Mabuhay Explained

Mabuhay is a Filipino greeting, usually expressed as Mabuhay!, which literally means "to live". The term is also occasionally used for toasts during celebrations to mean "cheers". It is similar to the Hawaiian expression "aloha".^[1] It is used in the local hospitality industry to welcome guests, a practice rooted in a 1993 campaign launched by restaurateur Rod Ongpauco to more uniquely welcome foreign visitors to the Philippines.^[2] "Mabuhay" is the name of the inflight magazine published by Philippine Airlines, as well as its frequent-flyer program.

Historical

However, the word Mabuhay has been in used as early as 1930 when General MacArthur was sent off amid shouts of Mabuhay!^[3] In 1941 in Mabuhay Rotary.^[4] And in big cloth sign in 1973 which said Mabuhay, Maj. Bob Peel.^[5]

Examples

• "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!")

Cognates in other languages

A number of other Philippine languages have terms that are cognate with the term. The Bisayan languages, for example, use the term "Mabuhi" in a manner similar to "Mabuhay",^[6] while Kapampangan uses the term "Luid ka".^[7]

Viva

Alternatively, the Spanish equivalent Viva is used in almost exclusively religious contexts, specifically in shouts of praise directed at a patron saint or to God during fiestas and assemblies (e.g., "¡Viva Señor Santo Niño!")

See also

• Merdeka
• Aloha
• Talofa
• Kia Ora
• Tagalog language
• Filipino language

Notes and References

1. Book: Lee . Jonathan H. X. . Southeast Asian Diaspora in the United States: Memories and Visions, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow . October 16, 2014 . Cambridge Scholars Publishing . 978-1-4438-6979-9 . 37 . March 9, 2022 . en.
2. News: Luna, Luis . Welcome Rotonda to have new name . . Kamahalan Publishing Corporation . May 13, 1995 . January 9, 2015 .
3. News: General Macarthur was given a tremendous send-off... He left amid shouts of ‘Mabuhay’, the tagalog equivalent of ‘viva’. . Oxford English Dictionary . Kingsport (Tennessee) Times . September 19, 1930 . June 1, 2024 .
4. News: So, as we were wont to say out there, ‘Mabuhay Rotary’, meaning not only ‘Good-by’, but ‘May good fortune attend Rotary.’ . Oxford English Dictionary . Rotarian . April 1941 . June 1, 2024 .
5. News: Mrs. Adrian gave the major a big cloth sign which said ‘Mabuhay, Maj. Bob Peel.’ . Oxford English Dictionary . Press-Courier (Oxnard, California) . February 17, 1973 . June 1, 2024 .
6. News: Jarque Loop . Honey . Mabuhi Cebu, Mabuhay Philippines, Viva España! . . July 21, 2011 . August 31, 2022.
7. News: De Jesus . Andrea . 'Luid Ka, Pampanga!’ starts airing on CLTV36 . . May 28, 2015 . April 23, 2023.