Meniñ Qazaqstanım!

This nineteenth week of the project 2,480 pages were added to last weeks total of 51,892 and adding them up our new total is 51,892 kilometers! Fantastic job reading as always!

My location for this weekend of October 16th is 53 N 70 E, meaning that just as I've re-visited Belarus and Russia I'm once again visiting Kazakhstan. I've decided to share with you Kazakhstan's new national anthem which was adopted in 2006, the song is "Meniñ Qazaqstanım" which translates to "My Kazakhstan." (The"Anthem of the Republic of Kazakhstan" was the title of the old national anthem from 1992 to early 2006.)

Bellow are the lyrics, but you can also listen to it here.

Lyrics
Sky of golden sun,
Steppe of golden seed,
Legend of courage -
Take a look at my country!

From the antiquity
Our heroic glory emerged,
They did not give up their pride
My Kazakh people are strong!

Chorus:
My country, my country,
As your flower I will be planted,
As your song I will stream, my country!
My native land – My Kazakhstan!

The way was opened to the posterity
I have a vast land.
Its unity is proper,
I have an independent country.

It welcomed the time
Like an eternal friend,
Our country is happy,
Such is our country.

Chorus

"O Canada" has a more confusing history:

• The song was originally commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Théodore Robitaille, for the 1880 National Holiday of Quebec ceremony. The text was originally only in French, before it was translated to English in 1906.
  
• Since 1867, "God Save the King" (or "God Save the Queen" depending on who's ruling) and "The Maple Leaf Forever" had been competing as unofficial national anthems in Canada. "O Canada" joined that fray when school children sang it for the 1901 tour of Canada by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (later King George V and Queen Mary).
• "O Canada" was not officially Canada's national anthem until 1980, when it was signed into law on July 1 as part of that year's Canada Day celebrations. "God Save the King/Queen" is now Canada's royal anthem.
  
• Many English versions have appeared over the years while the French lyrics remain unaltered.

There is more to the story of our anthem then just the above text, so check it out at O Canada at the government website or wikipedia for the song history.

Have fun reading!