Las Mañanitas
Encyclopedia
Las Mañanitas is a traditional Mexican
birthday song sung in many Latin American countries at birthday parties, usually sung before eating cake
and especially as part of the custom of serenading unmarried women. The tradition of the song can be tracked back to 1896 in the mexican city Zacatecas
. Perhaps the most famous rendition of Las Mañanitas is that performed by Pedro Infante
in the movie Nosotros los pobres
.
In Mexico, Las Mañanitas is sung to men and women of all ages, but in some other countries, such as Colombia
, the song is usually sung for quinceañera
s, i.e. girls on their 15th birthday.
Often if being sung instead of played from a recording, "mi bien" is replaced with the name of the person being celebrated, e.g. "Despierta Jacobo, despierta, mira que ya amaneció". Single syllable names are stretched through the two original notes, and longer or compound names are often hushed to fit the music, such as Guadalupe or "José Alberto", which in Spanish would be sung "Josealberto", creating a diphthong in the second syllable.
The second line of the first stanza is sometimes sung "... a las muchachas bonitas se las cantamos aquí", or, in English, "... to the pretty girls we sing them here".
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
birthday song sung in many Latin American countries at birthday parties, usually sung before eating cake
Birthday cake
The birthday cake has been an integral part of the birthday celebrations in Western cultures since the middle of the 19th century. Certain rituals and traditions, such as singing of birthday songs, associated with birthday cakes are common to many Western cultures. The Western tradition of adding...
and especially as part of the custom of serenading unmarried women. The tradition of the song can be tracked back to 1896 in the mexican city Zacatecas
Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
. Perhaps the most famous rendition of Las Mañanitas is that performed by Pedro Infante
Pedro Infante
José Pedro Infante Cruz , better known as Pedro Infante, is the most famous actor and singer of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema and is an idol of the Latinamerican people, together with Jorge Negrete and Javier Solís, who were styled the Tres Gallos Mexicanos . He was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa,...
in the movie Nosotros los pobres
Nosotros los pobres
Nosotros los pobres is a 1948 Mexican drama film directed by Ismael Rodríguez.-Plot:Two kids take a book from a trash can. They begin to read the story of a poor neighborhood in Mexico City. Carpenter Pepe "El Toro" lives with his daughter "Chachita" and woos pretty Celia, known as "La Chorreada"...
.
In Mexico, Las Mañanitas is sung to men and women of all ages, but in some other countries, such as Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, the song is usually sung for quinceañera
Quinceañera
Quinceañera , sometimes called "Fiesta de quince años", "Fiesta de Quinceañera", "Quince años" or simply "quince", is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America and elsewhere in communities of immigrants from Latin America...
s, i.e. girls on their 15th birthday.
Lyrics
| Spanish original | English translation |
|---|---|
| Estas son las mañanitas que cantaba el rey David David David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary... . 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. Qué linda está la mañana en que vengo a saludarte venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte. El día en que tu naciste nacieron todas las flores y en la pila del bautismo cantaron los ruiseñores Ya viene amaneciendo, ya la luz del día nos dio. Levántate de mañana mira que ya amaneció. |
These are the songs that King David David David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary... sang. Today because it is the day of your saint, we sing them to you. Wake up my dear, wake up, see that the day has dawned the birds sing, the moon has set. How lovely is the morning in which I come to greet you we all come with joy and pleasure to congratulate you. The day you were born all the flowers bloomed and in the baptismal font sang the nightingales. The dawn has come, the light of the day is given to us. Get up with the morning and see that it has dawned. |
Often if being sung instead of played from a recording, "mi bien" is replaced with the name of the person being celebrated, e.g. "Despierta Jacobo, despierta, mira que ya amaneció". Single syllable names are stretched through the two original notes, and longer or compound names are often hushed to fit the music, such as Guadalupe or "José Alberto", which in Spanish would be sung "Josealberto", creating a diphthong in the second syllable.
The second line of the first stanza is sometimes sung "... a las muchachas bonitas se las cantamos aquí", or, in English, "... to the pretty girls we sing them here".