In Chamorro, we actually have two calendars – one calendar is the traditional Chamorro calendar, based upon the phases of the moon. The other calendar is the western calendar, which is based upon the sun and takes its days and months from Spanish. In this post, we’ll go over the days and months that use Spanish loanwords, how to make dates, and how to use these words in basic phrases.
taitai mås
Here’s another cultural piece, from the short stories book I found in the KPV Collection, about devotional prayers and the parties that are held in honor of the saint that the devotional prayer is said to. This short story is in Chamorro with the English translation and narration done by Jay Che’le. Whenever I read or listen to this story, I always end up very hungry because of all the food they describe for the party, and it makes me nostalgic for the days, now 20 years ago, when my family would host events like this or attend them. Hope you enjoy!
This song, “Maila’ Ta Baila” by Pacific Cool holds a special place in my heart. When I was just a few months into learning Chamorro, Jay sent me a playlist of Chamorro songs and this was the first on the list. I listened to it four times in a row because I couldn’t stop smiling, being caught by the song’s uplifting energy and romantic lyrics. A couple of years later, one of the former band members – Henry Hofschneider – and a group of Chamorro musicians were kind enough to play this at my party to celebrate finishing grad school. It meant so much to me because of how much I love this song. This song is great for beginners getting started in the language because the lyrics are a blend of English and Chamorro. The Chamorro lyrics and their English translation are included in this post. I hope this song makes you smile 🙂
Continue reading “Maila’ Ta Baila by Pacific Cool – Chamorro Lyrics and English Translation”
This lesson is part of the Beginner Chamorro learning path.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about things that will happen in the future in Chamorro. We’ll practice building simple sentences you can use in real conversations, such as saying where someone will go, what someone will do, or what plans are coming up — like “I will stay in Yigo” or “They will walk to the party.” You’ll also find plenty of example sentences and practice drills, with new audio recordings forthcoming. Happy studying!
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Have you ever participated in the Chamorro custom of mamaisen saina, where permission is asked of the elders for two people to marry? I have not, but I’ve been fortunate to hear stories from others. One of my favorite stories was from my boyfriend’s aunt: when her now-husband arrived at her parents’ house, he brought practically the entire village of Umatac with him!
So here is another Chamorro short story, about the custom of asking permission to marry, narrated by Jay Che’le. I’ve included a Chamorro transcription, English translation, and the original pdf from the KPV Collection. If you want to read more about this marriage ritual, there is also an article about it on Guampedia.
