Featured is one of the Pollitos’ favorite bands, PALO!, who is all about Afro-Cuban funk and fun. The song featured in this album, which benefits Amnesty International, is Quimbombo (Okra). Anything but Quimbombo, so go the lyrics…and I agree. But, the song, I will keep.

Favorite Baby Names

So, we named our daughter Maria.

Kind of obvious, right?

Not really. My generation of Cuban/Hispanic/Latino/whatever-your-want-to-call-us didn’t necessarily stick to the traditional names of our culture. Most of my cousins have children with non-Spanish names.

So, afraid we would get chided for picking the ever-popular Maria, I only told my best friend. Even my Mami didn’t know until her first grand-daughter was born.

Why did we go with Maria?

A few reasons: My great-grandmother, a fabulous woman wore the name well; my husband loves the name; and we wanted a name that could be said easily in Spanish and English, and one that would travel well. We’ve known Marias who are everything from Cuban to Czech. We like that.

Again, we’re a little bit the odd balls when you look at the names chosen by Hispanic parents in the United States.

From Yahoo Shine, an interview with BabyCenter en Español:

“Even when these parents don’t speak English, they’re increasingly likely to choose English names,” says Isidra Mencos, editor-in-chief of our popular Spanish-language website,BabyCenter en Español. “This year, Valentina dropped off the most-popular list and was replaced with the American-sounding Nicole.”

All about Alexander, Sophia, Santiago and Sofia

BabyCenter keeps tabs on the most popular Spanish baby names for boys and girls and here is what they discovered for 2011.

Latinos in the United States lean toward “bilingual” names — or rather, names like Maria and David, which can be said well and with the same spelling in either language. And in Spanish-speaking countries, Maria Jose still comes in at number 10.

Favorite Spanish Names

Among Latinos in the United States, favorite boys’ names:

1. Alexander
2. Sebastián
3. Daniel
4. Ángel
5. Santiago
6. Diego
7. Alejandro
8. Christopher
9. David
10. Anthony

Hispanics in the more than 20-Spanish-speaking countries, favorite boys’ names

1. Santiago
2. Sebastián
3. Matías
4. Nicolás
5. Samuel

Latinos in the United States, favorite girls’ names

1. Sophia
2. Camila
3. Isabella
4. Valeria
5. Mia
6. Allison
7. Gabriela
8. Emily
9. Ashley
10. Nicole

Latinos in 20-plus Spanish-speaking countries, favorite girls’ names:

1. Sofía
2. Valentina
3. Isabella
4. Camila
5. Valeria

To see the whole list, visit Baby Center.

What did you name your little baby Pollito?

So, I just read this essay “How Cultures Combine and Blend in a Person” and it hit me that you can be bilingual and not bicultural and bicultural but not bilingual.

From the article:

Contrary to general belief, bilingualism and biculturalism do not always go hand in hand. People can be bilingual without being bicultural (think of Europeans who use two or more languages in their everyday lives but who live in only one country and within one culture), and people can be bicultural without being bilingual (such as British expatriates who have lived in the United States for many years). But of course, many bilinguals are also bicutural; they use two or more languages in their everyday lives and they navigate within and between their different cultures.

I knew that, of course. But, perhaps it did not register because I claim both. But, I see the examples in my own friends — like Mexican-Americans who don’t speak Spanish, or the bilingual Venezuelan friend who pretty much lives Latina in the U.S., or my own daughter, who knows about pinatas and el ratoncito, but whose Spanish is not advanced.

My 7-year-old has two distinct cultures, and an extra if you throw in her native Southern upbringing. She speaks and understands English and is getting a bilingual and bicultural education at home and school. But, I wonder what her identity will be as an adult? Will she remember Los Reyes and Santa? Will she buy Violetas perfume for her children? Will she sing them Los Pollitos Dicen and The Wheels on the Bus?

Of course, I want her to claim both bilingualism and biculturalism, but keeping la cultura alive through language is getting harder for us as she gets older. I prefer to speak the tough, complicated stuff to her in English, which is part of my American upbringing.

No se. But the article really reminded me to up the emphasis on both. Mas Spanish, and more celebrating the customs of my people — the American, and the Latin-American.

What about you?

Are you bilingual and bicultural?

How do you identify?

Giving Los Pollitos Dicen as a gift? Need a lovely little Spanish note card?

We’ve got you covered.

Download a free high resolution gift enclosure card and a lyric sheet to the lullaby, Los Pollitos Dicen.

Print it on card stock for better quality.

Download: Los Pollitos Dicen note card.

I used used to blog over at Bilingual in the Boonies, a personal blog, and a pretty nifty space for broadcasting what was happening in the Pollitos hen house. These days, not much is going on over at the Boonie blog because I am mostly hanging out at Tiki Tiki Blog, a Latin culture site I co-founded with a friend. (Go check it out, it is super fun.)

So, this space will be dedicated to Pollitos happenings — big sales, new style additions, etc. Plus news about Chichi & Flaco, our line for big kids and adults and relevant, cool, fun news and links of interest to people like us — gente living la vida bilingue.

To get us started, here is a list of blogs we love, that celebrate culture a sabor Latino:

• Spanglish Baby
• UrbanoTV
• New Latina
• Blogs de Mamás
• Being Latino (A Facebook Page)
• My Big Fat Cuban Family (my Tiki Tiki blog partner, Marta’s space.)

What would you add to the list?

Hola! Welcome to the new Los Pollitos Dicen site.

We have been working behind the scenes to upgrade and add new items to our menu of super coolisimo, delicioso, major sweet gifts for babies and big kids, whether it is a baby shower, baptism, birthday, holiday or just because you want to.

You will notice some immediate changes. Our classic egg boxes are gone, but we’ve added organic onesies and t-shirts, plus notecards and cool accessories like water bottles, messenger bags and even a hilarious iPhone case.

This upgrade allows us to add products near instantly and even create custom orders. Just ask us.

We also will be putting energy into scouting the Web for the coolest bilingual and bicultural gifts and adding them to our Amazon store.

We’re available at mamahen@lospollitosdicen dot biz or by telephone at 615.746.7468.

Thank you for making our 5 years in business so wonderful and full of pio pio pio.

Besos!

Carrie and Oscar
Los Pollitos Dicen!