What do these bumper stickers mean?

May 6, 2006 9:35 AM

I frequently see bumper stickers that say "De Colores," which I only know as the name of a Raffi song (from my son's toddler days). The other one I wonder about says "SVEIKS!" Please enlighten!
posted by I_Love_Bananas to grab bag (17 comments total)

Thirty seconds of googling reveals that "Sveiks" means "hello" in Latvian, and the "De Colores" stickers are related to Roman Catholic Cursillo retreat weekends.
posted by Hlewagast at 9:51 AM on May 6, 2006

Google tells me that 'Sveiks!' is Latvian for 'hello.' Absent a better idea, I'm going to conclude that these stickers are intended to convey a message along the lines of 'I'm Latvian and proud! Also, hello!'

I have no idea about 'De Colores.' Your profile mentions that you're in the midwestern US. If the 'De Colores' sticker is a local thing, being more specific about your location may help someone answer your question.
posted by box at 9:52 AM on May 6, 2006

Sveiks is hello in Latvian. The stickers are maroon & white, yes? Those are the colors of the Latvian flag. I'm half Latvian, I laughed when I saw the question. Sveiks!
posted by scalefree at 9:52 AM on May 6, 2006

Hlewagast has it.
posted by pmbuko at 9:56 AM on May 6, 2006

The De Colores stickers are most likely references that the driver or owner of the car has participated in a program of Christian evangelical faith renewal; Via de Cristo for Lutherans or Cursillo for Catholics. It's a once in a lifetime type experience for participants, but some then go on to help run the programs for others.
posted by paulsc at 9:56 AM on May 6, 2006

De Colores translates to "Of Colors" from spanish to english.
I also remember these words being used in a popular hispanic song.

hmm. hope that helps a little.
posted by Building at 11:06 AM on May 6, 2006

just out of curiosity, does the De Colores sticker have a rooster on it? I see them a fair amount around memphis, though usually in the more affluent sections.
posted by mrg at 11:10 AM on May 6, 2006

My mom used to do the De Colores stuff so Episcopals must do it too. Actually they might even team up with some Lutherans. She was pretty involved in it and even had a shirt that she or someone embroidered with "De Colores" and a big rooster on the back.
posted by sevenless at 11:19 AM on May 6, 2006

In Lithuanian it's sveikas (words tend to get squished in Latvian); the literal meaning in both languages is 'healthy.'
posted by languagehat at 11:20 AM on May 6, 2006

Can I just say thank you for asking this. Not knowing what those bumper stickers meant bugged the hell out of me but I never could remember to ask anyone about it.
posted by The Bishop of Turkey at 12:48 PM on May 6, 2006

"De Colores." It's the title of a song, an adopted hymn based on a Spanish folk song.

De colores, Bright with colors the mountains and valleys dress up in the springtime
De colores, Bright with colors all the little birds fill the skies in the daytime
De colores, Bright with colors the rainbow brings joy with the glory of spring.
And a bright love with colors has found us with peace all around us that makes our hearts sing.

If you see the rainbow-colored "De Colores" sticker on a person's vehicle, it means that they have taken part in an interdenominational retreat called The Walk To Emmaus (or simply, an Emmaus Walk). The retreat lasts four days (Thurday night through Sunday night) and focuses on spiritual renewal. There are men's retreats and women's retreats. The overall Emmaus program is run by The Upper Room, a Nashville publishing house.

Where or what is Emmaus? In Luke 24, Emmaus was the destination of two walking disciples who, on the third day after the death of Jesus Christ, were joined by a stranger along their way.

15 And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast.

Paulsc was on the right track, as The Walk is a Protestant adaptation of the Catholic Cursillo. The story goes that "De Colores" was written during a Spanish Cursillo, so the song has become a kind of anthem for the retreat.

I attended an Emmaus Walk in Georgia back in 1996. The experience was tremendously powerful. For the weekend, the participants wear no watches. Your mobile phones are kept by your counselors. Combined with the time spent in fellowship with others and in meditation, renewal is simply inevitable. Less than a year later, I served as a counselor for a Chrysalis Walk, the teenage equivalent of Emmaus.

The details of the weekend are held as a loose secret, a practice that has pulled an unwarranted veil of cultism over the Emmaus Movement. People who have completed their own walk are reluctant to reveal just what happens over the weekend not out of any kind of shame, but more out of a desire not to spoil any of the surprise and actual wonder of the weekend.
posted by grabbingsand at 3:02 PM on May 6, 2006

My wife's ancestors on her father's side came from Lithuania. At one time her parents had a beer mug printed with "Į SVEIKATĄ," and a picture of a devil hoisting a mug. We always toasted one another with "sveiks." So in addition to "to your health" I wonder if there's some play on words like "to the devil with you," which is what they always told me it meant.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 3:30 PM on May 6, 2006

No, sveikata means 'health' or (in the theological sense) 'salvation.' The image on the mug is obviously a joke; why your wife's relatives told you the inscription meant 'to the devil with you' is a deeper issue, which you'll have to work out with them (or in years of expensive therapy).
posted by languagehat at 5:23 PM on May 6, 2006

languagehat: you're probably right. I googled 'lithuanian word for devil' and came up with some interesting stuff on Lithuanian idioms involving devils which could explain the mug...

Every language has lots of different set phrases and idioms. In Lithuanian there are many idioms containing words like vanduo 'water,' akys 'eyes,' lūpos 'lips,' burna 'mouth,' uodega 'tail,' nugara 'back,' rankos 'hands,' kojos 'feet,' etc.

However, perhaps the most colorful are the phrases involving the word velnias 'devil.' Maybe that is the reason why in Lithuanian velnias is not a horrifying image of Satan or some other evil spirit. The word is very old; it is related to vėlė 'soul,' and velionis 'the deceased,' etc.

In Lithuanian folklore, and in particular in fairy tales, velnias is a simpleton and a pitiful figure, often outwitted by a clever peasant or soldier. This list comprises over 150 phrases containing the word devil (the phrases in quotes are literal translations).

Pretty interesting stuff.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 8:03 PM on May 6, 2006

Salvation? Then the image of a devil toasting one's salvation would be ironic, wouldn't it?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 8:05 PM on May 6, 2006

Well, yeah—that's why I called it a joke.
posted by languagehat at 6:56 AM on May 7, 2006

In the Midwestern bits of the US, there is another retreat weekend movement called the Great Banquet which is a non-denominational sort of Emmaus Walk/Via De Cristo/Cursillo. (The Emmaus walk is associated with the Methodist church, mostly; the Via De Cristo is vaguely Lutheran; Cursillo is almost exclusively Catholic) De colores is something of a shibboleth for the various groups participating in a similar program.
I second GrabbingSand's comments, that it is a very powerful experience of spiritual growth and renewal centered around experiencing God's love displayed in many ways. There is definitely a slightly disconcerting sense of secrecy around the weekend-- but this is only kept to enhance the experience for the participants. Some parts of the weekend are much more significant when they come as surprises.
posted by leapfrog at 8:57 AM on May 8, 2006