Old school games: Hand Clapping

Under the Bambushes,

Under the Sea

Boom, boom, boom

True love for you my darling

True love for me

Boom, boom, boom...

If you ask me if I remember playing hand clapping games as a kid I'd say "Of course" if you ask me what hand clapping rhymes I can recall well the above verse is the whole kit and caboodle, oh and something like 'girls are sexy made out of Pepsi? Well at least I think that was part of a hand clapping rhyme. I must admit that my younger sister has recently refreshed my memory of the classic Miss Mary Mack having sat with my daughter to teach her the rhyme. Did you know there is more than one verse to Miss Mary Mack ? I didn't until recently. 

For this initial post about hand clapping games I wanted to delve into the history of the game, but you know what?, I'm finding it seriously difficult to find anything. History does seem to be written more often about things that occupied the male domain, and to be more precise the 'white' male domain, which makes me think that this could be the reason for limited literature on the subject. From your own memories and experiences I'm sure you would agree it is something of  a 'girl thing'. 

What I HAVE found is that some clapping games, call-and-response games, as Meredith Eliassen states, are derived from African music and traditions. The finger game Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake, Bakers Man, or what I like to think of the baby's first clapping game, has been linked to 17th century English writer and poet Tom D, Urfrey, with the actions that accompany, being invented by 19th century writer Lydia Maria Child. Apparently there is also evidence of hand-clapping games in the 17th century painting Children's Games by artist Peter Bruegel, but I am yet to really see where that is in the painting. 

Here's an image of the painting. Can you find the hand clapping? Click on the image to see a larger version.

 Here's a piece of the painting I think MIGHT be depicting hand clapping. What do you think? 

Anyhow as I mentioned it seems quite an effort to find anything more on the history of hand clapping games. I did read somewhere that these games were also played in Ancient Rome, but it was just a one-line mention.

One thing that seems to be certain is that girls still enjoy playing this game. If you get on a crazy Youtube session like I did, clicking one link after another, you will also come to realise that this game has no borders and crosses over many cultures and languages. There are girls in Japan, Korea, America, Canada, Australia, Ghana, just to name a few, doing this hand clapping thing. In pairs, in groups, in school yards, on the street, the ultimate portable and free entertainment system!

 And for those of you who answered NO to the question 'Did you know there are more than one verse to Miss Mary Mack?' Here is the full version. Share it perhaps with your sister/s!

Miss Mary Mack

 Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,
All dressed in black, black, black,
With silver button, button, buttons,
All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother,
For fifty cent, cent, cents,
To see the elephant, elephant, elephants,
Jump the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high,
They touched the sky, sky, sky,
And didn't come back, back, back
Till the fourth of July, July, July. 

(July can't walk, walk, walk

July can't talk, talk, talk

July can't eat, eat, eat

With a knife and fork, fork, fork).

She asked her mother, mother, mother

For 5 cents more, more, more

To see the elephants, elephants, elephants

Jump over the door, door, door.

They jumped so low, low, low

They stubbed their toe, toe, toe

And that was the end, end, end,

Of the elephant show, show, show!