Besedilo (Lyrics)
Celotno besedilo pesmi »Ringa raja« z angleškim prevodom.
1. Ringa, ringa raja, muca pa nagaja, kuža pa priteče, pa vse na tla pomeče. Kokot kikiriče, čipke, čopke kliče, putka kokodajsa, ker bo znesla jajca.
#2. Ringa, ringa raja, dedek mraz prihaja, prinesel bo bombone in pisane balone.
#Mamici copate, očku tri kravate, meni pa sani za dolge zimske dni.
#Lani je obljubil, da ne bo zamudil, ko sonce bo zašlo, bo prišel čez goro.
#English translation
1. Ring, ring around, the kitty's playing up, the doggy runs up and knocks it all to the ground. The rooster crows, calls the little chicks, the hen goes cluck-cluck, for she's about to lay eggs. 2. Ring, ring around, Grandfather Frost is coming, he will bring sweets and colourful balloons. Slippers for mummy, three ties for daddy, and a sledge for me for the long winter days. Last year he promised that he wouldn't be late: when the sun goes down, he'll come over the mountain.
#Ringa raja at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia
- Sung in
- Slovenian
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- traditional Slovenian ring-dance; author unknown
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- dancing, playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 25 July 2026
How to sing it
- Hold hands in a circle and dance round on "Ringa, ringa raja".
- Act out the animals — the cat playing up, the dog knocking things over, the rooster crowing.
- In the winter verse, mime the gifts Grandfather Frost brings, then circle again.
Meaning and origin
Every country seems to have a hand-in-hand circle game, and this is Slovenia’s: the local cousin of “Ring a Ring o’ Roses”. Children join hands and dance round in a ring while the song fills the circle with a lively farmyard — a mischievous cat, a dog that comes charging in and knocks everything over, a crowing rooster and a hen clucking because she is about to lay. The pleasure is the spinning and the animal noises, acted out as you go.
Over time the song has sprouted extra verses, and one favourite set turns to winter and Dedek Mraz — Grandfather Frost, the Slovenian gift-bringer — who is coming over the mountain at sundown with sweets, balloons and presents: slippers for mum, ties for dad, a sledge for the child. It is a traditional ring-dance with no known author, belonging to a whole European family of circle songs, and its open, add-a-verse shape is exactly why it has kept growing and kept being sung.
Common questions
- What is "Ringa raja"?
- A ring-dance song — the Slovenian version of the circle game English speakers know as "Ring a Ring o' Roses". Children join hands and dance round in a ring. This version fills the circle with a mischievous cat, a dog that knocks everything over, and a crowing rooster and clucking hen.
- Why is there a verse about Grandfather Frost?
- Because the song has grown extra verses over time. One popular set turns to winter and Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Frost), who is coming over the mountain when the sun sets to bring sweets, balloons and gifts — slippers for mum, ties for dad, a sledge for the child.
- Where is "Ringa raja" from?
- It is a traditional Slovenian children's ring-dance with no known author, part of a family of circle games sung across Europe, and passed down with many added verses.
