# Question for non-Americans - Happy Birthday? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 28, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694 "2015-06-28T13:11:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/1 "2015-06-28T13:11:01Z")
In the US we sing the song “Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear"so and so”, happy birthday to you." I know in some other countries they just change the words but I’d like to ask, are there any other “Happy Birthday” songs used in other countries? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/2 "2015-06-28T14:29:30Z")
In Poland, the song is “\*Sto lat” \*which means “100 years” and, like the American song, it’s a simple, repetitive ditty of general good wishes. Translated roughly, it goes: A hundred years, a hundred years, May s/he live with (for?) us all. … Repeated a few times, with the last line re-repeated on a slower meter. Honestly, if you can’t understand the words, it probably sounds like a drinking song. Then again, vodka is generally involved, sooooo … ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/3 "2015-06-28T15:32:56Z")
Among English-speakers in Canada, we use the same Happy Birthday song as in America. I live in a French part of Canada, and French speakers either sing a translation of the birthday song (with the same tune,) or a version of a different French song originally called “Gens du pays.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/4 "2015-06-28T16:10:58Z")
In Spanish we also have [_Feliz, feliz en tu día_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX2nxZvO6DQ). It was written by the guy in the red hat, Alfonso Aragón, aka Fofó. Along with his brothers Gabriel (Gaby, the MC) and Emilio (Miliki, with a beret), and with his son Alfonso (Fofito, with a black hat) he had for many years a show in Spanish TV called _Los payasos de la tele_ (TV clowns), where they’d sing that song for any birthday children in the audience. At first it was only the brothers, Fofito joined later. The Aragón family have been circus people for many generations; Miliki’s firstborn, also called Emilio, is perhaps the most famous producer in Spain as well as a director and comedian. The three brothers lived in several American countries before coming back to start their program, which was very popular on both sides of the Atlantic. \* Feliz, feliz en tu día amiguito que Dios te bendiga que reine la paz en tu día y que cumplas muchos más.\* Have a merry, merry day, dear little friend may God bless you may peace reign in this your day and may you have many returns. Some people prefer to sing _vida_ instead of _día_, wishing for a peaceful life. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/5 "2015-06-28T16:15:04Z")
I Thailand, they just sing “Happy Birthday.” Really. In English, or a close approximation. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/6 "2015-06-28T16:16:56Z")
ETA: the red hat looks grey in the video; I had originally used another one with a full-color still but changed it for one that’s got the lyrics. Aaaaand in Mexico they sing _Las mañanitas_: _Estas son las mañanitas que cantaba el rey David hoy por ser día de tu santo te las cantamos a tí._ These are the mornings (actually a type of song, think of a lullaby for waking up) that King David used to sing as today is your feastday we are singing them for you. Strictly speaking it would be for someone’s name-day, but that used to be the same as the birthday; as those separated, custom has kept the song for birthdays. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/7 "2015-06-28T17:20:22Z")
In the Netherlands they have “Lang zal hij leven”: _Lang zal hij leven, Lang zal hij leven, Lang zal hij leven in de gloria, In the gloria, in de glooo-riiiii-aaaaaa…_ (That is for a man – for a woman, change “hij” to “ze”) It roughly means “He/she shall live long and gloriously”. ---
**Author:** ![Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@Lo-Slung\_Denim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lo-Slung_Denim)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/8 "2015-06-28T17:29:12Z")
In Ecuador they sing, to the tune of Happy Birthday: Cumpleaños, feliz Te deseamos a tí Cumpleaños, en tu día Cumpleaños feliz ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/9 "2015-06-29T02:38:24Z")
For the record, the original song was based on a different tune, _[“Good Morning To All”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_to_You)_… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/10 "2015-06-29T09:55:50Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I know in some other countries they just change the words but I’d like to ask, are there any other “Happy Birthday” songs used in other countries? In Afrikaans, the birthday song is “Veels geluk, liewe maatjie” which has a different tune. _Veels geluk_ is “Congratulations” (It’s cognate with, but doesn’t mean, “Good luck”, for which the Afrikaans is more like “Strength” or “Godspeed”). _Liewe maatjie_ is “dear friend,” with _maatjie_ being a diminutive, it’s what you use for playmates rather than adult friends. [Here’s one rendition](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGWzdON_qlw), they kind of lose the plot towards the end… So a rough translation of that whole video would be: Congratulations, dear friend, because it’s your birthday May the Lord bless you and spare you many more years Happy Birthday, man, have a happy birthday (repeated _ad nauseum_ and tunelessly) In practice, of course, nowadays people just sing Fiddy’s _In Da Club…_ ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/11 "2015-06-29T10:01:21Z")
Swedish: > **[Ja, må han (hon) leva](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ja,_m%C3%A5_han_(hon)_leva)** > > Ja, må han (hon) leva (Yes, may he (she) live) is a Swedish birthday song. It originates from the 18th century, but the use as well as its lyrics and melody has changed over the years. It is a song that "every Swede" knows and it is therefore rarely printed in songbooks. Both lyrics and melody are of unknown origin. > It has a similar melody as the Dutch birthday song "Lang zal hij leven", Dutch-translated Afrikaans wedding song "Lank sal \[hy/sy/hul\] lewe", Dutch-translated Indonesian birthd James... Han is for a male, hon is for a female. Ja, må han leva! Ja, må han leva! Ja, må han leva uti hundrade år! Javisst ska han leva! Javisst ska han leva! Javisst ska han leva uti hundrade år! It is a rather jaunty number. ---
**Author:** ![lilihob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a9adbd/32.png) [@lilihob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilihob)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-non-americans-happy-birthday/723694/12 "2015-06-29T11:34:30Z")
In Madeira,(Portuguese) Parabéns a você Nesta data querida Muitas felicidades Muitos anos de vida Hoje é dia de festa Cantam as nossas almas Para o menino/a [name] Uma salva de palmas English, Congratulations to you On this day honey Many good wishes, Many years of your life Today is the day to party Sing out our souls for (the birthday boy/girls name) A round of applause. And thats it followed by a round of cheering and some cake.