What do various countries/languages sing at birthdays?

Factual Questions
21

[QUOTE=Colibri]
Here in Panama, and elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world, they sing a translated version 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.
[/QUOTE]

Which, yes, is the one I was singing. I see las mañanitas already got mentioned but I wasn’t familiar with the one Sapo wrote.

There’s another one which I’ve also used on The Dope. This one was written by the Aragón brothers, members of an illustrious line of clowns and circus performers; they had popular TV programs in (IIRC) Cuba, Argentina and Spain and would sing this to the birthday children in the audience:

Feliz, feliz en tu día,
amiguito, que Dios te bendiga,
que reine la paz en tu día
y que cumplas muchos más.

Merry, let your day be merry,
little friend, let God bless you,
let Peace rule your day
and let you see many returns.

22

Obligatory Portuguese:

Parabéns a você, Happy Birthday to you
Nesta data querida. On the date dear
Muitas felicidades, Much happiness
Muitos anos de vida. Many years of life.

There’s a second verse some do:
Hoje é dia de festa,
Cantam as nossas almas.
Para o/a menino/a _____,
Uma salva de palmas.

Then, there’s a little chant afterwards that I can’t figure out the words to.

23

The baptismal queue? :slight_smile:

*Estas son las mañanitas
que cantaba el Rey David
a las muchachas bonitas
se las cantamos aquí.

Despierta, mi bien, despierta
mira que ya amaneció,
ya los pajarillos cantan
la luna ya se metió.

Qué linda esta la mañana
en que vengo a saludarte
venimos todos con gusto
y placer a felicitarte.

El dia en que tú naciste
nacieron todas las flores,
en la pila del bautismo
cantaron los ruiseñores.

Ya viene amaneciendo
ya la luz del dia nos vió
levántate de mañana
mira que ya amaneció.*
These are the mornings
which King David sang about,
to those girls who are pretty
we sing them hereabouts.

Wake up, my blessing, wake up,
see how it’s already dawned,
the birds already sing,
the moon already set.

How beautiful is the morning
in which I come to greet you,
we all come with gusto
and merriment to congratulate you.

On the day you were born
were all the flowers created,
over the baptismal font
the nightingales sang.

It’s already sun-rising,
daylight saw us already
arise for it’s the morning,
see how it’s already dawned.

24

In Finnish, the most common song is to the tune of Happy Birthday.

Paljon onnea vaan,
paljon onnea vaan,
paljon onnea [nimi],
paljon onnea vaan.

i.e. Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations [name], congratulations. :slight_smile:

There are other songs that can be used to salute the (birthday) hero, but they’re much less common. One song is “Sä kasvoit neito kaunoinen”, which is sometimes used to serenade women on birthdays or on any other occasion when congratulations are in order (graduation, confirmation, whenever).

Sä kasvoit neito kaunoinen
isäsi majassa
;:;kuin kukka kaunis, suloinen
vihreellä nurmella ;:;

You grew, beautiful maiden,
in your father’s house
;:;like a beautiful flower
on the green grass;:;

25

*Celebro tu cumpleaños
Tan pronto vi asomar el sol
Y en este día glorioso
Pido tu dicha al señor
Porque lo he considerado
Como el regalo mejor

Toma mi abrazo tu amigo soy
Y mucha felicidad!
Toma mi abrazo que yo te doy
Y mucha felicidad!*

26

I heard “Cumpleaños Feliz” several times while I was in Spain.

In Poland they sing Sto Lat :
The song’s lyrics are:

Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech żyje, żyje nam.
Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech żyje, żyje nam,
Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz, niech żyje, żyje nam,
Niech żyje nam!

This translates roughly into English as:

A hundred years, a hundred years,
May he (she) live for us.
A hundred years, a hundred years,
May he live for us.
Once again, once again, may he live, live for us,
May he live for us!

This song is used at occasions other than birthdays, though: it’s as much an equivalent of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” as of “Happy Birthday”

It would seem a curious sentiment for a child’s birthday, but I don’t know that there’s a different song for them.

I wonder if the use of “a hundred years” in both Sweden and Poland is owing to some common cultural tradition.

27

[QUOTE=Nava]
Which, yes, is the one I was singing. I see las mañanitas already got mentioned but I wasn’t familiar with the one Sapo wrote.

There’s another one which I’ve also used on The Dope. This one was written by the Aragón brothers, members of an illustrious line of clowns and circus performers; they had popular TV programs in (IIRC) Cuba, Argentina and Spain and would sing this to the birthday children in the audience:

Feliz, feliz en tu día,
amiguito, que Dios te bendiga,
que reine la paz en tu día
y que cumplas muchos más.

Merry, let your day be merry,
little friend, let God bless you,
let Peace rule your day
and let you see many returns.
[/QUOTE]

This one you posted here is standard issue in Puerto Rico. At the end of it, they tag:

The one I posted I have only heard from Venezuelans. The way it is sung is really long. It is fun to see the faces of non-Venezuelans while we sing the whole thing and they yawn, crawl to a corner and die thinking of how delicious the cake was before it got completely covered in candle wax.

28

[QUOTE=Sapo]
te estas poniendo viejo
con cara de conejo
pareces a mi abuelo
y que cumplas muchos mas.
[/QUOTE]

You’re getting old
and rabbit-faced
you look like my grandfather
may you have many more [birthdays]

Ha! :smiley:

29

[QUOTE=Sapo]
The one I posted I have only heard from Venezuelans. The way it is sung is really long. It is fun to see the faces of non-Venezuelans while we sing the whole thing and they yawn, crawl to a corner and die thinking of how delicious the cake was before it got completely covered in candle wax.
[/QUOTE]

Ah, you guys sing Catalan-style! Once in a store in Barcelona, the owner, who was having a conversation with another customer, started singing an old Carlista hymn. It’s a marching hymn. You know, the kind of song you use to keep in step with the other soldiers?

The Spanish Legion walks at 70 steps per minute instead of the usual 60 because they were created to hunt down my Carlista foreparents around Navarra. If they’d been chasing Catalan Carlistas, about 20spm would have sufficed; I’ve heard funereal marches with a faster tempo. I sing through two stanzas and one chorus in the time he took for a single stanza.

Being with a bunch of Carlistas (mostly Navarrese but not all) giving an improptu concert in Galicia once, several people approached us asking whether we were from Navarra because “you can make any song sound like a battle hymn.” Uuy… :o

30

[QUOTE=zagloba]
I heard “Cumpleaños Feliz” several times while I was in Spain.

In Poland they sing Sto Lat :
The song’s lyrics are:

Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech żyje, żyje nam.
Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech żyje, żyje nam,
Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz, niech żyje, żyje nam,
Niech żyje nam!

This translates roughly into English as:

A hundred years, a hundred years,
May he (she) live for us.
A hundred years, a hundred years,
May he live for us.
Once again, once again, may he live, live for us,
May he live for us!

This song is used at occasions other than birthdays, though: it’s as much an equivalent of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” as of “Happy Birthday”

It would seem a curious sentiment for a child’s birthday, but I don’t know that there’s a different song for them.

I wonder if the use of “a hundred years” in both Sweden and Poland is owing to some common cultural tradition.
[/QUOTE]

My grandfather just turned 95. We sang this at his birthday (as always). I wonder what we do if he hits 100…

31

[QUOTE=ArmenE]
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.
[/QUOTE]

In one of my Russian classes, we were taught a song that supposedly gets some play at Russian birthdays. It was from a children’s show and has an odd translation.

“Crocodile Genya’s Song”
Let the people run clumsily through the puddles
And the rain on sidewalk run like a river
And it’s not clear to passers-by
on this dreary day
why I’m so happy

I am playing
on my harmonica
in the view
of passers-by
Unfortunately,
Birthdays
Only come once a year
Unfortunately,
Birthdays
Only come once a year

(I’d type it in Russian, too, but I don’t feel like spending that much time with character map)

It’s all very … Slavic.

“S dnyom rozhdeniya tvoyom” would fit the meter of “Happy Birthday to You” just fine, I think.

32

In the Italian film La Famiglia, they sang, to the conventional “Happy Birthday” tune:

Tanti auguri a te,
Tanti auguri a te,
Tanti auguri, caro/a (nome),
Tanti auguri a te

Which means literally “So many auguries to you” - but in modern Italian they use the word “auguries” to mean not ‘divination by the flight of birds’, but simply ‘best wishes’, ‘congratulations’, etc. My family being American always sang it in English, but cousins in Italy would send us cards wishing “auguri” for various occasions.

33

In Indonesia:

Panjang umurnya
Panjang umurnya
Panjang umurnya, serta mulia
Serta mulia, serta mulia.

Which proves they are related to Vulcans, because it translates more or less as “live long and prosper.” (Or to be properly repetitive, live long, live long, live long, and prosper, prosper, prosper.)

34

Bah humbug.

Past the age of 40, I just mutter the lines of Alexander Pope:

35

Wow, so many people have more interesting and touching songs than we do!

I wonder - are there places where people DON’T sing to the birthday person? When I started to ask the question, I thought to myself, “Why would you assume other countries sing at all? What an arbitrary custom to think is universal!” Yet, it seems fairly prevalent, if not universal.

36

[QUOTE=Nava]
The Spanish Legion walks at 70 steps per minute instead of the usual 60 because they were created to hunt down my Carlista foreparents around Navarra. If they’d been chasing Catalan Carlistas, about 20spm would have sufficed; I’ve heard funereal marches with a faster tempo. I sing through two stanzas and one chorus in the time he took for a single stanza.
[/QUOTE]
At the risk of being pedantic and hijacking the thread somewhat, I presume that the lovely Nava means two [military] paces to a “step.” The standard military “quick march” is 120 paces per minute, “slow march” is 60, used for funerals.

In a vain attempt to get back to the OP, in Japan they usually just sing “Happy Birzday.”

37

[QUOTE=Cerowyn]
In a vain attempt to get back to the OP, in Japan they usually just sing “Happy Birzday.”
[/QUOTE]

That’s like Christmastime in Thailand, when the locals enjoy belting out renditions of “Jinger Ben,” which is as close to “Jingle Bells” as they can come. :smiley:

38

Spanish speakers sing a version called Green Pencil:

Lapiz verde to you…

39

In Norway all to many people sing Happy Birthday, either in English (!! :eek: ) or in the Norwegian version with the line Gratulerer med dagen ([We] congratulate [you] with the day), but the proper song is “Hurra for deg” (Hurra for you).

Hurra for deg som fyller ditt år.
Ja, deg vil vi gratulere.
Alle i ring omkring deg vi står,
og se nå vil vi masjere.
Bukke, nikke, neie, snu oss omkring,
danse for deg med hopp og sprett og spring,
ønske deg av hjertet alle gode ting,
og si meg så hva vil du mere.
Gratulere.

You can read a translation, and the second verse that no one ever sings (I’d forgotten it existed), here

40

[QUOTE=ArmenE]
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.
[/QUOTE]

In Soviet Russia, Happy Birthday sings you.