Ocho Kandelikas
"Ocho Kandelikas" (lit. 'Eight Little Candles') is a Ladino song celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah, written by the Jewish-American composer Flory Jagoda in 1983.[1]
The song is sung in Ladino, an Old Spanish-derived language traditionally associated with the Sephardic Jewish community.[2] The song is often performed in an Argentine tango-rhythm with accompanying accordion and violins. 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 Voice of the Turtle (appearing on their CD: Circle of Fire; Boston 1986), Erran Baron Cohen, 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, chazzan Alberto Mizrahi, Yasmin Levy, an Israeli singer-songwriter of Ladino music, and Idina Menzel,[3] an American actress, performer, singer and songwriter.
Lyrics
| Ladino (transliterated) | English |
|---|---|
| Hanukka linda sta aki,
ocho kandelas para mi. (×2) |
Beautiful Hanukkah is here,
eight candles for me. (×2) |
| O — Una kandelika, dos kandelikas,
trez kandelikas, kuatro kandelikas sintyu kandelikas, sesh 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. (×2) |
Many parties to have,
with happiness and pleasure. (×2) |
| Los pastelikos vo kumer,
kon almendrikas y la myel. (×2) |
Little pastries to eat,
with little almonds and honey. (×2) |
References
- "Tablet Mag - Ocho Kandelikas". Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- "Jewish Virtual Library - Sephardim". Retrieved 2011-03-15.
- "Idina Menzel - Official Site". Retrieved 1 November 2019.