birthday ditty

[Jeff Holdeman]

The closest thing to a Russian birthday song that I have encountered
is Pesenka krokodila Geny (featuring the refrain "K sozhalen'iu, den'
rozhden'ia/Tol'ko raz v godu").  The text is available on the Web,
for instance, at:

http://www.ludd.luth.se/~silver_p/Muzik/Rus/Lyr/gena.html (in
Cyrillic with guitar chords)
http://www.cs.chalmers.se/~ilya/pesni-t/gena.html (in Latin transliteration)
http://matter.cc.brandeis.edu/ignatiev/MP3 (reportedly has an MP3 of
the song, although the link didn't work when I checked it)

Regarding the suggestion of "Karavai" by Edward Dumanis, in The
Russian's World, Genevra Gerhardt gives the text and instructions.

Kak na Oliny imeniny
ispekli my karavai.
Vot takoi vyshiny,
vot takoi nizhiny
vot takoi shiriny
vot takoi uzhiny.
Karavai, karavai, kogo liubish, vybirai.

-Ia liubliu ochen' vsekh,
     a Mar'ianu bol'she vsekh.

HOW TO PLAY:
The participants make a circle by holding hands.  One person (the
karavai [a large round loaf of bread]) stands in the middle.  The
circle starts moving to the left and begins singing, "Kak na Oliny
imeniny ispekli my karavay".  Then they raise their (joined) hands
high and say, "Vot takoi vyshiny".  They then lower their (joined)
hands to the floor and say, "Vot takoi nizhiny".  Then they stop
circling and spread out as far as possible and sing, "Vot takoi
shiriny", then rush in and sing, "Vot takoi uzhiny".  Next, then
begin circling again and sing, "Karavai, karavai, kogo liubish,
vybirai".  They stop circling.  The person in the middle sings/says,
"Ia liubliu ochen' vsekh, a Mar'ianu bol'she vsekh."  They kiss, and
the two trade places.

I have had Russian friends argue over the exact text and
"performance", but this is pretty close to the original.  (I am open
to receiving your variations off-list.)

Jeff


Jeff Holdeman
The Ohio State University
holdeman.2 at osu.edu



>Does anyone have a good Russian birthday poem, song, or ditty to share?
>Thanks,
>Katya King
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>   options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>                 http://members.home.net/lists/seelangs/
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                http://members.home.net/lists/seelangs/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------