Fais do-do
Encyclopedia
Fais do-do is a name for a Cajun
dance
party, originating before World War II
. According to Mark Humphrey the parties were named for "the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants." He quotes early Cajun musician Edwin Duhon
of the Hackberry Ramblers, "She'd go to the cry room, give the baby a nipple
and say, 'Fais do-do.' She'd want the baby to go to sleep fast, 'cause she's worried about her husband dancing with somebody else out there."
'Do-do' itself is a shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. Comparable to the American English
"beddy-bye", it is still commonly used by French-speaking people.
Sheriff
Harry Lee of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
used to host one of the most famous contemporary fais do-do, an annual bash which raises money for his reelection campaigns and for charity. The fais do-do was featured in the November 28, 2006 broadcast of NPR
's All Things Considered
.
It is also the name of a club in Los Angeles
around the Mid-City, Los Angeles area. Many prominent underground hip hop
artists have performed there, such as 2Mex, Scarub, and Ivan Ives
, as well as many rock, jazz, blues, americana, funk, and rock en espanol artists.
Fais do-do is also the name of a French children's song with no author or copyright date. Some lyrics date from 1871 in "Chansons et rondes enfantines" as illustrated on the Lisa Yannucci website.
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
party, originating before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. According to Mark Humphrey the parties were named for "the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants." He quotes early Cajun musician Edwin Duhon
Edwin Duhon
Edwin Duhon was an American musician and co-founder of the Hackberry Ramblers, a band playing a combination of Cajun music, Western swing, and country music....
of the Hackberry Ramblers, "She'd go to the cry room, give the baby a nipple
Nipple
In its most general form, a nipple is a structure from which a fluid emanates. More specifically, it is the projection on the breasts or udder of a mammal by which breast milk is delivered to a mother's young. In this sense, it is often called a teat, especially when referring to non-humans, and...
and say, 'Fais do-do.' She'd want the baby to go to sleep fast, 'cause she's worried about her husband dancing with somebody else out there."
'Do-do' itself is a shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. Comparable to the American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
"beddy-bye", it is still commonly used by French-speaking people.
Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Harry Lee of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
used to host one of the most famous contemporary fais do-do, an annual bash which raises money for his reelection campaigns and for charity. The fais do-do was featured in the November 28, 2006 broadcast of NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
.
It is also the name of a club in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
around the Mid-City, Los Angeles area. Many prominent underground hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artists have performed there, such as 2Mex, Scarub, and Ivan Ives
Ivan Ives
Ivan Ives is an American hip hop artist born in Leningrad - living in Los Angeles, California. Although from Russia, all of his work has been composed while growing up and living in the United States. He has worked with the likes of The Cool Kids, Black Milk, Percee P , Oh No , Tre Hardson ,...
, as well as many rock, jazz, blues, americana, funk, and rock en espanol artists.
Fais do-do is also the name of a French children's song with no author or copyright date. Some lyrics date from 1871 in "Chansons et rondes enfantines" as illustrated on the Lisa Yannucci website.