Ocho Kandelikas
"Ocho Kandelikas" (English, Eight Little Candles) is a Jewish song celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah. The song is sung in Ladino, a Spanish-derived language traditionally associated with the Sephardic Jewish community, whose ancestors lived in Spain before the 15th century CE.[1] The song is often performed in an Argentine tango-rhythm with accompanying accordion and violins. Despite its traditional-sounding tone, "Ocho Kandelikas" is a modern composition, written by the Jewish-American composer Flory Jagoda in 1983.[2] The lyrics of the song describes a child's joy of lighting the candles on the menorah. The song has been recorded and performed by the Portland-based lounge orchestra Pink Martini, the multilingual rock group Hip Hop Hoodios, the London-based jazz flamenco group Los Desterrados, the female a cappella ensemble Vocolot, Hazzan Alberto Mizrahi ("the Pavarotti of modern Jewish cantorial music") and Yasmin Levy, an Israeli singer-songwriter of Judaeo-Spanish (Ladino) music.
Ladino | English |
---|---|
Hanukka linda sta aki,
ocho kandelas para mi. (x2) |
Beautiful Hanukkah is here,
eight candles for me. (x2) |
O --- Una kandelika, dos kandelikas,
tres kandelikas, kuatro kandelikas sintyu kandelikas, sej kandelikas, siete kandelikas, ocho kandelas para mi |
O --- One little candle, two little candles,
three little candles, four little candles, five little candles, six little candles, seven little candles, eight candles for me. |
Muchas fiestas vo fazer,
kon alegriyas y plazer. (2x) |
Lots of parties to have,
with happiness and pleasure. (2x) |
Los pastelikos vo kumer,
kon almendrikas y la myel. (2x) |
Little pastries to eat,
with little almonds and honey. (2x) |
References
- ^ "Jewish Virtual Library - Sephardim". Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- ^ "Tablet Mag - Ocho Kandelikas". Retrieved 2011-03-15.