Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about Christmas in Belize, Central America. This post also showcases two examples of the Belizean song "Good Mawnin'*, Miss Lady".
*"Mawnin' (morning) is also given as "maanin'".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer/s of this song. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and those who are quoted in this post. And thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/12/mr-peters-good-mawnin-belize.html for the Belizean song "Good Mawnin' Belize". That song may be related to the song "Good Mawnin', Miss Lady". From the comments that I've read, I know that "Good Mawnin' (morning) Belize" and not "Good Mawnin' Miss Lady" was the song that was played every morning on a Belizean radio station. However, I don't know which song came first.
-snip-
Updated 12/24/2016
If it's correct as I have read that "Good Morning, Lady" was a song that was traditionally sung by Belizean Christmas carolers, than that song is older than "Good Morning, Belize".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT CHRISTMAS IN BELIZE
From http://ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/258936/Christmas_in_Belize.html Christmas in Belize by Karla Heusner, posted by Marty 12/07/07
"More than any other holiday, Christmas is a truly multicultural celebration in Belize. It has to be, with over 10 ethnic groups in a population of around 250,000 people. Christmas traditions are freely shared and borrowed.
So while Belizeans share the European or North American rituals of decorating Christmas trees, hanging lights outside their homes, exchanging greeting cards and baking fruitcakes, they also look forward to homegrown festivities. For what is a Belizean Christmas without a sip or two of country wines, picking up a fork and grater and singing traditional "Brukdown" songs like "Good Morning Miss Lady," and other favorites from the Ole Time Creole Christmas "Bram"? Belizeans still wait to greet the Garifuna Jonkunu dancers on Christmas day, are enthralled by a performance of the Maya "Deer Dance" or a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph looking for an inn as part of "Las Posadas."
Whatever ethnic group, or combination thereof, a Belizean may consider himself or herself to be, one commonality is that Christmas is traditionally a time to visit family and friends. To prepare for all these people making the rounds, weeks go into making everything like "new." Everyone pitches in to clean the house from top to bottom, hang new curtains and lay fresh "marley" (linoleum).
There is a frenzy of baking, searching for fresh ingredients for holiday meals, stocking up of rum and flagging down the coca-cola trucks circling the neighborhoods to load up on cases of soft drinks.
The typical Creole "kriol" Sunday dinner of rice and beans and potato salad is spiced up at Christmas with the addition of turkey, stuffing AND ham in place of stewed chicken followed by rich black fruit cake laced with rum or brandy. The Mestizo specialty is white relleno, a delicious soup with pork stuffed chicken or mechado olives, raisins, saffron, or pebre roast pork with gravy all served with hot corn tortillas. Christmas dinner for the majority of Mayans might be tamales with chicken while families who raise pigs or turkey might use this as a substitute for chicken on this special occasion.
Spirits are an important part of the Christmas season, which in Belize lasts for two weeks, longer than in some countries, yet considerably shorter than the Belizean Christmases of the old mahogany cutting days. Back then, African slaves, free laborers and more recently, in our grandparents' time, the Waikas, an Amerindian group from Nicaragua, used to end their season in the forests with a month-long "spree" in Belize Town, now Belize City.
Although the settlement's men no longer find themselves separated from the womenfolk for months at a time, the festive atmosphere and the free flow of money and rum, remain.
So does the pilgrimage to Belize City, specifically to downtown Albert Street to buy their fancy curtain material, toys for the children or Christmas candies. The buses are packed, and the streets are elbow-to-elbow as shoppers squeeze their way past street vendors selling special imports of apples, grapes and pears.
Central American immigrants sell all manner of glassware, hammocks and Christmas ornaments on the street-side while the more permanent merchants, the descendants of colonial families, or recent arrivals from India or Taiwan do a brisk trade in everything imaginable, from clothing and shoes to porcelain figurines, television sets and cd players.
Of course it is not just about food, or shopping. With over 70% of Belizeans considering themselves Christians, the celebration of the nacimiento (birth of Christ) is well established throughout the country and across the various cultures. Most celebrations from the Las Posadas to the Deer Dance include prayers, vigils and a midnight Mass or "Misa de Gallo" on Christmas eve.
So as you can see, Belizeans still love their Christmas, and the various cultures all contribute something unique to the holiday mix. It is a great time of year to share in these traditions that have been handed down for generations. Join us in Belize this Christmas.
-snip-
That same website has a lengthy post about how Garifuna people in Belize celebrate Christmas.
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Good Maaning Miss Lady
Sarteneja Cruz Uploaded on Dec 31, 2010
Belizean Christmas Carol Dec 25th 2010
Familia Cruz
-snip-
Unfortunately, I haven't found any lyrics for this song online and I'm unable to transcribe this song except for the words "Good mawning, Miss lady... and how are you this mawning, ???? on a merry Christmas mawning."
Information about this song and lyrics for this song would be greatly appreciated.
****
Example #2: Good Mawning Miss Lady - Our Lady of Gudalupe Infant 1 Class Christmas Dance
openlearningtv Uploaded on Apr 22, 2009
Our Lady of Guadalupe Primary School Christmas Concert. Infant 1 Class presentation
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label Belizean music and dance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belizean music and dance. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Mr. Peters - Good Mawnin, Belize (information, partial lyrics, YouTube examples, & comments)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about Belize, Central America and information about Mr. Peters, King of Belize's Brukdown music.
This post also showcases Mr. Peters performing the now iconic Belizean song "Good Mawnin'*, Belize". Partial lyrics for that song are included in this post along with selected comments from two YouTube videos' discussion threads.
Additions and corrections for these lyrics are welcome.
*"Mawnin' (morning) is also given as "maanin'".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Mr. Peters for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/12/two-videos-of-belizean-christmas-song.html for a pancocojams post that showcases the Belizean Christmas song "Good Morning, Miss Lady". This song may be related to "Good Mawnin' Belize", but I don't know which song came first. -
-snip-
Updated 12/24/2016
If it's correct as I have read that "Good Morning, Lady" was a song that was traditionally sung by Belizean Christmas carolers, than that song is older than "Good Morning, Belize".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT BELIZE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize
"Belize... formerly British Honduras, is a country on the eastern coast of Central America. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the south and west by Guatemala, and on the east by the Caribbean Sea. Its mainland is about 290 km (180 mi) long and 110 km (68 mi) wide."...
****
From http://www.chabilmarvillas.com/blog/the-music-of-belize.html
"Often described as a true melting pot, the modern-day nation of Belize is a rich blend of different cultures, including the Maya, Garifuna, Creole, and Mestizo people.
During its earliest history, Belize was briefly under the dominion of Spain but then became Britain’s only mainland colony in the area. Later emigration of Mennonites from Germany and Switzerland added to the many European influences in Belizean music, including polkas, quadrilles, schottisches, and polkas.
Primarily from the Garifuna culture, local styles feature musical instruments like drums, banjo, accordion, guitar, and a donkey’s jaw bone (played like a saw or zither). The Mestizos, immigrants from Guatemala and Mexico, brought the marimba, double bass, and drum sets.
These various influences have created a number of distinct styles of musical expression in Belize. Cumbia, related to salsa and merengue, is a popular type of music played by troupes in areas where Mestizos live. Probably the most famous musical Creole style is known as “brukdown” (breakdown), a melodic mix of calypso featuring percussion and rhythms from a donkey’s jawbone, drums and banjos. Newer forms of brukdown are called “boom and chime” and feature the use of electric guitars, congas, and bass guitars.
Two related genres of music created in Belize are known as punta and punta rock. Developed by Garifuna musicians, punta and punta rock mix traditional rhythms and dance steps from African melodies and add modern lyrics to create a style somewhat similar to reggae. Punta and punta rock were developed for parties and social events where dancing is just as important a component as the music and singing."....
****
INFORMATION ABOUT MR. PETERS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Peters
"Wilfred Peters MBE (April 15, 1931 – June 9, 2010) was a Belizean accordionist and band leader, known as the "King of Brukdown". He toured Europe and North America with his band, the Boom & Chime Band, and was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth in 1997 for his cultural contributions.
A Belizean national icon, Peters was one of the country’s best loved musicians. After over 60 years of playing, he defined Belizean Creole culture through his distinctive Brukdown music style.[citation needed]
****
From http://www.belizemusicworld.com/mr-peters-biography.html
....
"Mr. Peters' Boom & Chime
The King of Brukdown, Mr. Wilfred Peters is a Belizean national icon and one of the country's best loved musicians. After over 60 years of playing, he continues to define and invigorate Belizean Creole culture through his distinctive brukdown music style.
Brukdown music reflects the journey of the African slave into the mahogany camps of Belize. It uses syncopated rhythms and call and response patterns firmly rooted in Africa, harmonies borrowed from Europe and lyrical themes colored with the Belizean Creole language and experience. Brukdown became the music of the people, whether urban or rural.
As one of the few remaining brukdown accordion masters, Mr. Peters learned to play the instrument from his father on the family farm near the Sibun River in Belize, where music was the main form of entertainment in his household and when farmers and loggers gathered.
"We had no radios or cassettes then, only what we could play. And with some white rum and wata, people would dance through the night," Mr. Peters said.
Performing with accordion and guitar since the age of seven, his reputation grew, and by his early teens he found himself in demand throughout Belize. His popularity never waned, and he and his band continue to be a steady fixture at dances, holiday celebrations and events around Belize."...
****
PARTIAL LYRICS: GOOD MAWNIN' BELIZE
(as performed by Mr. Peters)
Good Mawning Belize
and good mawnin'
I said Good Mawnin' Belize
and good mawnin'
And how are you this mawnin'?
I wake up every mawnin'
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: every morning and work until the night
I wake up every morning
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: wake up every morning and I go to work until the night
I got I got nine pickneys to feed,
yeah
And one on the way,
yeah
A wife always in need,
nice
What a beautiful day!
????
????
I wake up every mawnin'
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: every morning and work until the night
I wake up every morning
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: wake up every morning and I go to work until the night.
?????
-snip-
I found the "I got nine pickneys" verse on this blog: http://www.belizeforum.com/belize/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=25697&page=3 posted by Diane
That blog discussion is about the differences between the word "pickinniny" and the word "pickney". Diane's prefaced these partial lyrics (and the chorus) with the comment ..."How 'bout LoveFM's song they play every morning, sung by the venerable Mr. Peters". She also wrote [I] "(might be a bit off with the lyrics, haven't been able to pick up love in the mornings lately.)"
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Good Mawning Belize - Mr. Peters
Byron Gordon Published on Oct 12, 2012
-snip-
Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread
justin lawton, 2014
"thank you som much. u mek ay fe hyear dis lee choon ya . ay musa b wah fool doe ca e mek i cry an all tru?"
-snip-
translated from Belizean Kriol to English [Additions and corrections are welcome.]
Thank you so (very) much [for] making me hear this (here) little tune [again]. Am I foolish because I really cried when I hear this song?
Tesia Joslyn, 2015
"Awwww 😘😍😏😏 I remember listening to this song in the mawning before going to school when I was younger 😞😏😏😁"
**
Reply
Frassmáasa Flash, 2015
"So dah chune ya gi yu bagga energy fi skuul"
-snip-
Translated from Belizean Kriol to English [Additions and corrections are welcome.]
"So that there [particular ?] tune gives you lots of energy for school".
****
Example #2: Good Mawnin Belize
Richard Lawry, Uploaded on Jul 19, 2009
Slideshow of Belizeans starting out their day in San Pedro Belize
-snip-
Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread:
maestrolx, 2010
"I love this cultural song it is so beautiful. It makes me feel good to be a Belizean."
**
nmxterra, 2011
"Makes me miss Belize. I remember listening to this every morning.
**
Lanny Mendez, 2012
"tiad ah hya spanish mi need fi hya wa lee creole fi get mi maaning started. time fi listen to wa lee live stream of Love Fm! wish mi Belize had betta education so i neva mi wa have to stuck da wa nada country. See you in a month my beautiful home!"
**
Haiching Yin, 2012
"only those who were raised in Belize know this song, used to heard this every morning on bus to school :)"
**
Dulce Alvarez, 2014
"GOOD MAWNIN TO ALL MY BELIZEANS!"
**
Milton Amador, 2016
"I miss listening to this song on the radio 📻 miss my country"
**
Alex Tytb Martinez, 2016
"This song is my alarm for school! 😵😵😨😜😂😂"
daintyminnie
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post provides information about Belize, Central America and information about Mr. Peters, King of Belize's Brukdown music.
This post also showcases Mr. Peters performing the now iconic Belizean song "Good Mawnin'*, Belize". Partial lyrics for that song are included in this post along with selected comments from two YouTube videos' discussion threads.
Additions and corrections for these lyrics are welcome.
*"Mawnin' (morning) is also given as "maanin'".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Mr. Peters for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/12/two-videos-of-belizean-christmas-song.html for a pancocojams post that showcases the Belizean Christmas song "Good Morning, Miss Lady". This song may be related to "Good Mawnin' Belize", but I don't know which song came first. -
-snip-
Updated 12/24/2016
If it's correct as I have read that "Good Morning, Lady" was a song that was traditionally sung by Belizean Christmas carolers, than that song is older than "Good Morning, Belize".
****
INFORMATION ABOUT BELIZE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize
"Belize... formerly British Honduras, is a country on the eastern coast of Central America. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the south and west by Guatemala, and on the east by the Caribbean Sea. Its mainland is about 290 km (180 mi) long and 110 km (68 mi) wide."...
****
From http://www.chabilmarvillas.com/blog/the-music-of-belize.html
"Often described as a true melting pot, the modern-day nation of Belize is a rich blend of different cultures, including the Maya, Garifuna, Creole, and Mestizo people.
During its earliest history, Belize was briefly under the dominion of Spain but then became Britain’s only mainland colony in the area. Later emigration of Mennonites from Germany and Switzerland added to the many European influences in Belizean music, including polkas, quadrilles, schottisches, and polkas.
Primarily from the Garifuna culture, local styles feature musical instruments like drums, banjo, accordion, guitar, and a donkey’s jaw bone (played like a saw or zither). The Mestizos, immigrants from Guatemala and Mexico, brought the marimba, double bass, and drum sets.
These various influences have created a number of distinct styles of musical expression in Belize. Cumbia, related to salsa and merengue, is a popular type of music played by troupes in areas where Mestizos live. Probably the most famous musical Creole style is known as “brukdown” (breakdown), a melodic mix of calypso featuring percussion and rhythms from a donkey’s jawbone, drums and banjos. Newer forms of brukdown are called “boom and chime” and feature the use of electric guitars, congas, and bass guitars.
Two related genres of music created in Belize are known as punta and punta rock. Developed by Garifuna musicians, punta and punta rock mix traditional rhythms and dance steps from African melodies and add modern lyrics to create a style somewhat similar to reggae. Punta and punta rock were developed for parties and social events where dancing is just as important a component as the music and singing."....
****
INFORMATION ABOUT MR. PETERS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Peters
"Wilfred Peters MBE (April 15, 1931 – June 9, 2010) was a Belizean accordionist and band leader, known as the "King of Brukdown". He toured Europe and North America with his band, the Boom & Chime Band, and was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth in 1997 for his cultural contributions.
A Belizean national icon, Peters was one of the country’s best loved musicians. After over 60 years of playing, he defined Belizean Creole culture through his distinctive Brukdown music style.[citation needed]
****
From http://www.belizemusicworld.com/mr-peters-biography.html
....
"Mr. Peters' Boom & Chime
The King of Brukdown, Mr. Wilfred Peters is a Belizean national icon and one of the country's best loved musicians. After over 60 years of playing, he continues to define and invigorate Belizean Creole culture through his distinctive brukdown music style.
Brukdown music reflects the journey of the African slave into the mahogany camps of Belize. It uses syncopated rhythms and call and response patterns firmly rooted in Africa, harmonies borrowed from Europe and lyrical themes colored with the Belizean Creole language and experience. Brukdown became the music of the people, whether urban or rural.
As one of the few remaining brukdown accordion masters, Mr. Peters learned to play the instrument from his father on the family farm near the Sibun River in Belize, where music was the main form of entertainment in his household and when farmers and loggers gathered.
"We had no radios or cassettes then, only what we could play. And with some white rum and wata, people would dance through the night," Mr. Peters said.
Performing with accordion and guitar since the age of seven, his reputation grew, and by his early teens he found himself in demand throughout Belize. His popularity never waned, and he and his band continue to be a steady fixture at dances, holiday celebrations and events around Belize."...
****
PARTIAL LYRICS: GOOD MAWNIN' BELIZE
(as performed by Mr. Peters)
Good Mawning Belize
and good mawnin'
I said Good Mawnin' Belize
and good mawnin'
And how are you this mawnin'?
I wake up every mawnin'
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: every morning and work until the night
I wake up every morning
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: wake up every morning and I go to work until the night
I got I got nine pickneys to feed,
yeah
And one on the way,
yeah
A wife always in need,
nice
What a beautiful day!
????
????
I wake up every mawnin'
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: every morning and work until the night
I wake up every morning
and I go to work until the night.
background singers: wake up every morning and I go to work until the night.
?????
-snip-
I found the "I got nine pickneys" verse on this blog: http://www.belizeforum.com/belize/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=25697&page=3 posted by Diane
That blog discussion is about the differences between the word "pickinniny" and the word "pickney". Diane's prefaced these partial lyrics (and the chorus) with the comment ..."How 'bout LoveFM's song they play every morning, sung by the venerable Mr. Peters". She also wrote [I] "(might be a bit off with the lyrics, haven't been able to pick up love in the mornings lately.)"
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Good Mawning Belize - Mr. Peters
Byron Gordon Published on Oct 12, 2012
-snip-
Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread
justin lawton, 2014
"thank you som much. u mek ay fe hyear dis lee choon ya . ay musa b wah fool doe ca e mek i cry an all tru?"
-snip-
translated from Belizean Kriol to English [Additions and corrections are welcome.]
Thank you so (very) much [for] making me hear this (here) little tune [again]. Am I foolish because I really cried when I hear this song?
Tesia Joslyn, 2015
"Awwww 😘😍😏😏 I remember listening to this song in the mawning before going to school when I was younger 😞😏😏😁"
**
Reply
Frassmáasa Flash, 2015
"So dah chune ya gi yu bagga energy fi skuul"
-snip-
Translated from Belizean Kriol to English [Additions and corrections are welcome.]
"So that there [particular ?] tune gives you lots of energy for school".
****
Example #2: Good Mawnin Belize
Richard Lawry, Uploaded on Jul 19, 2009
Slideshow of Belizeans starting out their day in San Pedro Belize
-snip-
Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread:
maestrolx, 2010
"I love this cultural song it is so beautiful. It makes me feel good to be a Belizean."
**
nmxterra, 2011
"Makes me miss Belize. I remember listening to this every morning.
**
Lanny Mendez, 2012
"tiad ah hya spanish mi need fi hya wa lee creole fi get mi maaning started. time fi listen to wa lee live stream of Love Fm! wish mi Belize had betta education so i neva mi wa have to stuck da wa nada country. See you in a month my beautiful home!"
**
Haiching Yin, 2012
"only those who were raised in Belize know this song, used to heard this every morning on bus to school :)"
**
Dulce Alvarez, 2014
"GOOD MAWNIN TO ALL MY BELIZEANS!"
**
Milton Amador, 2016
"I miss listening to this song on the radio 📻 miss my country"
**
Alex Tytb Martinez, 2016
"This song is my alarm for school! 😵😵😨😜😂😂"
daintyminnie
****
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Visitor comments are welcome.
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