Claire came down this morning wearing a shirt that said “MABUHAY” over a picture and “Philippines” under the picture. That shirt is probably 50 years old. I hadn’t seen it in a long time…
I also hadn’t though about Mabuhay in a long time either. Mabuhay is an official Filipino word, and it’s probably one of the first words you’ll hear if you visit the Philippines.
It’s one of those words like aloha, when you visit Hawaii — it can have multiple meanings….
The literal meaning, in English, is “live.” But in Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, mabuhay can mean many different things — like, “welcome,” “ to life,” “ live great,” or “hello.” And to the modern Filipino generation, it probably now means “live long and prosper,” “ have a great life,” or even “may the force be with you.”
Mabuhay is also used as a toast during celebrations — in which case it means “cheers!”
So Mabuhay is a pretty cool word — I’m sorry I forgot about it. I think I’ll start using it more….
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