On behalf of Sofrito For Your Soul, I want to wish all Mothers a very Happy Mother's Day!
Let today be the first out of many days that you show them how important they are in your life...
As I am,
George Torres
The Urban Jibaro...
Hijo De Carmen, Nieto De Gloria!
Sofrito For Your Soul is proud to be a media sponsor for the
2008 "Bomba y Plena" Spring Extravaganza.
Puerto Rican Bomba & Plena Spring Extravaganza
In celebration of Spring awakening come and enjoy the sounds of Puerto Rican folklore, music and dance. “Bomba” rhythms & sounds of African heritage and “Plena” is the type of music that reflect community happenings known as the singing newspaper.
Date: Monday, May 26
Time: 6PM
Admission: $25 In Advance ; $30 Day of Show
Place: Symphony Space 2537 Broadway at 95th St. Upper West Side
More Info: (212) 864-5400
or visit
www.SymphonySpace.org
The concert features New York City's legendary group Los Pleneros de La 21, current Boricua Roots sensation Tato Torres & YERBABUENA, the Segunda Quimbamba folkloric ensemble from Jersey City, and the theater/dance troupe Danza Fiesta.
This event is sponsored in part by Mega 97.9 and 93.1 Amor
As I am,
George Torres
The Urban Jibaro
As many of you may already know, Author Piri Thomas recently suffered a stroke and is currently doing well in recovery. We had an opportunity just before this happened to have him as a guest of the Capicu Poetry show so that we could pay tribute to him via performances by many people he inspired. At the end of the night, he blessed us with his words and made the night unforgettable.
Now we have an opportunity to inspire him and lift his spirits with our words. Over the past few weeks we have received many emails and phone calls to our Capicu Community Hot line of people wishing Piri well. We are going to make this available to Piri in CD format.
We are going to host a tribute to Piri Thomas on Radio Capicu this Wednesday April 23rd. We will be sharing some of Piri's work, reflecting on his legacy and taking your calls so that your words can help him in the healing process.
The show will run 2 hours and all calls taken will be live.
This will be the last opportunity to be included in this "audio" get well card. We want to make sure he gets it before his 80th Birthday.
To Tune in to the show...
Log in to Radio Capicu by visiting www.BlogTalkRadio.com/RadioCapicu
Again the details for calling in to the show are....
Date: Wednesday April 23rd, 2008
Time: 9:00 PM - 11:00pm (eastern standard time)
Call-in Number: (646) 716-7745
Show description: Hosted by The Urban Jibaro & The Guy, this show will be dedicated to Nuyorican legend Piri Thomas, author of "Down These Mean Streets". We will revisit his legacy, listen to his words and share stories of inspiration in the hope that our listeners and his fans can lift his spirits as he recovers from a stroke.
If his words ever touched you...spend this time sharing your voice with him.
Special guest hosts: Papo Swiggity & Latyn Jazz
Contact Info
Email:CapicuPoetry@gmail.com
Website:www.CapicuPoetry.com ; myspace.com/capicupoetry
Phone:(208) 723-5966 (Community Hotline)
City/Town:Brooklyn, NY
Saludos...
As a Boricua, I have recently began to miss one of the great traditions of my childhood...Dia De Los Reyes. Now I know that many Latinos in the US, primarily 2nd and 3rd Generation do not observe this holiday...but I felt it important enough to share with those that remember, hoping that they will not let Santa be the only thing our children look forward to on during las fiestas navidenas.
The art featured in this post is that of Olga Ayala, please support her by visiting her link and buying some of the beautiful work she creates.
Felicidades en este Dia de los Reyes!
As I am,
The Urban Jibaro.
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Three Kings Day
(source Wikipedia)
In Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and some other Latin American countries Epiphany day is called El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings). The day when a group of Kings or Magi of the Bible arrived to worship and bring three gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the heavens. This day is sometimes known as the Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (The day of the Three Royal Magi) or La Pascua de los Negros (Holy Day of the Blackmen) in Chile, although the latter is rarely heard. In Spanish tradition, on the day of January 6th, three of the Kings: Melchor, Caspar, and Balthazar, representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus.
In Spain, Argentina, and Uruguay, children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings' presents before they go to bed on 5 January. Sweet wine, nibbles, fruit and milk are left for the Kings and their camels. In Mexico, it is traditional for children to leave their shoes on the eve of January 6 by the family nativity scene or by their beds. Also a letter with toy requests is left and sometimes the shoes are filled with hay for the camels, so that the Kings will be generous with their gifts. In Puerto Rico, it is traditional for children to fill a box with grass or hay and put it underneath their bed, for the same reasons. In some parts of northern Mexico the shoes are left under the Christmas tree with a letter to the Three Kings. This is analogous to children leaving mince pies or cookies and milk out for Father Christmas in Western Europe.
In the afternoon or evening of the same day the ritual of the Rosca de Reyes is shared with family and friends. The Rosca is a type of sweet-bread made with orange blossom water and butter, and decorated with candied fruit. Baked inside is a small doll representing the baby Jesus. The person who finds the doll in his piece of rosca must throw a party on February 2nd, "Candelaria Day," offering tamales and atole (a hot sweet drink thickened with corn flour) to the guests. In Spain, the bread is known as Roscón; made with the same items, traditionally the roscón was simply a round sweetbread with candied fruit on top, however, recently, different flavoured whipped creams are used as filling. The 'Jesus' doll evolved into a small toy similar to a Kinder Surprise it also includes a bean. The person who gets the toy is then crowned king for the day, while the person who finds the bean is responsible for paying for the Roscon.
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Read more about Olga Ayala here on Sofrito For Your Soul!
Nuestra Arte: Hecho A Mano con Olga Ayala
or you can contact her at:
OLGA AYALA
HANDICRAFTS (HECHO A MANO)
Functional Art In Polymer
(718) 448-0730
(718) 709-6574 cell
http://www.olgaayala.zoomshare.com
http://www.myspace.com/prpetite
(SofritoWire December 2007)
It was time to make it rain candy canes in Brooklyn!
It was Tuesday, December 19th, 2007. There we were in Bushwick United
Headstart School on Montrose Avenue, which is flanked by the historic
167 year old Most Holy Trinity Church in Williamsburg. Going into this
partnership, we knew that the school itself provides services to many
low-income families from Borinquen Plaza housing projects, which one
easily sees on the street right beyond the school. There was an
element of surprise here for us, as we saw that the children came from
a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds. However, when one comes to
think of it, when we look at the diversity of Brooklyn itself, one
would see that the classrooms were a microcosmic representation of the
County of Kings.
Once we walked into the doors, we were greeted by many appreciative
members, some of whom were not only parents but eager volunteers of
Bushwick United who were with us every step of the way. Coordinator
Jessica Arocho (who was dressed as Mrs. Claus) introduced the program
to us with these words:
"We have 3 classrooms, but there are 5 daily class sessions at our
center. One full-day session and four half day sessions, all in all
we have around one hundred children in our care every day that we are
responsible for. We also feed all of these children, there is a
full-scale, fully staffed kitchen on the second floor. What makes our
school stand out is that we prepare our meals using sofrito seasoning,
and the kids love it!"
In the bustling activity of Bushwick United, it was hard to find a
place that would not be disturbed for our Santa to get into gear.
Nonetheless, George "Urban Jibaro" Torres transformed himself into the
childrens hero of the day, Santa Claus! Or, as the adults took to
calling him, "Jibaro Claus"! In his new supercharged North Pole gear,
and along with Mrs. Claus and myself as PaPo The Reindeer in tow,
Santa was ready to help the children burst into radiant smiles,
inspirational laughter, and the giving spirit of the season.
We spent the entire day giving out gifts to these beautiful kids. We
were even joined by a brother of the Phi Iota Alpha latino fraternity,
who put on some Reindeer antlers and helped us give out toys. Jessica
and I would go in first to prepare the children for Santas arrival,
getting them to clap and chant "Santa! Santa! Santa!" to set the
Christmas mood, and our Capicu Santa would walk in and talk to each
child, take pictures, sing songs and even dance with the children. One
of the many highlights of the day took place in one of the older
classes, where the back of the room became a sing-a-long dance floor,
and we even saw Santa Claus doing the "robot dance"!
The warmth with which these kids received us stirred up powerful
emotions. Throughout the day, volunteers, parents, staff...and even
Santa and his helpers would be found with tears of joy in their eyes.
All in all, every single child at the center received a high quality
toy gift and also a DVD movie, as a direct result of the Pa'l Pueblo
Charity event that we held days earlier in the month for this school.
We recognize that the true, genuine heros of this story are the
community workers at the school who work tirelessly to secure a future
for these children and the parents who fight to defeat the odds
stacked against their children. It is because of these real life
everday Santas that we commit to the neighborhood.
This is the beginning of something dynamic, and we welcome you all to
join in our community movement as we look to continue using our
combined resources to make history in Brooklyn.
Felicidades!
PaPo Swiggity
This event was made possible via sponsorships from the following
entities, Notice Lounge, LatiNation, American Latino TV,
SofritoForYourSoul.com, Blaze – A Page Graphics, 5 Star Events, Phi
Iota Alpha Fraternity Inc, Hermandad De Sigma Iota Alpha Sorority Inc,
Exit Studios, Boricuation.com, Aguilar Marerro & Reina Miranda from
Taino Spirit, The United Confederation of Taino People, Raul Rios from
Despierta Boricua, Pathmark, Rachael Strauss (People in Espanol),
FutuVision and all the Capicu supporters.
By Puerto Rican Poet/Writer Alberto O. Cappas
Give your child or love one the gift of Education!
Join us in the war against Ignorance....
You can now help in the war against Ignorance by
ordering your "Educational Pledge" T-Shirt today!
Text found on back of T-Shirt:
An Educational Pledge
I pledge to maintain a
Healthy Mind and Body
Staying away from the Vice of drugs
I pledge always to try my Best to understand
The importance of Knowledge and Education
I pledge to paint a Positive picture of where I plan to be in the future
Not allowing obstacles to stop the growth of my Plans
I pledge to seek Answers to Questions,
With the understanding that they
Will lead to other discoveries
I pledge to work Firm
With the Awareness and Confidence
That firm work Today will serve
As the Seeds for my strong Tree tomorrow
A Tree that no one will be able to tear down
I pledge to learn proper languages,
Beginning with my Mother's
Always prepared to Appreciate others
I pledge to gain a better understanding of Me
By understanding my Cultural roots
I pledge to fully accept Me as a human being
A Rainbow of many cultures and colors
I pledge to overcome any Personal misfortunes
Becoming Stronger from such misfortunes
Always striving to become
A wise person.
_________________________
$23.00
(includes shipment & delivery)
Make check or money order payable to
An Educational Pledge
PO Box 378 - Cooper Station
New York, NY 10276
You can also place your order at
www.AnEducationalPledge.com
or
http://www.cafepress.com
______________________________
About the Pledge and Author:
An Educational Pledge is designed for students enrolled in the inner-city public school system.
His poetry has been included in numerous anthologies and publications throughout the United States, Canada, and India
Mi Gente...
Sofrito For Your Soul invites you to become part of our cultural revolution once again. As we begin to rebuild some of the archives that have blessed these pages over the last 10 years...we once again open the doors to hear your voz!
Sofrito For Your Soul is a reality because of people like you who contribute and help us grow. We are looking for articles, columns, short stories, music, written and spoken word poetry, video as well as all kinds of artwork to document the evolution of our culture in the United States.
If you are interested in submitting your work for publication please submit by sending your submission via email at SofritoSubmissions@gmail.com
We have been contacting past contributors to update previous content posted on our website so that we can validate the relevance to the author and their current projects. If you were previously published by us...do not hesitate to reach out as you continue to be welcome en nuestra casa.
Concerned about copyright infringmement?
Read the article "10 Myths of Copyright"
As promised we have returned...
As you already know, I made a decision to take it down in January in order to make some enhancements. After much research and consulting with people who have followed the site over the years I have decided to take the website to Blog platform. One of the biggest sacrifices I had to make is the the way the site looks. I have enjoyed building and designing the site since day one because I believed that it enhanced the "sofrito experience". Although that may hold true for many people like Pvt. Gonzalez stationed out in the Middle East that uses the site to connect with his heritage, most people that visit the site decided that it was more important to get more information, faster and with RSS syndication, the possibilities are endless.
Continue reading "Welcome to the new Sofrito For Your Soul!" »
