The birthdays - Los cumpleaños - 5 minutes of Spanish + Podcast

 In this podcast we talk about the origin of the word birthday and the vocabulary or expressions for these days.

Hello, how are you? Good morning, good afternoon or good evening depending on where you are or what time you are listening to us.

 

Thank you very much for being here, participating week after week, in this podcast about Spanish, a language that we love and that today summons us.

 

Today, Tuesday February 27th, which we are recording, is an important day, at least for me and my parents because it is my birthday...

 

Oops, an important (date)date for the world, your birthday....

 

Well, at least it is important for the 5 minutes of Spanish, that's why in this podcast number 187 of the 5 minutes of Spanish we are going to talk about the word birthday and the vocabulary we use in these celebrations.

 

Besides, it was Arabela and Fabrizio's birthday and in a few days it will be Monica and Karina's birthday, all teachers of SpanishUp2u.

 

And yours, Eduardo, on March 31, that is, all the teachers of the group. It is also the birthday of many, many students in February and March. Happy birthday to all of them! I can't name them all because there are so many.

 

What do you say when it is someone’s birthday?

 

Happy birthday to you!

Many more years to come!

Congratulations or I congratulate you

Since it is a wish, the verb is in the Subjunctive Mood.

 

To begin with, have you ever wondered where the word "birthday" comes from?

 

Well, the word "birthday" derives from the Latin "cumpleanni", which means "anniversary". So, literally, we celebrate the anniversary of our birth every year.

 

It's a way of commemorating the day we came into the world! It also comes from the verb to fulfill, right?

 

Yes, exactly. The word "cumpleaños" is formed from the combination of two words: "cumplir" and "años".

 

In Spanish, “cumplir” means to complete an action, while “años” refers to the time that has passed since a person’s birth. Therefore, “cumpleaños” refers to the day on which the anniversary of someone’s birth is celebrated, that is, the day on which that person completes another year of life. It is a shortened and common way of saying “birth anniversary celebration”.

 

We can also accomplish dreams and resolutions, as well as years.

 

Cumplir -              to achieve, to accomplish

Cumplir años -     to turn years

Propósitos -         purposes

Sueños -             dreams

 

But when did birthday celebrations as we know them today begin?

 

In ancient Greece, it is believed that people worshipped their gods and goddesses with offerings and rituals on their birthday. And in ancient Rome, the birthdays of emperors and members of high society were celebrated with lavish parties and gifts.

 

Gods and emperors, but not people What about the Maya?

 

The Maya had a series of religious ceremonies for important events in a person's life, such as birth, puberty and marriage. However, there is no evidence to say that they celebrated birthdays.

 

Let’s say that birthdays as we celebrate them today are more recent.

What were your birthdays like when you were a child?

 

They were fantastic, I was very excited on my birthday, I felt very powerful. My parents organized very fun parties with lots of games.

 

What kind of games?

 

Races of all kinds, blind man's buff, pin the tail on the donkey, bag race, in each game the participants had little presents, it was fantastic.

 

But did you have lots of gifts? Did you have lots of gifts?

 

Sure, lots of them. Besides, as I was "the birthday girl" I felt very special.

 

Cake?

 

Of course, the birthday cake is fundamental. It is usually decorated with candles and the birthday person blows out the candles while everyone sings Las Mañanitas.

 

Here in Mexico, too, they do the "mordida", that is, they push you on the cake....

Elsewhere in Latin America and Spain, Cumpleaños Feliz is sung to the same familiar tune.

 

We can't talk about birthday cakes without mentioning Grandma Elsa Eduardo's mother, she made perfect and creative homemade cakes. The decorations were according to the birthday boy's preferences: chocolate houses, barbies, soccer fields and even computers drawn with chocolate and cream, the cake was a work of art.

 

Juegos -              games

Carreras -            races

Soplar las velas -to blow the candles

Dibujar –              to draw

Obra de arte -      artwork

Las Mañanitas -  canto de cumpleaños en México

 

What about the piñata?

 

Every birthday has a piñata filled with candy or prizes and a special song. You can read about piñatas in our blog.

 

And you, how did you celebrate your birthdays? How were birthdays celebrated in your childhood? What games did you play? Share them with us.

 

Thank you very much for making it this far in the Podcast.  And thank you for listening, participating, commenting. Spanish in Cabo and SpanishUp2U would not be the same without you. We want you to speak and think in Spanish, that's our mission.

 

If you have a birthday these days; Happy Birthday!

 

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See you in the workshops, in the classes, 24/7 on SpanishUp2U, in the Thursday workshop on Zoom, or listen to us next Wednesday.

 

See you soon.

 

Bye-bye.