WATCH: Do you know what the national anthem means?

Today is National Anthem Day, a day that encourages the inner patriot in you to sing your countries National Anthem with pride.

With the anthem composed in five different languages (isiXhosa, isiZulu, seSotho, Afrikaans and English), how many people actually know what the anthem means?

Here is the anthem:

Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo,
Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa South Afrika – South Afrika.
Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee.
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.

Here is a breakdown of each stanza of the anthem:

Zulu and Xhosa:
God bless Africa
Let its (Africa’s) horn be raised,
Listen also to our prayers,
Lord bless us, we are the family of it (Africa).
Sotho:
Lord bless our nation,
Stop wars and sufferings,
Save it, save our nation,
The nation of South Africa, South Africa.
Afrikaans:
From the blue of our skies,
From the depth of our sea,
Over everlasting mountains,
Where the echoing crags resound.

WATCH: The Idiot’s Guide to singing the National Anthem

For more on National Anthems read:

South Africa’s national anthem

Six facts about national anthems