There’s this little event happening in South Africa, starting today, that you may or may not have heard about. Does the 2010 World Cup ring any bells? Cool, we’re on the same page.
So in honour of the excitement right here in our backyard, I thought I’d celebrate with a little Fun-Word Friday post.
Today’s fun word?
Vuvuzela.
Say it three times fast. It’s pronounced just like it’s spelled.
Still need help? Voo-voo-zell-lah! Voo-voo-zell-lah! Voo-voo-zell-lah!
Isn’t that fun? Like Francisco or cotton-headed ninnymuggins?
If you’re watching the games on the telly – or mayhaps have the privilege of watching them live right here in SA — you might see some of these special instruments making their music first hand.
The definition:
A vuvuzela, sometimes called a “lepatata” (its Setswana name) or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn, approximately one metre in length, commonly blown by fans at soccer matches in South Africa. They require some lip and lung strength to blow and emit a loud monotone like a foghorn or an elephant.
Thanks, wikipedia.
Available at your local Pick n Pay, or other fine retailers, your soccer enjoyment just isn’t complete without a vuvuzela. And when, ahem, the USA beats England Saturday, I sure will be looking for one to blow.
While researchers have concluded that the noise level created by tons of blowing vuvuzelas at these soccer matches could lead to permanent hearing damage, I kind of get the feeling the show’s gonna go on. 🙂
Enjoy the cup!
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And sometimes they bring them to church on a Sunday…and half way the worship you hear a horn behind you and think…’Ahhhh! The Apocalypse! Jesus is coming!’
http://scotlandmeetssouthafrica.blogspot.com/2009/08/soul-in-city-day-12-trumpet-sounds.html
Hilarious, LA!! 🙂 I wouldn’t have thought of bringing a vuvuzela to church…personally…
Yay for Vuvuzela’s!!! I was thinking of talking about them on my blog today too! It’s Soccer fever in my home at the moment, having just finished watching the live match of SA vs. Mexico!
Cannot wait till USA vs. UK match, that’s gonna be a zinger!!
I’m really excited for the USA UK match! Although I lived in the UK for four years, I have no torn allegiance — I lived in Scotland! 🙂 Go USA! 🙂
NOT USA v UK….USA v ENGLAND….there’s a BIG BIG difference. England does NOT equal UK.
England + Scotland + Wales + Northern Ireland = UK
England + Scotland + Wales = Great Britain
England = England
Scotland = Scotland
Wales = Wales…
Forgive me, LA! I was being lazy and not paying attention. I love the Bonnie land that is Scotland and see she is one of a kind…and she is not England. And I regularly and purposefully correct people who ask “Now how long were you in England again?” 🙂
I do actually know that, seeing that my whole family is from England, and I lived there as a child.
UK was just quicker to type out at the time, but this obviously means alot to you, so forgive me for my error.
You are of course forgiven…! 🙂
The vuvuzelas are already annoying me, four days into the tournament, FROM HALF A GLOBE AWAY, and I’m not even enough of a sports fan to have the matches on that often. I keep thinking there’s something wrong with my tv. For.Realz.
#donthateme
🙂
#nohatehere We are keeping the TV low to avoid the vuvuzelas becoming too annoying. Turning the volume down is the answer to the vuvuzela problem! Discovered and shared! I’m kind of finding them annoying too, but when you hear the kids talk about the “spirit” behind them and you see how much it seems to be a new South African identity-thing, and one that is beautifully all-inclusive, you start to think maybe just for the sake of the ministry of reconciliation, we should let these beautiful South Africans continue to blow their vuvuzelas, united and proud.
Wasn’t that a poetic thought? 😉
Yeah yeah, I get that it’s part of the culture. They deserve to be annoying I guess. More power to ’em, right?