2013

:
| 11.30am 12.30pm | Big Steps, School of Information Systems, SMU

 2013
:
| 11.30am 12.30pm | Big Steps, School of Information Systems, SMU

 TEOCHEW NURSERY RHYMES

<Grey Grey sky> is a Teochew nursery rhyme. It provides inspiration in various aspects such as in terms of family ties, custom, wisdom and education. It tells a story. Three children are expecting their aunts visit on a rainy day. They prepare an umbrella to shelter her from the rain. Their aunt brought a pair of persimmons as gift. As there are only two persimmons, after giving each nephew one persimmon, there is none left for the niece. She is not happy about it. The aunt then thinks of a way to distribute the persimmons equally, teaching them good manners at the same time.

 TEOCHEW NURSERY RHYMES

As the sky is turning grey We wait for our aunt with an umbrella Our aunt arrives with two persimmons in hand One for Ah Li and one for Ah Nai Ah Tao who is left with none, cries and complains There are three of us but you only gave two of us, why? Ah Tao, Ah Tao, please don't cry, let me tell you why Gifts are usually presented in pairs. As Ah Li and Ah Nai have not eaten the persimmons Ah Tao, get me a knife Cut the kiwis into six pieces Each person gets two pieces, fair and square All of you must eat gracefully, to avoid getting dirty.

<The Sky is turning grey>

 TEOCHEW NURSERY RHYMES

Rocking my precious son to sleep

Rock oh rock, rocking my precious son to sleep Hoping my precious son grows up to be an official Ah Wen, Ah Wu carry your boots, higher and higher Rear pigs as fat as cows, rear cows to buy horses Sell horses to buy pearl Round and Round, the pearl is round My precious son studies for the imperial exam When setting off, the young male servant carries your luggage When coming back, lights and colourful flags greet your return
(implying that he has topped the imperial exam and is returning in glory accompanied by much fanfare)

This is a lullaby, it is usually sung by mothers in sync with their rocking motion, when they are sitting by the cradle, trying to soothe their baby to sleep. It reflects the high hope that parents pin on their children, hoping that they grow up to be successful, to become high ranking official, thereby bringing honour and glory to the family.

 TEOCHEW NURSERY RHYMES

A

Mouse drags a cat up a bamboo pole

A mouse drags a cat up a bamboo pole A monk fights with another, pulling each others hair Climbing up a roof with a ladder to catch prawns Burning the forest to catch snails A mouse drags a cat up a bamboo fence A monk fights with another, pulling one anothers braid Climbing up a roof with a ladder to catch prawns Burning the forest to catch crabs

This is a mocking topsy turvy nursery rhyme. Mainly, it turns logic upside down.

 TEOCHEW NURSERY RHYMES

Fingerprint
Two spirals, have a hard life (having to work so hard that one gets blister on ones
leg)

One Spiral (referring to the spiralling print on ones finger) Have a stable life

Three spirals, have enough rice for cooking Four spirals, have enough rice for steaming Five spirals, have land under your name Six spirals, have a miserable life Seven spirals, have a smooth life Eight spirals, have a beggar's life Nine spirals, have a peaceful life Ten spirals, have a high-flying life (become a high-ranking Mandarin)

This nursery rhyme is usually sung when children are playing a game where they clap each others hands. Although it is a bit superstitious, nevertheless, a child is able to increase his or her vocabulary when singing this song during the game. Mandarin: refers to a member of any of the nine senior grades of the bureaucracy, entered by imperial examination in feudal China.

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMES

The Moon Shines Bright

Chinese New Years here, everyone is in a joyous mood The aroma of steamed rice cake and fried sesame balls fills the air

Every household celebrates reunion happily

Come and join me in singing, Oh! the moon shines bright

Aiyoyo, Aiyoyo
Come and join me in singing, Oh! the moon shines bright While the moon shines bright A bright young man Riding a white horse Gallops across a lotus pond Chinese Leeks grows behind the pond Chinese Leek flower Got me in my in-laws

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMES The Moon Shines Bright My in-laws have a pond in front of their house In the pond, there is a carp eight feet long The carp head will be sent to the school The carp tail will be sold to get a bride

The carp tail will be sold to get a bride

Get a bride, get oh get a bride

The Bridegroom grows ginger

When ginger produces shoots, he grows bamboo shoots When bamboo shoots flowers, he grows melon When melon ripens, he plucks and sells it With the money from the sale He learns cotton weaving When the cotton thread snaps He learns brick making When the brick breaks apart

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMES The Moon Shines Bright He learns iron welding When the iron rusts He learns pig slaughtering When the pig wanders off

He learns dog slaughtering

When the dog keeps barking

He learns to grow veggies

Down at the veggie farm I run into my two in-laws Ha ha, My two in-laws, oh! my two in-laws They brought me a stool They serve me tea

And congratulate the bride for giving birth to a chubby baby boy Feed him clay pot porridge every day He will learn to crawl by the third day

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMES The Moon Shines Bright He looks like his mother He looks like his father He learns to speak by the fifth day

Greet your grandma before you greet your mama

Grandmaaye, Mamaaye,

Grandpaaye, Papa-aye
Seeing him makes everyone so happy, oh so happy Grandma laughs till she hiccups Grandpa laughs till his tooth fell off Hee Hee Hee Hee, Ha Ha Ha, Hee Hee Ha Ha, Hee Hee Ha Ha, Ha Ha!

() Oh this son of mine, this great baby of mine The moon shines bright

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMES

Mother Duck is Quaking
Mother duck is quaking

Fetch me water for cooking

Who should I fetch the water for?

Fetch the water for the neighbours

For the neighbours to make Lei Cha Add groundnuts, add sesame seeds Add oil, salt and dried tea leaves But I avoid adding red or green chilli Next, sprinkle some spring onions and minced ginger Three bowls, four ladles Who should I send it to?

Send it to your family members

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMES

Send it to people of the same age

Eh Oh Eh Oh Eh Lei Cha

Mother Duck is Quaking

Send it to the local people Mother duck is quaking My gift of Lei Cha to you Fetch me water for cooking One big bowl for my Hunan cousin Who should I fetch the water for? One ladle full for the Cantonese man Fetch the water for the neighbours The last bowl I keep it for myself For the neighbours to make Lei Cha Happily tucking into our bowl of Lei Cha Add groundnuts, add sesame seeds Eh Oh Eh, Hei Oh Hei, Eh Oh Eh Oh, Hei Oh Hei Oh Add oil, salt and dried tea leaves You drink it, I drink it, everybody drinks Lei Cha But I avoid adding red or green chilli You drink it, I drink it, everybody drinks Lei Cha Next, sprinkle some spring onions and minced ginger Eh Oh, Eh Oh, Eh Oh Eh Oh, Eh Oh Eh Oh Three bowls, four ladles Everybody drinks till they are sweating Who should I send it to? Everybody drinks till they are bloated Just like that old mother duck

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMES

The Moon Shines Bright
The moon shines bright, upon the lotus pond Chinese leeks grows behind the lotus pond

Chinese leek flowers, got me my in-laws

There is a pond In front of my in-laws house

In the pond, there is a carp eight feet long

The long portion, I cook it with wine The short portion, I sell it to get a wife I got a wife, who is a shorty A wife who cooks delicious food

The Moon Shines Bright is a nursery rhyme that the Hakkas are most familiar with. In the past, the elders in a family will teach this nursery rhyme to the children. However, as it is passed down orally, it often resulted in different versions, with varying length and due its rhyming nature, people can easily recite it.

THANK YOU !