La Vibora de La Mar
Encyclopedia
La víbora de la mar is a traditional singing game
originating in Spain. It is a popular children's game in Mexico
and Latin America
.
or Cantaloupe
) the other is "Sandía." (Watermelon
)
The children begin to sing the song, as the "snake" begins to run (without separating) passing repeatedly under the arch. The lyrics of the song are such that the last of the word of each stanza can be repeated at will, and the children might decide to bring the arch down to "capture" someone. The fun in the game is not knowing when the arch will fall, "capturing" one of the children.
The children who form the arch then ask: "With whom will you stay? Melón or Sandía?" The captured child must then queue up next to the "fruit" of his choice, thereby forming another arch through which the line must pass.
Once all children that formed the original line are divided between "melón" and "sandía", the resulting queues must compete in a game of tug of war
.
Spanish:
A la víbora, víbora
de la mar, de la mar
por aquí pueden pasar
Los de adelante corren mucho
y los de atrás se quedarán
tras, tras, tras, tras.
Una Mexicana que fruta vendía
ciruela, chabacano, melón y sandía.
Será melón, será sandía
será la vieja del otro día
día, día, día, día
El puente esta quebrado
que lo manden componer
Con cascaras de huevo
y pedazos de oropel
pel, pel, pel, pel
English Translation:
The snake, the snake
Of the sea, of the sea
All of you can pass through here
Those up front run quickly
Those at back are left behind
'hind, 'hind, 'hind, 'hind
An old Mexican lady, that sold many fruits
Plums, apricots, cantaloupes and watermelons
Is it cantaloupe? Is it watermelon?
Is it the old lady we saw the other day?
Day, day, day, day!
The bridge is broken
Someone send to have it fixed
With broken bits of eggshell
And pieces of aluminum foil
Foil, foil, foil, foil
" in English-speaking countries, and a similar game in Japan
exists, played to a song called Toryanse
.
Singing game
A singing game is an activity based around a particular verse or rhyme, usually associated with a set of actions and movements. They have been studied by folklorists, ethnologists and psychologists and are seen as important part of childhood culture...
originating in Spain. It is a popular children's game in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
The game
Children form a line holding each others' waist or clothing, and two other children raise their arms together to form an arch. Of the two children forming the arch, one of them is "Melón" ( HoneydewHoneydew (melon)
Honeydew is a cultivar group of the muskmelon, Cucumis melo Inodorus group, which includes crenshaw, casaba, Persian, winter, and other mixed melons.-Characteristics:...
or Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe
"Rockmelon" redirects here, for the band see Rockmelons. See also Cantaloupe .Cantaloupe refers to a variety of Cucumis melo, a species in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes nearly all melons and squashes. Cantaloupes range in size from...
) the other is "Sandía." (Watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
)
The children begin to sing the song, as the "snake" begins to run (without separating) passing repeatedly under the arch. The lyrics of the song are such that the last of the word of each stanza can be repeated at will, and the children might decide to bring the arch down to "capture" someone. The fun in the game is not knowing when the arch will fall, "capturing" one of the children.
The children who form the arch then ask: "With whom will you stay? Melón or Sandía?" The captured child must then queue up next to the "fruit" of his choice, thereby forming another arch through which the line must pass.
Once all children that formed the original line are divided between "melón" and "sandía", the resulting queues must compete in a game of tug of war
Tug of war
Tug of war, also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. The term may also be used as a metaphor to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, such as a rivalry between two...
.
The Verses
The words to the song are:Spanish:
A la víbora, víbora
de la mar, de la mar
por aquí pueden pasar
Los de adelante corren mucho
y los de atrás se quedarán
tras, tras, tras, tras.
Una Mexicana que fruta vendía
ciruela, chabacano, melón y sandía.
Será melón, será sandía
será la vieja del otro día
día, día, día, día
El puente esta quebrado
que lo manden componer
Con cascaras de huevo
y pedazos de oropel
pel, pel, pel, pel
English Translation:
The snake, the snake
Of the sea, of the sea
All of you can pass through here
Those up front run quickly
Those at back are left behind
'hind, 'hind, 'hind, 'hind
An old Mexican lady, that sold many fruits
Plums, apricots, cantaloupes and watermelons
Is it cantaloupe? Is it watermelon?
Is it the old lady we saw the other day?
Day, day, day, day!
The bridge is broken
Someone send to have it fixed
With broken bits of eggshell
And pieces of aluminum foil
Foil, foil, foil, foil
Variations
In Mexico, it has become quite popular to play this game at weddings. In this variation, men and women are often divided, the groom and bride standing on chairs to form the arch under which everyone passes. (The groom often uses the veil or train of the bride's dress). In this case, the song is not sung, and the rhythm of music is followed, which gets faster and faster, the participants struggling to keep the "snake" together, while running through tables, chairs and the couple. At the end of the game, depending on the sex of the participants, the bride throws from her chair the wedding bouquet, and the groom the garter.Similar games in other traditions
Similar games such as these exist in other traditions as well. This game can be likened to "London Bridge is Falling DownLondon Bridge is Falling Down
"London Bridge Is Falling Down" is a well-known traditional nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 502.-Lyrics:...
" in English-speaking countries, and a similar game in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
exists, played to a song called Toryanse
Toryanse
is the name of the traditional Japanese children's tune . It is a common choice for music played by traffic lights in Japan when it is safe to cross.The words to the song are:...
.