Mabuhay () is a Filipino greeting, usually expressed as Mabuhay!, which means "long live!". The term is also occasionally used for toasts during celebrations to mean "cheers". It is similar to the Hawaiʻian expression "aloha".
Mabuhay is also the name of the inflight magazine published by Flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, as well as its Mabuhay Miles.
Historical
The word itself has been recorded as a salutation at least early as 1930, when General Douglas MacArthur was sent off amid shouts of “
Mabuhay!” In 1941, the
Rotarian noted local chapters using it in conveying well wishes to the
Service club.
In February 1973, a big cloth sign saying “
Mabuhay, Maj. Bob Peel” welcomed released
Vietnam War prisoner-of-war, U.S.
airman Robert D. Peel, as he stopped by the country as part of Operation Homecoming.
Current usage
The word is otherwise used in its more traditional form as a cheer, especially during celebrations in a variety of contexts:
-
“Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Mabuhay ang Repúblika!”
(“Long live the Philippines! Long live the Republic!”)
-
“Mabuhay ang Pangulo!”
(“Long live the President!”)
-
“Mabuhay ang bagong kasál!”
(“Long live the newlyweds!”)
Viva
The Spanish equivalent
Viva is a special use case, as it is today almost always found in religious contexts. It is specifically part of acclamations directed to a
patron saint or God during community
feast days and assemblies (e.g., “
¡Viva, Señor Santo Niño!” “¡Viva, Poóng Black Nazarene!”)
Cognates
A number of other Philippine languages have phrases that are cognates of “
Mabuhay”. The Bisayan languages, for example, use the term "
Mabuhi",
while Kapampangans have the phrase "
Luid ka".
See also
