Easter Monday – Picnics and Water Fights

Easter's coming soon! Did you know that in many countries the day after Easter, called Easter Monday, is a public holiday? The map above shows in yellow all of the countries that celebrate it. There are picnics, egg rolling contests and dousing of people with water that was blessed on Easter [...]

Can Anyone Help with Two Czech or Slovak Songs?

Yael wrote asking for help with song songs.  Here's her letter: Hi Lisa, I was so excited when I came across your website – how wonderful it is! I was hoping to find out the lyrics of two songs my grandmother used to sing to me, which I think are in Czech or Slovak. Here

The [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Slovak Nursery Rhyme called “Stary Baba”?

Jen wrote: Hi lisa – i am looking for the words to a slovak nursery rhyme called “stary baba.” it is basically the slovak version of “this little piggie” but is about an old woman who made porridge and then gave it to her children in a cup, a dish, a ladle, etc. do [...]

Slovakian Nursery Song

Gini Smith sent me the following email with a Slovakian nursery song... It is an old song which I know the English and the Slovakian. However, I could not write the Slovak, only phonetically. My grandmother taught it to us kids and we loved it. The Slavonic translation may have variations [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Czech or Slovak Kids Song?

Lewis Grimm wrote: Hi. My grandmother used to sing a children's song to me in Czech or Slovak. I believe it is about a little hunter. It went along the lines of (phonetically): Ya simali nissli vechek... Any ideas? If anyone can help Lewis, please let us know in the comments below. Thanks! [...]

The Symbolism of the Egg

As Easter approaches, it's natural to think a little about eggs! In days gone by the egg, due to its shape, was a symbol of the earth. Thanks to its obvious association with the beginning of life, it has also been the basis of many ancient creation stories. It has been a symbol of fertility, [...]

Elaborately Decorated Eggs for Easter In Eastern Europe

Guest Blogger, Ed Gawlinski, has been involved in many cultural organizations throughout his life. Here, he discusses Easter traditions in several Eastern European cultures. A common custom is to color hard boiled eggs for Easter. We usually colored them on Good Friday, while eating hot cross [...]

Mama Lisa's World News and Multimedia Features

A significant part of the Mama Lisa sites is a large collection of songs and nursery rhymes from around the world. We currently have about 750 songs from around 90 countries and cultures. When you consider how many languages there are in those cultures – that's a lot of information! In [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Polish Song?

Sylvia emailed us asking for help with a Polish song her father and grandfather sang to her when she was young. Here's her email along with a recording of Sylvia singing the song: Recording of Song “Hi, I was wondering if you or anyone you know might be able to help me. My grandfather and [...]