Háva nagíla (Come Let's Dance)

Being Canadian I grew up being accustomed to there being about 9 public holidays. I always saw public holidays as a treat and an opportunity for refreshment.  Living in Argentina, that number jumped from 9 to 19 public holidays a year that included 7 long weekends. In fact there is a law that states that there has to be one long weekend per month.

What does this mean for all of us?  It means alot less money for those who work (because its unpaid) and alot more brunching and lazing around.  But the ridiculous amount of unpaid public holidays means that there is less money to go brunching and holidaying each public holiday and long weekend.  For example, this week we are gonna have a record number of days off.....6 consecutive days to be exact.

It works out that thursday and friday are part of semana santa (holy week), where Jesus's arrival into Jerusalem on a donkey is celebrated. Saturday and Sunday of course is the weekend where only a few work. Tuesday April 2nd is a veteran's day holiday to commemorate the war of the Faulkland's Islands War. And the gov't didn't want to interrupt all the reveling and partying so they decided to make April 1st a holiday as well so that we can down bloody marys and cure our hangovers.

The video above is an epic orchestra performance of "Hava Nagila" by Andre Rieu. For those of you aren't jewish, Hava Nagila is a Jewish traditional folksong that came out of eastern Europe. The melody's popularity caught on and it is played at a majority of jewish festivities such as weddings, bar mitzvahs and religious holidays.

Lyrics and meaning of the song translate to this:



HAVA NAGILA (Original Hebrew Lyrics)

Háva nagíla, háva nagíla,
Háva nagíla, venismechá.
Háva nagíla, háva nagíla,
Háva nagíla, venismechá.
Háva neránena, háva neránena,
Háva neránena, venismechá.
Háva neránena, háva neránena,
Háva neránena, venismechá.
Úru, úru, achím,
Úru, achím, belév saméach.
Úru, achím, belév saméach.
Úru, achím, belév saméach.
Úru, achím, belév saméach.
Úru, achím,
Úru, achím, belév saméach.



HAVA NAGILA (Literal English Translation)

Come let’s dance, come let’s dance,
Come let’s dance, and be merry!
Come let’s dance, come let’s dance,
Come let’s dance, and be merry!
Come let’s whirl, come let’s whirl,
Come let’s whirl, and be merry!
Come let’s whirl, come let’s whirl,
Come let’s whirl, and be merry!
Rise, rise, brothers!
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.
Rise, brothers!
Rise, brothers, with a glad heart.




Whether you are celebrating passover, awaiting the easter bunny or attempting to sit through a drawn out 6 day public holiday, Hava Nagila is a great anthem to carry with you through whatever festivities you may be participating in :D

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Boulangerie Cocu: Je t'aime à la folie

"Bonjour! Je m'appelle Angelina. Je suis chinois. Je voudrais un petit déjeuner "

Living in south america the last thing I ever expected was to have french words flying out of my mouth. I honestly thought that after taking my last French exam in high school and hiding those hideous French grammar books where they'll never see the light of day that it was done and over. Yet there I was in the middle of Boulangerie Cocu speaking french and being understood perfectly.

On February 2, I had an amazing opportunity to indulge in the french tradition known as "La Chandeleur".  Basically it is crepe day in France where nation-wide the whole country eats crêpés in celebration of the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus.  Though being far from home, the wonderful team at Cocu were determined not to forget their roots and decided that the french community here should be able to celebrate the eating of crêpés just like in their native land of France.