Salve a ti, Nicaragua

Salve a tí, Nicaragua (Hail to thee, Nicaragua) is the Nicaraguan national anthem. It was approved October 20, 1939, and officially adopted August 25, 1971. Lyrics by Salvador Ibarra Mayorga, musical arrangement by Luis A. Delgadillo.

The music dates back to the 1700s, when it was used as a lithurgical anthem by a Spanish monk, Fr. Castinove, when the country was a provice of Spain. During the initial years of independence, it was used to salute the justices of the Supreme Court of the State of Nicaragua, then a member of the Central American Federation.

The anthem was eventually replaced by three other anthems during periods of political upheaval or revolution, but it was restored on April 23, 1918 at the fall of the last liberal revolution. A contest was opened to the public, for new lyrics for the national anthem. The lyrics could only mention peace and work, as the country had just ended a civil war. As a result, the Nicaraguan anthem is the only anthem in Latin America that speaks of peace instead of war.

The new conservative, pro-Spanish government quickly awarded the first prize to Salvador Ibarra Mayorga, a Nicaraguan teacher and poet. The anthem replaced the more warlike Hermosa Soberana (Beautiful and Sovereign), an anti-Spanish military march that was seen as an embarrassment in a country with deep Spanish roots.

Salve a tí (Original Spanish)

¡Salve a tí, Nicaragua! En tu suelo
Ya no ruge la voz del cañón,
Ni se tiñe con sangre de hermanos
Tu glorioso pendón bicolor.

Brille hermosa la paz en tu cielo
Nada empañe tu gloria inmortal,
Que el trabajo es tu digno laurel
Y el honor es tu enseña triunfal!

Hail to thee (English translation)

Hail to thee, Nicaragua!
The voice of the cannon no longer roars on your soil,
Nor does the blood of brothers stain
Your glorious bicolor flag.

Peace shines beautiful in your sky
Nothing dims your immortal glory,
For work is what earns your laurels
And honor is your triumphal ensign!