Just follow the Happy Birthday in Polish lyrics: It is quite easy to learn to sign Sto Lat (100 lat).
#POLISH BIRTHDAY SONG HOW TO#
Now, let’s learn how to sing Happy Birthday in Polish! The song’s melody is that of a Polish folk song called Za górami, za lasami / Past mountains, past forests. Others connect it to a Ukrainian song Mnogaja Lita, a version of a byzantine liturgical hymn. Also, don’t be surprised if a spoken phrase leads to people around starting to sing the whole Happy Birthday song in Polish!Īs for the history of the song, as we said before - some sources say it’s completely unknown. Sometimes, you can say sto lat even after a sneeze - but people more often use Na Zdrowieor For Good Health for that purpose, or Wszystkiego Najlepszego for simple Congratulations. The phrase sto lat in Polish ( A Hundred Years)is often used on its own to congratulate someone, during a toast, or when simply wished longevity, health and happiness. Unlike other simpler Happy Birthday songs, Sto Latcelebrates life itself - sto lat meaning that you wish someone to live to be a hundred years.
#POLISH BIRTHDAY SONG FULL#
The Polish happy birthday song is also often not only sung, but also performed by a full on band or even an orchestra. This Polish happy birthday song was even played during the visit of Pope John Paul II. This song, which could be compared to For He’s A Jolly Good Fellowof the English -speakers (in the sense that it is used in similar occasions) is specific because of the fact that it is used not only during birthdays, but also during weddings, both informal and formal events and other important celebrations, like the inauguration of the president. Yet a Polish song that is sung during birthday celebrations, Sto Lator Live A Hundred Years,makes it a bit different than others. It’s interesting to see how almost every culture has the same birthday procedure nowadays. This happy birthday song in Polish has unknown origins and an unknown author, but is mandatory during Polish birthday celebrations - and other occasions where you celebrate a person's achievements. Sto lat in the Polish language is the traditional Polish birthday song wishing you a happy birthday in Polish. Then, the Sto lat song begins: Sto lat, sto lat, niech żyje żyje nam! The candles burn on a delicious cake as it slowly makes its way to the center of the table. Go figure.ALL ABOUT STO LAT NIECH ŻYJĄ NAM - POLISH SONG LYRICS TRANSLATION, MEANING, PRONUNCIATION AND VIDEO Name Days are so important to Polish culture that they are often prominently displayed on public transport, thereby ensuring that you know who you should be buying flowers for that day information that you may find less readily available on those same trams and buses is the name of the next stop. The Polish birthday song ‘ Sto Lat’ (A Hundred Years) is sung, and its mindless simplicity might be tempting for foreigners to criticise until they reflect on just how dreadful the English happy birthday song actually is. In return, guests should bring small gifts (typically chocolate, flowers or vodka) as you would on someone’s birthday. Differing slightly from western birthday celebrations in which the celebrant is often seen as a ‘guest of honour’ and might expect to be bought drinks all night, in name day gatherings the celebrant traditionally plays the role of host, buying drinks for friends and ensuring that guests are taken care of. Name Day celebrations in Poland are social events, traditionally involving the gathering of friends and family at the celebrant’s home or in the bar of their choice. Some names are even repeated more than once in a calendar year, in which case you celebrate the first of your name days to fall after your birthday. Every day of the year is assigned two saints – one male, one female – and chances are if you share a name with a saint (as almost all Poles do), you too have a name day. of candles on your birthday cake, the more likely the paint will begin to peel off the walls! Printed in every local calendar, these name days represent the feast days of Catholic saints.
In Poland, name days ( Imieniny) are widely celebrated and have traditionally been given a greater importance than birthday celebrations, particularly as one gets on in years - the greater the no.