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Fais do-do

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A fais do-do dance near Crowley, Louisiana in 1938

A fais do-do is a Cajun dance party; the term originated before World War II.

History

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According to Mark Humphrey, the parties were named for "the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants."[1] 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."[citation needed]

"Do-do" itself is a hypocoristic shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. The phrase is embodied in an old French lullaby, a song sung to children when putting them down for the night.

Joshua Caffery, however, suggests the true derivation is more plausibly the dance call dos à dos (back to back), the do si do call of Anglo-American folk dance; and that sources such as Duhon are merely "repeating the same apocryphal explanation known by almost anyone who lives in Southern Louisiana."[2]

Occurrences include the following:[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Notes from the Roots n' Blues CD "Cajun Dance Party – Fais Do-Do" Sony, 1994.
  2. ^ Caffery, Joshua. "The Folk Etymology of the Fais Do-Do: A Note". Folklife in Louisiana. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  3. ^ Louisiana folk life Retrieved 17 November 2021
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