This version has at least closest to the right word for the measure of the banana's!
The term is "Haan" not "hand" a "hand" is a measurement used for the height of a horse at the shoulders. A "Haan" is and actual count of the layers of the banana's in the blossom. Banana's grow in the "up" position not hanging down. The fruit people eat is the blossom of a tropical flowering plant. (In North America people grow them as "Elephant Ear Plants" because they never bloom!)
So when you go to the grocery store and buy a "bunch" of banana's you are typically buying only one sixth or one eighth of 2 haan's of banana's because they always pull the blossom apart into manageable and box-able bunches that are only 2 haan's each (because a single haan would not hold together as a bunch and a bunch with 3 haan would be unmanageable and would not colour out well for the middle haan as banana's are picked green and ripen on the boat coming to you.)
Also this song is about the banana pickers and how they were used, abused, and treated like slaves. This is NOT a "happy worker" song, it was a protest of the working conditions of the Chiquita Banana Plantations!
So Chiquita came out with the Carmen Miranda based woman with a bowl of fruit on her head singing happily and bring you beautiful fresh fruit!
Scotty
This version has at least closest to the right word for the measure of the banana's! The term is "Haan" not "hand" a "hand" is a measurement used for the height of a horse at the shoulders. A "Haan" is and actual count of the layers of the banana's in the blossom. Banana's grow in the "up" position not hanging down. The fruit people eat is the blossom of a tropical flowering plant. (In North America people grow them as "Elephant Ear Plants" because they never bloom!) So when you go to the grocery store and buy a "bunch" of banana's you are typically buying only one sixth or one eighth of 2 haan's of banana's because they always pull the blossom apart into manageable and box-able bunches that are only 2 haan's each (because a single haan would not hold together as a bunch and a bunch with 3 haan would be unmanageable and would not colour out well for the middle haan as banana's are picked green and ripen on the boat coming to you.) Also this song is about the banana pickers and how they were used, abused, and treated like slaves. This is NOT a "happy worker" song, it was a protest of the working conditions of the Chiquita Banana Plantations! So Chiquita came out with the Carmen Miranda based woman with a bowl of fruit on her head singing happily and bring you beautiful fresh fruit! Scotty