babies. It is a celebration of the togetherness of the family. It is very important to have the Chinese New Year’s eve dinner with the family. People make every effort to be back in their hometown as soon as the festival holidays begin. For those who cannot make it for the dinner because of work or being overseas, parents will prepare a seat and set up everything for him or her to represent the reunion of every member of the family.

My mother always prepares ten dishes for the New Year Eve’s dinner and every dish is a special treat. Fish is a must-have dish. The word for fish in Mandarin Chinese is “yu” and it has the same sound as the Chinese word for “remaining” or “surplus.“ We never finish the fish dish because we want to save one big piece of the fish to symbolize a surplus of wealth and all things good in the new year. The Chinese New Year saying that goes with this practice is “nian nian you yu” – “every year (we) have leftover/surplus (wealth).”

Red Envelopes – Hong bao – 紅包
After the family meal, it is time to say lucky words to grandparents and parents and it is time for the Red Envelope. In my family we use the traditional Chinese style, we kneel down in front of Mom and Dad, and bow to say auspicious phrases like:
Xīn nián kuài lè     新年快樂        Happy New Year
Shēn tǐ jiàn kāng    身體健康         Good health
Wàn shì rú yì         萬事如意         May everything go as you wish
Gong xǐ fā cái         恭喜發財         Congratulations and prosperity
Then Mom and Dad give each of us a red envelope with cash in it. Instead of spending the cash right away the tradition is to put the red envelope under your pillow and so that it will keep you young and healthy. When the children are grown up and independent then it becomes their turn to give red envelopes to their parents. I remember how proud I was when I gave my parents red envelopes when I first started working.

Taboos
For the first few days of the new year, some families do not use knives or scissors in order to lessen the risk for cuts and accidents, which would signify bad luck for the year. Some families do not sweep the floor to avoid symbolically sweeping away their wealth. If something is broken like a glass or a bowl you will hear people immediately say “sui sui ping an”, which means every year is safe and peaceful.  Why?  It is a play on words, as the Chinese word for “broken” has the same sound of the word “year”. The rule of the thumb during this time is to say good and sweet things in order to bring on a good and sweet year.

Firecracker Fun
On the New Year’s Eve families stay up late to enjoy family time and catch up with the visiting brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The most exciting time of the evening for me was when we set off firecrackers. There are all kinds of firecrackers, some spin, some fly, some hop, some shoot high and some have beautiful showers of sparks with a huge explosion at the end. We play hard and stay up past midnight. The tradition of staying up late on New Year’s Eve is good luck and is said to give parents long life!  At midnight we set off the long strings of firecrackers to welcome in the new year!

The 15th day of the Chinese New Year – Lantern Festival
Lantern festival marks the completion and the end of the Chinese New Year celebration.  On this day, children carry lanterns around in the park or in the neighborhood. When I was a little girl my brother and other neighborhood boys would help me make a lantern out of a tin milk can. We used nail and hammer to poke holes on the bottom of the tin can and then placed a candle inside. An iron wire will be attached to the top to make a handle and then a wooden stick will be attached to the wire to carry the lantern. The older boys would use bamboo sticks to make torches. As soon as it got dark, you would see the torches and lanterns everywhere. Now, we don’t see torches or tin lanterns anymore. Instead, you see beautifully designed paper lanterns with battery-operated lights for children. It is always a fascinating scene when you walk in the park and see hundreds of children carrying their flashing lanterns around.

Music
Music is an important part of the Chinese New Year just like Christmas carols are an important part of that celebration in the West. We hear traditional New Year’s tunes on the radio, on TV, on the street, in the stores and in the markets. The one you will hear over and over again is the “Gong Xi, Gong Xi” song. It is a fun and easy one. Below is a short version of it for you in pinyin along with the English translation. You can listen to it here. I hope you enjoy it.

Měi tiáo dà jiē xiǎo xiàng (Every big street little alley)
Měi gè rén de zuǐ lǐ (In everyone’s mouth)
Jiàn miàn dì yī jù huà (The first sentence (we) say when (we) see each other)
Jiù shì gong xǐ gong xǐ (Must be” “Congratulations! Congratulations!”)
Gōng xǐ, gong xǐ, gong xǐ nǐ ya, (Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations to you!)
Gong xǐ, gong xǐ, gong xǐ nǐ (Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations to you!)

Celebrating away from “home”
Now I am far and away from Taiwan where I grew up. What I always do when the Chinese New Year is approaching is call my Mom and ask her what she is doing She tells me she is preparing the “Ten Vegetarian Delights” and that she has started the stew. I tell her that I can smell it already. She chuckles and replies “How is that possible?” Then my Dad takes over and tells me it indeed smells incredible and that he will mail the dish to me by international express carrier to ensure its freshness. We all end up laughing about the idea and sharing the great memories we have for the festival. This is what I love the most about the Chinese New Year – the celebration of the family!

Happy Chinese New Year!  Have a fantastic year of the DRAGON!

–

About The Author – Amanda “Miss Panda” Hsiung-Blodgett (whose Chinese last name literally means “bear”) is the mother of two young bilingual children and the author of the “Let’s Learn Mandarin Chinese with Miss Panda!” audio CD, a Chinese learning series for young children. She homeschools her children in Mandarin Chinese and is a native Mandarin Chinese speaker who is passionate about teaching and learning – and having fun while doing both!  For more information about “Miss Panda” visit her at on the web at misspandachinese.com, and on Facebook and Twitter.

The song was written by an American minister named James Lord Pierpont in 1850 and was originally titled “One Horse Open Sleigh”. Pierpont had written the song for a Thanksgiving service, however it became such a favorite that people insisted he perform it again at Christmas. From that time forward, the song grew in popularity and was most commonly associated with Christmas.

The song was written in the Simpson Tavern in Medford, Massachusetts. The original lyrics published in 1857 are a bit different then the ones heard most popularly today. They talk more about sled races and sleigh riding as it occurred in that area – a popular pastime especially for young people who were courting. No one knows for sure who replaced the original words with the new ones, but you can check out both sets of lyrics below. You can also listen to a version with Japanese lyrics and one with Russian lyrics below showing how this song has gained popularity around the world as a holiday favorite.

If you know of any other versions of Jingle Bells in other languages, please share them with me.  I’d like to add them to this post as well.

–

Daria’s Rockin’ Jingle Bells
Purchase On Amazon
Purchase On iTunes

DARIA’s cd of songs for Merry Multicultural Mirth
Purchase On Amazon
Purchase On iTunes

Videos
Jingle Bells in Japanese

Jingle Bells in Russian

–

Modern Lyrics
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way

Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight

A day or two ago
I thought I’d take a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side

The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
We got into a drifted bank
And then we got upsot

–

Original Lyrics – Copyrighted by James Pierpont in 1957
Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
O’er the hills we go
Laughing all the way.

Bells on bobtail ring
Making spirits bright
Oh what sport to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.

|: chorus :|

Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
O what joy it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago
I thought I’d take a ride
And soon Miss Fannie Bright
Was seated by my side

The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And we – we got upsot

|: chorus :|

A day or two ago
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow
And on my back I fell

A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh
He laughed as there I sprawling lie
But quickly drove away

|: chorus :|

Now the ground is white
Go it while you’re young
Take the girls tonight
And sing this sleighing song

Just get a bobtailed bay
Two forty is his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! You’ll take the lead.

|: chorus :|

Miss Barb tells us a bit more about Christmas in St. Criox: “All of these verses refer to St. Croix traditions and history. They also make Johnny Cakes. They were originally called Journey cakes…made to eat while they traveled. They are delicious! They start celebrating in December and the celebration ends with Three Kings Day in January. They also have an Adult Parade and Children’s Parade.”

And, in case you wondered, the Mocko Jumbie from verse 3 is a colorful stilt walker and dancer seen at special celebrations. What fun!

A Mocko Jumbie in St. Croix

On The Twelve Days of Christmas – Crucian Style
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
An iguana in a Mango treee.
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
2 forts with cannons etc.
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
3 mocko jumbies etc.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
4 frogs a singing etc.
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
5 centipedes etc.
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
6 cruise ships coming etc.
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
7 roosters crowing etc
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
8 geckos climbing etc.
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
9 lobsters swimming etc
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
10 Crucians speaking etc
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
11 children dancing etc.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
12 steel pans drumming etc.

Special thanks to teacher, Barbara McVicker, for sharing this song and also the idea that the students made drawings of different parts of the song. What a great way to dive into music and mix in history, culture and celebration at the same time.

A happy island holiday to all in St. Croix – especially the bright and creative students of AZ Academy!

You can see several traditional carols performed by children in Greece here with English translations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfmTTR3iMT0

As I looked into the holiday traditions I learned a bit more. Although you can hear Christmas carols (calenda) throughout the season, there are three official caroling days – Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and January 5, the Eve of the Epiphany. In many parts of Greece, during the twelve days of Christmas (December 25 – January 6^th) fires are kept lighted so that goblins cannot enter a house by the chimney and play tricks on people. In modern Greece, you will also see Christmas trees and boats lit up with fancy lights as Saint Nicolas is the Protector of sailors.

The image above is from Christmas Around the World by Dover Books. You can see a short review of that lovely book by clicking on the image or going to this web site: http://favoritemulticulturalbooks.com/?p=1039.

Of course, my husband also loved the special goodies that were made at this time of year. Traditional cookies for Christmas and New Years are melomakarona (semolina wheat, cinnamon and cloves in cookies that are rich with honey) and kourabiedes (rosewater and butter cookies served with powdered sugar). Then there was the tradition he did not care for.

On January 6^th, Christmas celebrations wind down with “Theofania” when all waters are blessed. At that time, a cross is thrown into the water and the first to bring it back is supposed to have great luck for the year. Although this is wonderful in Greece where the waters are reasonably warm in January, my husband will never forget diving into freezing and murky waters here in the USA hoping the good luck he would get was not to catch a cold!

Would you like to win a musical triangle for your Christmas caroling fun? Check out my free song page for details: http://www.dariamusic.com/monthly_song.php

Check out the link above to see how you can win this triangle!

So what is the dreydl song? It’s a very simple song about the little top that spins and spins that’s used as a part of a special Hanukkah game. In fact, the word “dreyen” is Yiddish for “spin” so you can see how the wonderful little top got it’s name. Most of the dreydls you’ll find today are made of wood or plastic, but the song talks about a dreydl made of clay. As you can imagine, toys were simpler in days gone by, so people not only played the game, but also made their own special dreydels as part of the holiday fun.

How do you play the dredyl game? You can check out the rules in the print out below or you can look closely and see them in this video of the dreydl song.

So where is the dreydl played? The answer to that is simple. Anywhere you find people getting ready for Hanuakah – which means – all over the world. I’ve created an animation of a Hanukkah song from Spain and you can see the little dreydls and the menorah along other holiday fun here as well:

And what if you’re feeling crafty? If so, I recommend a great little book called: Hanukkah Fun, Great Things To Make And Do. Along with step by step instructions on making and baking an old fashioned dreydl, you’ll find great Hanukkah sweets, treats and marvelous crafts that help celebrate the history and wonder of the Festival of Lights. You can find that book reviewed at the link below.  

So if the prospect of the holidays has your head spinning. Why not slow down and bit and play a game that reflects the miracle of the holiday of lights – let the little dreydyl spin and spin for you!

Oh, Dreydl
I have a little dreydl
I made it out of clay
And when it’s dry and ready
A dreydl I will play

Oh dreydl, dreydl, dreydl
I made you out of clay
And when you’re dry and ready
A dreydl I will play

My dreydl has four corners
And a letter on each face
To remind us if the miracle
That long ago took place

The letters also tell us
Who will lose or win
I have a pile of goodies (walnuts)
I’m ready, let’s begin

–

LINKS:
Download the song (Dreydl)  here
iTunes Link
Amazon Link

Oh Dreydl, Lyric sheet
http://www.dariamusic.com/dreydl.php

Oh Dreydl, Printable Lyric Sheet
http://www.dariamusic.com/docs/songs/dreydl.pdf

Oh Dreydl, Printable Sheet Music
http://www.dariamusic.com/images/SheetMusic_Daria_OhDreydl.pdf

Play the Dreydyl Game pdf here
http://www.dariamusic.com/images/Dreydl_instructions.pdf

Hanukkah Fun, Great Things To Make And Do
http://favoritemulticulturalbooks.com/?cat=40

Download the song (Ocho Candelikas) here :
iTunes Link
Amazon Link

Ocho Candelikas Lyric sheet
http://www.dariamusic.com/ocho.php

Ocho Candelikas Printable Lyric Sheet
http://www.dariamusic.com/docs/songs/ocho.pdf

Guest Post By Barbara Mascareno-Shaw

As the season of Christmas approaches, many will encounter Christmas carols = villancicos de Navidad. These singers = cantantes will demonstrate the traditional form of celebrating that the season is approaching. Carols originated during the XV (15th) and XVII (17th) centuries. These villancicos were a poetic form usually found in Spain, Portugal, and Spanish speaking countries. Later, the villancicos were found in church songs and lyrics, which many were associated with the celebration of Navidad.  These types of musical composition have lyrical rhyming and usually tell a story or honor a specific figure. Also, they were sung by people from the village or town to spread the word that the season of Navidad was approaching. Nowadays, we encounter villancicos in popular Navidad songs like “Come Little Shepherds/Venid, pastorcitos”, “Andean Carol/Villancico andino”, “Tonight is Christmas Night/Esta Noche es Nochebuena”, “Joy to the World/Felicidad al Mundo”, “O Holy Night/Noche Sagrada”, “Jingle Bells/Cascabel”, and many more. Let’s take a look at some examples of villancicos de Navidad:

“Cascabel” (Jingle Bells)

“Cascabel, cascabel, suena el _cascabel_

Este día en _trineo__, vamos a pasear.

Navidad, Navidad, hoy es Navidad

Es un día de alegría y felicidad.”

Can you fill in the blanks to the original song in English? You might be surprised that there are some differences to the English version. But you can still tune the lyrics to the English “Jingle Bells” song. Also, notice the simple rhyming -dad, and in the syllables -ear. This villancico can be found in the audio book “Feliz Navidad/Teach Me series” by Anna Maria Mahoney. This is an excellent source of Hispanic heritage of traditional songs, recipes, and brief history. Another wonderful song by Mahoney is
“Noche de Paz” (Silent Night).

“Noche de paz, noche de amor,

Todo duerme en _rededor_.

Todos sueñan en la oscuridad

Bella anunciando al _Niño_ Jesús.

Brilla la _estrella_ de paz,

Brilla la estrella de _paz__.”

Can you find the missing words that rhyme in this villancico? Just remember that most of these lyrics were originated a long time and keep the original wording.

In “Villancico andino/Andean Carol”, you’ll find a wonderful story about the Nativity to Doña María. Let’s take a look:

“Señora Doña María

yo vengo desde muy lejos

y a su niñito le traigo

un parcito de conejos.

Señora Doña María

yo vengo de las llanuras

y a su niñito le traigo

una frutita _madura_.

Señora Doña María

de muy lejos vengo aquí

y a su niñito le traigo

un gallo quiquiriquí.

Señora Doña María

deje acercarme un poquito

y sin despertar al nino

besarle los _piececitos_.

Señora Doña María

cogollito de alhelí

encárguele a su _niñito_

que no se olvide de mí.”

Can you figure out the rhyming in this villancico? Hint: rhyming words that end in -í. You can find more wonderful Christmas villancicos and more nursery rhymes in “Mama Goose: A Latino Nursery Treasury” by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. You can find these delightful books at your local library, bookstore, or Amazon.

For your entertainment and amusement, you can visit this fun video of the Spanish version of ‘Jingle Bells’ at Mother Goose Club titled ‘Navidad, Navidad’ on YouTube. Warning: this cute catchy song may get stuck in your head all day, fa la la …

Barbara has a dual degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry and has taught K-12 children under the No-Child-Left-Behind program. The students in this program are struggling in school and are about to repeat a grade unless there’s parent/teacher intervention. Barbara is a native Spanish speaker from Argentina that’s lived in the United States most of her life. She believes in promoting reading skills at any age level whether bilingual or not. She encourages her daughter, Savanna, to learn Spanish through books, songs, projects, and of course Science lessons. Barbara currently lives in Las Vegas, NV with her wonderful husband and daughter Savanna. She also is a Science, Math, and Spanish tutor. You can learn more about her by visiting her blog at http://www.spanish4kiddos.com“