"Hava Nagila" (הבה נגילה in Hebrew) is a Hebrew folk song, the title meaning "Let us rejoice". It is a song of celebration, especially popular amongst Jewish and Roma communities, and is a staple of band performers at Jewish festivals. The melody was taken from a Ukrainian folk song from Bukovina.[1] The commonly used text was probably composed by Abraham Zevi (Zvi) Idelsohn[2][3] in 1918 to celebrate the British victory in Palestine during World War I as well as the Balfour Declaration. The transliteration, spelling of the title and lyrics vary. LyricsTransliteration | Hebrew text | English translation | Hava nagila | הבה נגילה | Let's rejoice | Hava nagila | הבה נגילה | Let's rejoice | Hava nagila ve nis'mecha | הבה נגילה ונשמחה | Let's rejoice and be happy | | (repeat stanza once) | | Hava neranenah | הבה נרננה | Let's sing | Hava neranenah | הבה נרננה | Let's sing | Hava neranenah ve nis'mecha | הבה נרננה ונשמחה | Let's sing and be happy | | (repeat stanza once) | | Uru, uru achim! | !עורו, עורו אחים | Awake, awake, brothers! | Uru achim b'lev sameach | עורו אחים בלב שמח | Awake brothers with a happy heart | | (repeat line four times) | | Uru achim, uru achim! | !עורו אחים, עורו אחים | Awake, brothers, awake, brothers! | B'lev sameach | בלב שמח | With a happy heart |
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