# What do various countries/languages sing at birthdays? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 7, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143 "2007-06-07T16:43:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/1 "2007-06-07T16:43:20Z")
Assuming they do sing, of course. Americans, far and away, sing that horrid little “Happy Birthday” ditty, which is actually copyrighted, unless they’re on TV or in a movie and don’t want to pay royalties, in which case they sing “For S/he’s a Jolly Good Fellow”. **Nava** , in [a birthday thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8654908&postcount=4) , “sings” what appears to this totally non-Spanish speaker to be a song rather inspired by “Happy Birthday” in Spanish. (Correct me if I’m wrong about this - the meter seems to work out, anyway.) Is this what they sing there, or was this just some fun for the benefit of the primarily English speaking Dope? Our French teacher taught us some completely non - HB song in French class, but I forget what it was. And, of course, things you learn in class don’t always bear a lot of reality on current culture - she was an American living in France in the '80s. So share your birthday songs with me! I’ll share the only one I know, which is in Neopagan English and shamelessly ripped off of HB: > [@](#): > > Happy Birthday to You > Happy Birthday to You > Happy Birthday, dear [whomever], > Happy Birthday to you > > May the Goddess bless you > May the God bless you, too > May you walk in their blessings > Your whole lifetime through. Hmm…GQ or Cafe Society? Factual question or “creativity and entertainment”. I dunno. Move at will. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/2 "2007-06-07T17:10:21Z")
[Here’s](http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=198776) a thread on another board that covers a bunch of languages. Do variants like Happy Birthday to you You live in a shoe You smell like a football and you look like one too! count? Cuz that’s my favorite. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/3 "2007-06-07T17:32:44Z")
In Danish, they sing a song to the same tune we do, with the words “Tillykke til dig” instead (it isn’t pronounced the way it looks). At church, the kids sing several different birthday songs for each other that aren’t based on the traditional song at all. They’re in the songbooks, and they’re mostly cute and fun. ---
**Author:** ![ArmenE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ArmenE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArmenE)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/4 "2007-06-07T17:38:20Z")
In Russia, there is no such song. I’ve heard the English HB song sung there in some (Russian, not ex-pat) circles, but that’s a recent phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/5 "2007-06-07T17:43:13Z")
Well, around here you have at least two translations of _Happy Birthday_: the “Joyeux anniversaire” one that’s mentioned in [post 4](http://forum.wordreference.com/showpost.php?p=1246143&postcount=4) of **gigi** ’s thread, and another one that goes: Bonne fête [name], Bonne fête [name], Bonne fête, bonne fête, Bonne fête [name]. A variant of the chorus of [Gilles Vigneault](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Vigneault)’s song [_Gens du pays_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gens_du_pays) is also used (links to Wikipedia articles that explain how it is done). I believe the song was actually introduced to provide a song to sing at someone’s birthday that isn’t just a translation of a (still under copyright) American song. Actually, it’s interesting, because the only part of _Gens du pays_ I’ve ever heard was the chorus. It’s actually longer than that: [here is the whole song](http://www.cs.cmu.edu/Unofficial/Canadiana/Gens_du_pays.html), but I’ve never heard the verses. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/6 "2007-06-07T17:44:37Z")
In Quebec, we either use a French version of the Happy Birthday song: _Bonne fête à toi Bonne fête à toi Bonne fête, bonne fête Bonne fête à toi_ But we also have a Quebec-specific birthday song, which, oddly enough, is a modified version of the unofficial anthem of Quebec nationalists, “Gens du Pays”: _[Mon cher/Ma chère] [name], C’est à ton tour De te laisser parler d’amour_ [repeats] (“My dear [name], it’s your turn to let yourself talk of love.”) ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/7 "2007-06-07T17:45:23Z")
Israel/Hebrew has its own words to “Happy Birthday”, plus a whole slew of “home-grown” songs (original lyrics and tune) – can’t reproduce the tunes here, and there’s probably little point in reproducing the lyrics… ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/8 "2007-06-07T17:49:42Z")
[Dutch!](http://homepage.mac.com/schuffelen/Bday.html) _Er is er een jarig hoera-hoera Dat kun je wel zien dat is hij/zij. Wij vinden het allen zo prettig ja-ja, En daarom zingen wij blij: Hij/Zij leve lang hoera-hoera, Hij/Zij leve la-ang hoera._ “Today someone has a birthday, hurrah-hurrah, It’s easy to see that it’s him/her [point at birthday person]. All of us think it’s really nice, And that’s why we happily sing: Long may he/she live, hurrah-hurrah, Long may he/she live, hurrah.” Sometimes combined with or substituted for the following: \*Lang zal die/ze leven, Lang zal die/ze leven, Lang zal die/ze leven in de gloria In de glo-ri-a, in de glo-ri-a Hiep-hiep-hiep hoera! Hiep-hiep-hiep hoera! \* “Long may he/she live in glory, hip hip hooray!” (I like the variant “hieperdepiep” better than “hiep-hiep-hiep”.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/9 "2007-06-07T18:01:18Z")
Here in Panama, and elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world, they sing a [translated version](http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumplea%C3%B1os_feliz) of the English “Happy Birthday” song. The melody is exactly the same. At least here in Panama, it’s common to sing one verse each in English and Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/10 "2007-06-07T18:56:10Z")
[QUOTE=Kimstu] “Today someone has a birthday, hurrah-hurrah, It’s easy to see that it’s him/her [point at birthday person]. All of us think it’s really nice, And that’s why we happily sing: Long may he/she live, hurrah-hurrah, Long may he/she live, hurrah.” [/QUOTE] This is so sweet. Much better than silly old “Happy Birthday to You.” ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/11 "2007-06-07T21:31:27Z")
[QUOTE=Kimstu] “Today someone has a birthday, hurrah-hurrah, It’s easy to see that it’s him/her [point at birthday person]. All of us think it’s really nice, And that’s why we happily sing: Long may he/she live, hurrah-hurrah, Long may he/she live, hurrah.” [/QUOTE] Aw, I really like that one too! **severus** , mentioned at the bottom of that link is the one my French teacher taught us. (“Bon anniversaire-Nos voeux les plus sincères…”) I still don’t remember the rest of the words - we mostly mumbled our way through them anyway! That one’s not actually used, huh? ---
**Author:** ![ChicanoRojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ChicanoRojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChicanoRojo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/12 "2007-06-07T21:37:43Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] So share your birthday songs with me! I’ll share the only one I know, which is in Neopagan English and shamelessly ripped off of HB: [/SIZE] [/QUOTE] In Mexico, we sing [Las Mañanitas](http://www.montereybay.com/smitty/mananitas.html) . > [@](#): > > Estas son las mañanitas, que cantaba el Rey David, > Hoy por ser día de tu santo, te las cantamos a ti, > Despierta, mi bien, despierta, mira que ya amaneció, > Ya los pajarillos cantan, la luna ya se metió. > > Que linda está la mañana en que vengo a saludarte, > Venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte, > Ya viene amaneciendo, ya la luz del día nos dio ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/13 "2007-06-07T21:39:30Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > This is so sweet. Much better than silly old “Happy Birthday to You.” It really is an adorable song, and it’s even better with the peppy little tune! I’m singing it right now but that doesn’t do you much good, so go to my link above and listen to the audio version. Even though the guy on the recording has about the worst singing voice in the world, you should get the idea. Listen to the “Er is er een jarig” and “Lang zal die leven” songs one right after the other, as that’s the way the Dutch usually sing them. Hieperdepiep-hoera! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/14 "2007-06-07T21:45:19Z")
[QUOTE=ChicanoRojo] In Mexico, we sing [Las Mañanitas](http://www.montereybay.com/smitty/mananitas.html) . [/QUOTE] Hmmm…any chance I can get an English translation? This is what babelfish gave me: > [@](#): > > These are the mañanitas, that King David sang, Today being day of your santo, we sang you you, Wide-awake, my good, wakes up, sight that either amaneció, Or the pajarillos sing, the moon or put. That it is contiguous is the morning in which I come to saludarte, We come all with taste and pleasure to felicitarte, Either comes amaneciendo, or the light of the day gave us While I love “That it is contiguous is the morning in which I come to saludarte”, I suspect it’s lost a little _je ne sais quoi_ in translation! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/15 "2007-06-07T21:47:54Z")
A fuller version and a more streamlined translation of Las Mananitas are [here](http://www.maztravel.com/maz/culture/birthday.html): > [@](#): > > Estas son las mananitas que cantaba el Rey David > a los muchachos bonitos se las cantamos aqui > Despierta, muy bien, despierta > mira que ya amanecio > ya los pajarillos cantan > y la luna ya se metio > Que linda esta la manana en que vengo a saludarte > venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte > El dia en que tu naciste nacieron todas las flores > en la fila del bautismo cantaron los ruisenores > Ya viene amaneciendo > y a la luz del dia nos vio levantarte de manana > mira que ya amanecio. > > These are the mornings > that used to sing King David > to the good looking guys > we sing them here > Wake up , wake up very well > look, it’s already dawn > the birds sing already and the moon has already put in > How beautifull is the morning > in which I come to say hello > we all come with pleasure to congratulate you > On the day that you were born > all the flowers were born > in the baptism line all the nightingales sang > It’s already dawn > in the daylight it saw us wake you up > Look, it’s already dawn ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/16 "2007-06-08T02:40:26Z")
In Venezuela they sing a translated version of “Happy Birthday to you”. Before that, though, they sing “ay, que noche tan preciosa” (oh, what a beautiful night). The song has a bunch of alternative mock lyrics and singing it always end in chaos. It is fun. The official lyrics: > [@](#): > > Ay que noche tan preciosa > es la noche de tu día > todo lleno de alegría > en esta fecha natal > > Tus más íntimos amigos > esta noche te acompañan, > te saludan y desean > un mundo de felicidad. > > Yo por mi parte deseo > lleno de luz este día, > todo lleno de alegría > en esta fecha natal. > > Y que esta luna plateada > brille su luz para ti, > y ruego a Dios porque pases > un cumpleaños feliz. the music: > **[nurisite.com](http://www.nurisite.com/midisonly/venezuela/cumpleaniosyv.mid)** > > website builder for small business,affordable web hosting solutions,DIY responsive website design the lyrics translated: > [@](#): > > oh, what a beautiful night > is the night of your day > everything filled with joy > in this, your birthday > > Your closest friends > who are with you tonight > greet you and wish to you > a world of happiness > > I, for one, wish you > full of light, this day > everything full of joy > in this, your birthday > > And that the silver moon > shine her light on you > and I pray to God that you have > a Happy Birthday > > (then Happy Birthday to you begins) ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/17 "2007-06-08T04:46:27Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Happy Birthday to you You live in a shoe You smell like a football and you look like one too! [/QUOTE] That is incorrect! It goes like this: Happy Birthday to you / you live in the zoo / you look like a monkey / you smell like one too! In the thread you quoted someone mentions the beginning of this French version that I’ve heard in Switzerland (and is probably also used in other French-speaking countries): Hoyeux anniversaire / Nos voeux les plus sincères / Que ces quelques fleurs / Vous apportent le bonheur / Que l’année entière / Vous soit douce et légère / Et que l’an fini / Nous soyons tous réunis / Pour chanter en chœur / Bon anniversaire ---
**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 8, 2007, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/18 "2007-06-08T05:02:12Z")
In Thailand, they sing the standard “Happy Birthday” ditty in English, or as best as they can. ---
**Author:** ![Bagistan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Bagistan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bagistan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2007, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/19 "2007-06-08T08:28:04Z")
Swedish birthday songs translated: The standard one: > [@](#): > > Yes, may (s)he live > Yes, may (s)he live > Yes, may (s)he live a hundred years. > Of course, (s)he will live > Of course, (s)he will live > Of course, (s)he will live a hundred years. Optional second verse with pun: > [@](#): > > And when (s)he has lived > And when (s)he has lived > And when (s)he has lived a hundred years. > Then (s)he’ll be shot > Then (s)he’ll be shot > Then (s)he’ll be shot forth\* in a wheelbarrow \*pushed around To the tune of “Happy Birthday”: > [@](#): > > Have the honour today > Have the honour today > Have the honour [dear mommy / li’l michael / etc.] > Have the honour today This last one is a bit puzzling in Swedish, since the verb is commonly rendered as _har_ (have) which hints that the sentence is not in imperative mood; hence it’s missing a pronoun. It is probably short for “[We] have the honour [of extending our congratulations]”. At other times it is _ha_ which do indicate imperative mood (an order) - perhaps a case of hypercorrection. ---
**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 8, 2007, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143/20 "2007-06-08T09:22:17Z")
Afrikaans: ```auto Veels geluk, liewe maatjie Omdat jy verjaar Mag die Here jou seën En nog baie jare spaar ``` Which translates into: _Best of Luck, beloved little friend Because it’s your birthday May the Lord bless you And grant you many more years._ I don’t know what they sing in the townships, but IME it’s probably 50 Cent’s _It’s ya Birthday_ 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-various-countries-languages-sing-at-birthdays/407143.md?page=2)