Why is the Hail Mary different in Spanish?

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Francisco_Fernando

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I wonder why the Hail Mary is different in Spanish than English. Why isn’t it ‘Ave Maria’, instead of 'Dios te salve, Maria? Why does one have to be about ‘God save you, Mary’ instead of ‘Hail Mary’?
 
It’s the same in my language- “Peace be upon you, Mary.” I have no idea why they’re different, but it doesn’t bother me.
 
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“God save you” is a greeting just as much as “Hail” is. I assume it’s just how the devotion developed in Castile/Asturias and it didn’t change.
 
Classical Arabic. Not my native language, but my liturgical one.
 
I think that ‘God Save You Mary’ is different from ‘Hail Mary’, because the first depends on God honoring Mary, and the next depends on you hailing her.
 
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Translation of the Hail Mary prayer in spanish Apologetics
You are translating literally. I tried 6 different translation services and all of them translate “Dios te salve Maria” as Hail Mary.
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He means that in Spanish “God save you” is used as a greeting, similarly to “Hail”.
 
Very interesting! It is always different, probably all nations have put in their specific view on Mary’s condition. God did save Mary by being born out of her, she was saved from the Immacculate Conception.
But it is strange to say that rather than “Ave”, or “Rejoice”. Because “rejoice” is evoking her in Heaven, as a Redeemed not just Saved. Also her high position in Heaven. While “God save” evokes a continuous rebirth (unseen) of Christ of her. So probably the Spanish term comes from their specific sensibility to her and also deep veneration towards her, by evoking a continuous birth of Christ from her (in an unseen way).
 
Probably. In Aramaic it’s “Shlom lekh”. Classical Arabic’s “Salam ‘aalayki”.
 
One answer might be that “ave,” as a greeting, is not a Spanish word. (There is a Spanish noun ave, meaning “bird,” but that’s a different word altogether.)

In French, the first words of the prayer are “Je vous salue, Marie.”

In Portuguese, however, it’s “Ave Maria, cheia de graça …”
 
One need never utter a single prayer to Mary to be a Catholic in good standing. It is not one of the 5 precepts of the faith. Having said that, cultural and linguistic differences are what they are.

Pull up Luke 1 in each of those languages and see how Gabriel salutes Mary.
 
Sagrada Biblia (Torres Amat)
Lc 1:28 • ‘Y habiendo entrado el ángel a donde ella estaba, le dijo: Dios te salve, ¡oh llena de gracia!, el Señor es contigo; bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres.’

As you can see, the rosary follows it

 
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I’ve read someplace that at the time of Jesus’ birth, “Hail” was a greeting one would make only to royalty. King, Emperor, etc. That suits her role as Queen of Heaven.
 
ricmat said:
I’ve read someplace that at the time of Jesus’ birth, “Hail” was a greeting one would make only to royalty. King, Emperor, etc. That suits her role as Queen of Heaven.
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Yes, hence the phrase “Hail Caesar!”
 
po18guy said:
One need never utter a single prayer to Mary to be a Catholic in good standing.
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Well good standing us not a well defined term. I would say it’s difficult to be a practicing Catholic and never utter one word to Mary. One has to not recite part of the Confetior at mass,. Likely ignore hymns on Marian feast days and solemnities, not honor her as Mother of the Church, etc.
 
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