Warning: If the thought of Christmas in September curdles your brain, move on to another post.
This carol, "Los Peces en el Rio," sung by a children's group, is played over the sound system at the supermarket starting any day now. Today I'm going to take the lyrics to my maestra Lolita and get some help with them. I need an early start if I'm going to memorize it, so I can sing along at the supermarket (just kidding). Here it's sung by Cecilia Echenique and a flock of little niños in monk garb at a magnificent church. I saw a few other videos but they all involved delirious kids opening presents, ice skaters and Santa costumes...they might as well have been made in the States.
I've given up sugar, white flour, frantic foraging for gifts and killing trees for decorative purposes. So what's left? For me, the excitement is in Mexican Christmas traditions (before they're lost), especially learning new songs. So I'm starting early to learn this one, a traditional and very upbeat tune. I found a video teaching how to play it, but of course the vid is in Spanish and I'm struggling to translate it, or at least figure out the chords.
A rough translation: while the fish in the river are getting excited about God (literally) being born, the Virgin goes about her daily life, combing her golden (?) hair, washing diapers, washing her hands, waiting.
The waiting part, I remember well.