a little present for the Greek friends...

Hi everybody... I have thought to post here a new thread because I have to thank you for the help you are giving me with the translations from Italian to Greek, especially Coccinella and Alexander... These are some videos taken by youtube and a link of music... every clip concerns the local traditions of my region, the Basilicata in southern Italy, the land where I was born and where unfortunately I don't live nowadays... Here you'll see some landscapes and listen also to our local traditional music... All in return to your kindness and to thank you by heart !!!

IMAGES OF BASILICATA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HQfWtLabiY

LA TARANTELLA DI ZIO RAFFAELE (UNCLE RALPH'S TARANTELLA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miAeClXQ7DQ

MUSICA DALLA MADONNA DI POLLINO (RELIGIOUS FOLK MUSIC)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4I5CFFTVDg

AGOSTINO GERARDI "A LI LAG R SANT VIT" (AT SAINT VITO LAKES)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsVdMv0MJjM

ROCCO PAPALEO "BASILICATA ON MY MIND"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlXIYBt7Oe8

AGOSTINO GERARDI COLLECTION
http://www.aviglianonline.eu/Editori...ERARDI%20VOL.1

The songs of Agostino Gerardi and Rocco Papaleo are sung in the local dialect of Basilicata, if you want I can translate them for you !!!

Hugs once again !!!

This is the translation of the "BASILICATA ON MY MIND" song from Rocco Papaleo, I write the dialect text before, then I'll translate... this is an ironic song about our region that is abandoned from the rest of Italy... The dialect is of the little town of Lauria, and it starts at the 2.00 minute of the video...

"Se Cristo si e'fermato ad Eboli,
A colpa di ku e'
E certo nun e' da nostra
Nui lu vulimu bene,
L'avimu preparet
Na festa granna grann
Varil i vin e ang'net
Ca par i Capodann,
Cristo nun e'v'nut
N'aviss t'avv'se'
Ng' amu rimasu brutt
A rrobba s'e' iettet
Ma pur senza prut'zion
Da fe' n'ammu det
E dall e dall e dall
N'ammu cacciat u chep...

Ba. ba Basilicata, ba ba Basilicata
Tu che ne sai, l'hai vista mai
Basilicata is on my mind
(n'ata vot)

U Pepa s'a nt'rsset
E n'ha telefonet
N'a ditu d'sta quit
N'aver't aiutet
E nui p'sta quit
P n'aiute' a r'sist
Senza r' dic nind
N'ammu fattu buddist...

Ba ba Basilicata, ba ba Basilicata
Tu che ne sai, l'hai vista mai
Basilicata is on my mind
(n'ata vot)"

This is the English translation:

"If Jesus Christ had stopped in Eboli
Who is the guilty?
For sure it is nobody of us,
Because we love Him,
We have prepaired for Him
A very big feast
(With) glass of wines and typical dishes
It seemed like the New Year's Day...
(But) Jesus Christ didn't come here,
It would have been better if he had adviced us !!!
We got very angry for it,
And throw away all the food,
But also without the protection,
We held on,
And by holdin on and trying,
We have gone out of our difficulties...

Ba ba Basilicata, ba ba Basilicata
Do you know it ??? have you ever seen it ???
Basilicata is on my mind
(once again)

The Pope took care (of us)
And telephoned us
He said to us to be quiet
Because he would have helped us,
And all of us, to stay quiet,
And to help each other to resist,
Without saying anything to him,
Have converted ourselves to Buddhism...

Ba ba Basilicata, ba ba Basilicata,
Do you know it ??? Have you ever seen it ???
Basilicata is on my mind
(once again...)"

NOTE: An Italian writer, Carlo Levi, during the period of the fascism in Italy was relegated in the town of Aliano in the region of Basilicata... he saw the poorness and the archaic lifestyle of the population that was abandoned by the government and for this reason wrote a book with the title "Cristo si e'fermato a Eboli" ("Jesus Christ had stopped in Eboli") Eboli is a little town located not far away from Rome, and it lies in the Campania region... In the book Levi speaks about the critical condition of Basilicata's population... for this reason Rocco Papaleo has mentioned "Cristo si e'fermato a Eboli" in his song !!!

Dear friends, please allow me to insert another video that I have found on youtube and that I think you will find interesting...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANC0jdmNHwM

This is a music that sounds like the "tarantella" and, in the popular tradition, has got a magic meaning... it's played to celebrate the "union of the trees", an ancient religious tradition of the Pollino mountain in Basilicata... The instruments are a little accordion called "ORGANETTO", the bagpipe (la "ZAMPOGNA" in Italian, when the ZAMPOGNA is smaller it's called "SURDULINA") and the local "TAMBURELLO"... Hope you like it !!!

Thank you for sharing all these info with us!
And I will say it once again, your hometown is BEAUTIFUL.
It is a pity that it is abandoned by the government, but, since I am greek, I am used to this kind of situation, sadly. Our state has abandoned all of as many-many years ago.

Hi Coccinella, I'm glad you like these videos... I think that in the lands that are abandoned by central government, the only resource on what we can count it's the tourism, and this is what we try to do...

May I invite you and all the friends in a walk in the "Sassi" of the Matera city ??? I'm sure you will find them amazing !!!! Another pearl of my homeland that I want to share with you !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwaagkqkG-4

PS: A little curiosity, regarding the similarities between Greece and the southern Italy... There are some Greek words that are the same also in the dialect of Basilicata... For example, one of them is the fruit of the orange... In Greek is called "Portokali" and in the dialect of various town of Basilicata it's called "PARTGALL" with the article "U" that gives the name the masculine form: "U PARTGALL"... But there are also other words, if I remember them I'll post them... I think that the cultural sub-strate of Magna Graecia is still present and alive here !!!

And regarding the dialect of Basilicata, here are some words of the town of Roccanova... I have tried to translate them into English... here they are !!!

Affàscin (a sort of white magic ritual)
allùcch (to shout)
bbagugh (suitcase)
buffétt (the table where the dinner is served, like the French word "bouffet")
camastr (iron chain that substains the pot into the fireside)
càncaricch (sort of chili)
canigghia (flour not risen)
cannarut (a person who is very greedy)
capisciòu (cotton ribbon)
carusiell (moneybox)
casciòn (chest)
catarràtt (trapdoor, here the Greek influence is very evident !!!)
accatté (to buy)
chiatr (white hoar frost)
chés-ricott (cheese)
crìspell (traditional Christmas fried ring shaped buns)
créi (tomorrow)
crùscent (sort of natural baking powder)
culumbr (figs)
cummér ("I KOUMBARA" in Greek, this is very similar !!!)
cup cup (a noisy musical instrument used in the Carnival holidays)
cuòppu (ladle)
cutué (to move)
fatighè (to work)
fatìga (to get tired)
Fucagn (hearth, fireside)
frisell (rounded shape dry bread,it is bathed in the water and then eaten with oil and tomatoes)
fucueer (hearth,fireside)
fungii (mushrooms)
gauétt ("BOUKALI" in Greek)
gnummariéll (there are the exact same of the Greek "SOUVLAKI" dish)
granét (pineapple)
grànidinie (wheat)
gualén (farmer)
guandier (tray)
ill e iell (he and she)
Jaskàriell (wine recipient)
làmia (roof)
maccatur (handkerchief)
Mammagrann (the grandmother)
Mastr (the master of a shop, for example the barber)
mbròn (silly person)
munnè (to clean the vegetables,from the Latin "mundare")
na murr (a very consistent number of people)
nchiané (to go upside)
nzuré, nzurét (to get married)
palumm (pigeon)
pagghiér (sort of country refuge made by shrubs, the farmers spend here the nights when it's time to collect the fruit or the wheat)
partgall (as we said is the Greek "PORTOKALI", the orange)
pedànn (a recipient made of crete used to store the wine and the oil)
prn'kokk (peach)
pummarell (apple)
putéia (shop)
ramaggh (shrubs used to light the fire in the fireside)
rasckatiell (typical sort of pasta "makaronada" made at home, they look like the Apulian "orecchiette" but they can be found only in Basilicata, they are very tasty, believe me !!! )
rundinell (swallow,tern)
sangunacc (typical dish made from solidified blood of pig and added with drops of chocolate and nuts)
Ttén (father)
trappit (oil press grinder,this word comes from the Ionian Greek verb "TRAPEO")
viscuott (cookies, also there you can compare to the Greek "MPISKOTA")