A ''fais do-do'' is a

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

party; the term originated before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

According to Mark Humphrey, the parties were named for "the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants."Notes from the Roots n' Blues CD "Cajun Dance Party - Fais Do-Do" Sony, 1994. He quotes early Cajun musician

Edwin Duhon Edwin Duhon (11 June 1910 – 26 February 2006) was an Americans, American musician and co-founder of the Hackberry Ramblers, a band (music), band playing a combination of Music of Louisiana, Cajun music, Western swing, and country music. D ...

of the Hackberry Ramblers: : "She'd go to the

cry room A cry room or crying room is a space designed for people to take babies or small children for privacy or to reduce the disturbance of others. Started in the 1950s, they are usually found in churches, theatres, and cinemas. In some venues, they are c ...

, give the baby a

nipple The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in females, milk leaves the breast through the lactiferous ducts to feed an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively or it can be ejected by smooth mu ...

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 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." Occurrences include the following: * Dance temptation with back to back, or dos à dos from Louisiana French.Louisiana folk life
Retrieved 17 November 2021 * In

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

's 1993
Louisiana Christmas Day
* A mention in

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed only ...

's 1958 song "Papa Noel", on the B-side of "

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958; it has since been recorded by numerous other music artists. By the song's 50th anniversary in 2008, Lee's original version had s ...

" * In the lyrics o
Bayou Jubilee
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The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
on the album
Dream
"Nothing in this world, such a pure delight, as a fais-do-do on a Saturday night." * In the lyrics of "

Diggy Liggy Lo "Diggy Liggy Lo" is a single by American country music duo Rusty & Doug. The song was written and originally performed by Terry J. Clement. Released in 1961, their version peaked at number 14 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart. Doug K ...

" song and lyrics written by Terry J. Clement. * In the 1989 film ''J'ai Été Au Bal/I Went to the Dance'' by

Les Blank Les Blank (November 27, 1935 – April 7, 2013) was an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians. Life and career Leslie Harrod Blank Jr. was born November 27, 1935 in Tampa, Florida. He atten ...

Chris Strachwitz Chris Strachwitz (born July 1, 1931) is a German-born American record label executive and record producer. He is the founder and president of Arhoolie Records, which he established in 1960 and which became one of the leading labels recording a ...

Maureen Gosling Maureen Gosling is an American documentary filmmaker, editor, and director. She is best known for her 20-year collaboration with the late director Les Blank. Life and career Gosling was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her physician father wa ...

. * In the 1944 film '' Dark Waters'' starring

Merle Oberon Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...

. * In the ''Landry'' series by V.C. Andrews * In the lyrics of "Down At The Twist And Shout" by Mary Chapin Carpenter.

References

External links

"Fais do"
(1998–2010)
"Mama Lisa’s World :Children's Songs and Nursery Rhymes"
Lisa Yannucci (2010) {{Wiktionary, dodo#French Cajun dance Parties

History

See also

References

External links