Garfield NJ
1962
by JoAnne

Cherish all your happy moments they make a fine cushion for old age ~Christopher Morley

QUOTE: Be HAPPY
BIRTHDAY Wishes

Aunt Marianne's 16th Birthday

our Dad Jumpin' John Lynch mastering the limbo stick


IT'S SUMMERTIME - DO THE LIMBO!


Originally the limbo was done as a solemn and slow dance or ritual, sometimes as part of wakes or funerals. However, sometime after the 1950's and 1960's, calypso music became very popular and the limbo became better known as a dance done with colorful clothing and upbeat, happy music.

First things first, here's how to play classic Limbo: Have two adults hold the limbo stick horizontally at shoulder height. Have all the players stand in line and one at a time dance, shimmy or make their way under the stick without touching it. If they fall, touch the ground, or touch the stick they're out.

The players move under a pole that is gradually lowered from chest level and they emerge on the other side as their heads clear the pole as in the triumph of life over death. The limbo dates back to the mid to late 1800s in Trinidad. It achieved mainstream popularity during the 1950s.

Limbo is a popular game, based on traditions that originated on the island of Trinidad. The aim is to pass forwards under a low bar without falling or dislodging the bar.

The dance originated as an event that took place at wakes in Trinidad. It was popularized in the 1950s by dance pioneer Julia Edwards (known as the First Lady of Limbo) and her company which appeared in several films, in particular Fire Down Below (1957), and toured widely in the Caribbean, Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Africa in the 1960s and later.

A horizontal bar, known as the limbo bar, is supported by two vertical bars. All contestants must attempt to go under the bar with their backs facing toward the floor. When passing under the bar, players must bend backwards. No part of their body is allowed to touch the bar, and no part other than their feet may touch the ground. They must not turn their head or neck to the side. Whoever knocks the bar off or falls is eliminated. After everyone has passed under the bar in this manner, the bar is lowered slightly and the contest continues. The contest ends when only one person can pass under the bar.

The word 'limbo' dates back to the 1950s. It is conjectured that limbo is a West Indian English derivative of 'limber'.