Ever heard Happy Birthday in Portuguese? There’s a Brazilian version and a European version of the song, and probably some other versions as well between the former colonies in Africa, Asia, and South America.

This is the Família Aguiar version, and you’ll hear my husband belting it out a little more than the others (you should hear him in the car):

It’s family birthday season, between the Aguiars and the Edwins: it’s my father-in-law’s birthday today, just a few weeks after my father‘s birthday, and yesterday was my brother‘s birthday. Next month is my brother-in-law’s birthday, my older brother‘s birthday, the following month is my birthday and my mother-in-law’s birthday. That’s a lot of birthdays — and a lot of singing!

Note the number on the dessert: that’s how we can get around actually saying an age. That wasn’t his birthday cake by the way, it’s a Portuguese dessert called Molotov Molotov, an egg white flan which sure doesn’t sound very Portuguese, I know.

Parabéns a Você (Lyrics)

Here’s the main part of the European version (thanks Wikipedia! I donate to you every year), with some loose English translation from the internet at large:

Parabéns a você, (happy birthday/congratulations to you)
nesta data querida, (on this wonderful day)
muita(s) felicidade(s), (much happiness)
muitos anos de vida (many years of life)

Hoje é dia de festa (today is a festive day)
cantam as nossas almas (our souls sing)
para o(a) menino(a) [Nome] (for little miss/mister _____ )
uma salva de palmas! (a round of applause!)

We’ll see how many birthdays it takes before I can sing along…

Paulo just sent me his own version. Unlike the one everyone knows in English, he says he won’t copyright it. (UPDATE: as of 2016, the song is no longer copyrighted and in the public domain.)

The metrics are the same and, just like in the Portuguese version, the 7th verse needs to be adjusted depending on the person’s name and gender.

Happy birthday to you
in this much cherished day
wishing you lots of happiness
while you grow old and grey

Today’s a joyous day
Our souls singing because
we’ll give [little] miss (or mister) XXX[XXX]
one big round of applause

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Some factoids about the “Happy Birthday” song from Wikipedia:

• According to the 1998 Guinness World Records, it is the most recognized song in the English language, followed by “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”. (Somehow I thought “Auld Lang Syne” would be more popular?)
• The song’s base lyrics have been translated into at least 18 languages.
• The melody of “Happy Birthday to You” comes from the song “Good Morning to All”, which has traditionally been attributed to American sisters Patty and Mildred J. Hill in 1893.

• birthday,
• Happy Birthday song,
• Parabéns a Você