''Sto lat'' (One Hundred Years) is a traditional
Polish song
A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...
that is sung to express good wishes, good health and long life to a person. It is also a common way of wishing someone a happy birthday in Polish.
''Sto lat'' is used in many birthdays and on international day of language.
The song's author and exact origin are unattributed. The song is sung both at informal gatherings (such as
birthday
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many religion ...
s or
name day
In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, as well as Christian communities elsewhere. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively t ...
s) or at formal events, such as
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...
s. Frequently, the song "Niech im gwiazdka pomyślności" will be sung afterwards, excluding kids' parties, as the song makes reference to alcohol consumption. At state events it is not unusual to hear it performed by an
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
or a
military band
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...
. It is also noted for being an integral part of Polish immigrant culture even long after assimilation.
Similar songs
The song serves the equivalent function of "
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", or simply "Happy Birthday", is a song traditionally sung to celebrate a person's birthday. According to the 1998 ''Guinness World Records'', it is the most recognized song in the English language, followed by "For He' ...
" or "
For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" is a popular song that is sung to congratulate a person on a significant event, such as a promotion (rank), promotion, a birthday, a wedding (or playing a major part in a wedding), a retirement, a wedding anniversar ...
".
Lyrics
The Polish lyrics are:
This translates roughly into English as:
After the repetition of the phrase , usually ('But who?') will be collectively shouted, followed by the name of the intended recipient of the wishes. Of the few variations of the optional second verse, the most common one is as follows:
Which roughly translates to:
Use as a phrase
The phrase "Sto lat!" is also often used to wish someone
longevity
Longevity may refer to especially long-lived members of a population, whereas ''life expectancy'' is defined Statistics, statistically as the average number of years remaining at a given age. For example, a population's life expectancy at birth ...
or good fortune, or as a
toast, without the song. However, the use of "Sto lat!" in this manner will often lead to the song being sung by those present.
The phrase is also sometimes used to acknowledge someone's sneezing – similarly to "God bless you", though for that particular occasion a simple ''na zdrowie'' ("To your health") is more frequently used.
See also
*
Ten thousand years
In various East Asian languages such as Chinese language, Chinese, Japanese language, Japanese, Korean language, Korean, and Vietnamese language, Vietnamese, the phrase "Wànsuì", "Banzai", "Manse", and "Vạn tuế", respectively, meaning "myr ...
, translation of a phrase used in many East Asian languages to wish leaders long lives
*
Live until 120, similar Jewish saying
In literature,
Sto Lat is a fictional city in Terry Pratchett's
Discworld
''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a fl ...
Series.
References
{{reflist
External links
Melody and words, from PolishAmericanCenter.org
Year of song unknown
Polish folk songs