Fais do-do is a name for a Cajun dance party, originating before World War II. According to Mark Humphrey the parties were named for "the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants."[1] He quotes early Cajun musician Edwin Duhon of the Hackberry Ramblers, "She'd go to the cry room, give the baby a nipple and say, 'Fais do-do.' She'd want the baby to go to sleep fast, 'cause she's worried about her husband dancing with somebody else out there."
'Do-do' itself is a shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. Comparable to the American English "beddy-bye", it is still commonly used by French-speaking people.
Sheriff Harry Lee of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana used to host one of the most famous contemporary fais do-do, an annual bash which raises money for his reelection campaigns and for charity. The fais do-do was featured in the November 28, 2006 broadcast of NPR's All Things Considered.
It is also the name of a club in Los Angeles around the Mid-City, Los Angeles area.[2] Many prominent underground hip hop artists have performed there, such as 2Mex, Scarub, and Ivan Ives, as well as many rock, jazz, blues, americana, funk, and rock en espanol artists.
Fais do-do is also the name of a French children's song with no author or copyright date. Some lyrics date from 1871 in "Chansons et rondes enfantines" as illustrated on the Lisa Yannucci website.
[1] KIDiddles.com (1998–2010). Song page : Fais do. [2] Lisa Yannucci (2010). Mama Lisa’s World :Children's Songs and Nursery Rhymes.