Monday 21 June 2021

Funny to observe?

From the Bilingual by Music website:

Midsummer's Day is one of the most important holidays of the year in Sweden, and probably the most uniquely Swedish in the way it is celebrated.

Raising and dancing around a midsommarstång pole is an activity that attracts families and many others. Before the maypole is raised, greens and flowers are collected and used to cover the entire pole. People dancing around the pole listen to traditional music and sing songs associated with the holiday. Some wear traditional folk costumes or crowns made of wild springs and wildflowers on their heads.

Music plays a big part at the Midsummer celebrations. The most famous song sung when dancing around the maypole is Små grodorna [which in English is “Little frogs”].

[Click here for footage of that.]

The melody originates from a military march from the French revolution La Chanson de l’Oignon (“The onion song”),with the chorus “Au pas, camarade, au pas camarade / au pas, au pas, au pas!” (“In step, comrade”). The enemies of the French at the time, the British, changed the text with condescending irony to “Au pas, grenouilles!” (“In step, little frogs”).

Små grodorna in Swedish:

Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.
Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.


English version (direct translation):

The little frogs, the little frogs are funny to observe.
The little frogs, the little frogs are funny to observe.
No ears, no ears, no tails do they possess.
No ears, no ears, no tails do they possess.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.

How bizarre.

However one chooses to celebrate, it is worth doing - for after today, the nights start drawing in once more...

Summer solstice/Mid-Summer

6 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hope you're dancing round a pole, croaking like a frog! Jx

      Delete
  2. I love all summer holidays. Any excuse to take your clothes off, right... what? Oh. It's not that kind of holiday? Well... and believe me when I say this... I never.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Imagine lots of nude people jumping around like frogs? Startling. Jx

      Delete
  3. What a joyous festival I just love it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack"! Jx

      Delete

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