Hava Nagila

"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.A. Idelsohn "Jewish Music: its historical development", p.12 The commonly used text was probably composed by Abraham Zevi (Zvi) IdelsohnIn an appearance on BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs on 28 October 2007, Joel Joffe referred to his grandfather Abraham Zevi Idelsohn as the author of "Hava Nagila", but in the programme notes it says "Composer: Bashir Am Israelim", meaning that either this is an alias for Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, to whom Joffe was clearly referring in the programme, or the programme notes contain an erroneous entry. (The correct entry was probably "Shir Am Yisraeli", meaning "Israeli folksong", before mangling by the BBC's transcription.) 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.
==Lyrics==
Transliteration 	Hebrew text 	English translation
Hava nagila 	הבה נגילה 	Let's rejoice
Hava nagila 	הבה נגילה 	Let's rejoice
Hava nagila vi 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 vi 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
The digraph ch is pronounced like the German ch after a back vowel, as in Bach [IPA: /x/].
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== References ==
== External links ==
thumb|300px|right|The Party Animals - Hava Naquila (house remix)
* Hava Nagila's Long, Strange Trip
* Hora Music, How do you sing and dance Hava Nagila Lyrics and steps.
* Who wrote Havah Nagilah?
* HAVA NAGILA
* Discogs search for other remakes of Hava Nagila
* Historical research includes first recording of Hava Nagila
Category:Israeli songs