Las manitos
"I have a contribution for a Chilean nursery rhyme in Spanish, it's quite simple…" -Catherine
Las manitos
The Little Hands
Canción infantil
Hand Play
(Spanish)
(English)
Las manitos, las manitos,
Aquí están, aquí están,
Ellas se saludan, ellas se saludan,
Y se van, y se van.
The little hands, the little hands,
Here they are, here they are,
They wave to each other, they wave to each other,
Then they leave, then they leave.
Notes
Sung to the tune of Frère Jacques.
*****
The most widespread version goes..
Las manitos, las manitos,
¿Dónde están? ¡Aquí están!
Ellas se saludan, ellas se saludan
Y se van, y se van.
English Translation:
The hands, the hands,
Where are they? Here they are!
They greet each other, they greet each other
And they leave, and they leave.
Game Instructions
One should show both hands to the child and move them up and around, wave, then at the end hide them out of view (i.e. behind the back).
One can also lightly clap one's hands, alternatively right palm up - left palm down / left palm up - right palm down on "ellas se saludan" as if they were kissing each other's cheeks like the usual informal greeting in the Spanish-speaking world.
In Catherine's rendition, she uses the diminutive "manita" that's usually used in Spain, while "manito" is mostly used in South America. Both forms are correct.
Thanks to Catherine for singing this for us!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Thanks to Catherine for sharing this rhyme with the translation.