"Las Mananitas"

[Moondog]

Hey, guys:

Maybe this has been covered before, but I might've missed it - apologies if I'm shoveling the same old stuff again.

Las Mananitas appeared on a BMB album - For Animals Only - and I figured that it was a Spanish/Mexican title for an animal, since all the other tunes were birds, bugs and animals.

But, I've done some homework on the word 'mananita' and have come up with some mixed results, most of them concluding that either the word is misspelled or a very localized adaption of another word.

Anybody out there shed some light on this? Maybe, if what I have found is true, I could share some additional thoughts, as well.

Thanks. Take care...

George

 

[bob knack]

I thought it was something like "the reindeer".

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Mexico Travel
Las Mañanitas
The Mexican Birthday Song
By Suzanne Barbezat, About.com

Las Mañanitas is a traditional Mexican song that is sung on birthdays and other important holidays. It is often sung as an early morning serenade to wake up a loved one. At birthday parties it is sung before the cake is cut.
Las Mañanitas Lyrics:

Estas son las mañanitas, que cantaba el Rey David,
Hoy por ser día de tu santo, te las cantamos a ti,
Despierta, mi bien, despierta, mira que ya amaneció,
Ya los pajarillos cantan, la luna ya se metió.

Que linda está la mañana en que vengo a saludarte,
Venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte,
Ya viene amaneciendo, ya la luz del día nos dio,
Levántate de mañana, mira que ya amaneció.


Translation:

This is the morning song that King David sang
Because today is your saint's day we're singing it for you
Wake up, my dear, wake up, look it is already dawn
The birds are already singing and the moon has set

How lovely is the morning in which I come to greet you
We all came with joy and pleasure to congratulate you
The morning is coming now, the sun is giving us its light
Get up in the morning, look it is already dawn.

http://gomexico.about.com/od/historyculture/qt/mananitas.htm?p=1

 

[dostros]

Las Mananitas is a traditional birthday song, for which a translation is given here :

http://gomexico.about.com/od/historyculture/qt/mananitas.htm

According to the Oxford Spanish Dictionary, mañanita means "at the crack of dawn" or "very early in the morning". "Las Mañanitas" is given as the name of a children's song.

Doesn't help much if you don't know what the mañanitas are that they are referring to in the song. I would have thought they would be referring to early morning bells. Anyway, here are the lyrics and a translation :

Las Mañanitas Lyrics:

Estas son las mañanitas, que cantaba el Rey David,
Hoy por ser día de tu santo, te las cantamos a ti,
Despierta, mi bien, despierta, mira que ya amaneció,
Ya los pajarillos cantan, la luna ya se metió.

Que linda está la mañana en que vengo a saludarte,
Venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte,
Ya viene amaneciendo, ya la luz del día nos dio,
Levántate de mañana, mira que ya amaneció.


Translation:

This is the morning song that King David sang
Because today is your saint's day we're singing it for you
Wake up, my dear, wake up, look it is already dawn
The birds are already singing and the moon has set

How lovely is the morning in which I come to greet you
We all came with joy and pleasure to congratulate you
The morning is coming now, the sun is giving us its light
Get up in the morning, look it is already dawn.

(Las Mañanitas is also the name of a well-known resort hotel and restaurant in Cuernavaca.)

 

[DAN BOLTON]

I saw an episode of FANTASY ISLAND that featured this song in the background...IIRC, it was an Hispanic child's birthday, and there was a party with a pinata. I also remember a different chorus, with strings. Evidently, there's more to this song than what we've heard on the albums.

The song was NOT being played by either the TJB or the BMB...I believe it was done on a guitar.


Dan

 

[Moondog]

Wow...more than I could've expected, and I came up with the same thing, at least in one corner.

But...but...since the album title was "For Animals Only," I guessed that the word mananita(without the tilde on the first 'n,')referenced an animal or bug or bird, etc., as does the rest of the album dealing with "Animals."

I checked with just about everybody I know who has knowledge of the language and I think there may have been some sort of corruption, somewhere - maybe just in someone's mind - maybe mine. I now know the origin of the word and the song and its intent is(thanks, everyone).

I asked people from San Diego to Puerto Rico and, with the tilde on the first 'n' it pretty much says what you folks say it says. The song itself, however, seems to literally be a morning song, referring to mananita(with the tilde on the first 'n').

However, some of the west coast folks(all the way down to Ecuador and Costa Rica)say that the word might just be a corruption of the word "marinita," which means 'little pig.' More correctly, according to some, "Los Marinitos," meaning "The Little Pigs."

Do you think that maybe someone, somewhere, misunderstood the pronunciation and meaning and translated the word 'mananitas' into 'little pigs?'(maranita?). Could that have been the reason the song was included in the album "For Animals Only?"

I have no idea, but maybe somebody out there has an explanation.

Thanks again. Take care...

 

[dostros]

I can't see King David singing about a little pig, at least not when he first gets up.

Maybe the For Animals Only album was aimed at a child audience, in which case the choice of a well-known children's song would make some sense.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

The song itself, however, seems to literally be a morning song, referring to mananita(with the tilde on the first 'n').

However, some of the west coast folks(all the way down to Ecuador and Costa Rica)say that the word might just be a corruption of the word "marinita," which means 'little pig.'

I tend to believe that it's intended to be a morning song, since it's also included on Herb Alpert's Christmas album. That makes more sense than "little pig" (although, seeing that the nativity occurred in a manger, who knows?)

Just another one of those Baja legends/mysteries, like who's the guy watering the bushes?

 

[Harry]

By the way, one can type the "n-with-the-tilde" character on US Windows-based machines by holding down the [Alt] key while typing 0241 on the numeric keypad.

ñ

Harry

 

[Mr Bill]

...one can type the "n-with-the-tilde" character on US Windows-based machines by holding down the [Alt] key while typing 0241

Thañks, Harry! It's good to kñow that -- I've beeñ quite aññoyed tryiñg to figure that oñe out!

--Mr. Bill

 

[Dave]

By the way, one can type the "n-with-the-tilde" character on US Windows-based machines by holding down the [Alt] key while typing 0241 on the numeric keypad.

ñ

Harry

Well, my computer is probably not one; all I got was 0241...!



Dave

 

[Harry]

Hold the [Alt] down. While holding it down, key in the 0241 on the numeric keypad. After you've keyed the 0241, let go of the [Alt] key.

Look in your Windows System Tools for a "Character Map". That will give you a chart of all of the possible extra characters you can do with the [Alt]-numeric combination.

Harry

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

The ALT-key combo I use most is ¢, which is ALT-0155.

Dave - maybe you're not using the NUMERIC keypad. The numbers across the top of the letter keys will not work.

 

[Dave]

Ooh, I have used the Numeric Keypad... And as for the 0155 being "cents", that doesn't work, either...

I'll just "cut/copy" and "paste", then...



Dave

What I got from pressing the Number Keys above the letters for 0155 and 0241, respectively...:

º¡∞∞ º™¢¡