("Down with") is abbreviated with an inverted W. In the Philippines, (a former Spanish colony), the usage of ¡Viva! has declined in the 20th century, having been replaced by the Filipino term Mabuhay and its cognates in various Philippine languages. Today, the expression is largely found in religious contexts (specifically, Filipino Catholicism), where it is said in fiestas to honour a manifestation of God or a patron saint (e.g. "¡Viva, Señor Santo Niño!" "¡Viva la Virgen de Peñafrancia!"). Other and similar uses The use of these terms has increased in non-Latin nations recently; for example, a common greeting regarding the Anglophone city of Las Vegas is "Viva Las Vegas!" One reason may be that West Germanic languages do not have a good equivalent of the term; the closest may be Hail (English)/Heil (German), which has Nazi-tainted connotations. Nevertheless, Hail still appears in certain previously frozen expressions and usages, for example the prayer Hail Mary and the song Hail to the Chief. A similar expression is 'Zindabad' used in Hindustani, Bengali and Persian, it means roughly "Long live" and is used as a patriotic sentiment glorifying leaders and countries e.g. 'Pakistan Zindabad' or 'Bangladesh Zindabad'. On 25 July 2005, upon winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France and subsequently retiring from professional cycling, Lance Armstrong ended his farewell speech with "Vive le Tour, forever". See also Joy Bangla, a salutation, slogan, and war cry most commonly used in People's Republic of Bangladesh and West Bengal L'Chaim!, a Hebrew toast, meaning "to life" Mabuhay, a Filipino word of the same meaning used in greeting and acclamation Hindustan Zindabad, used by Indians to express victory or patriotism Sto lat, a Polish birthday song wishing 100 years, and a similar greeting wish Ten thousand years, translation of a phrase used in many East Asian languages to wish leaders long lives References Vivat Viva Viva Viva Vive Interjections ca:Vive, viva, i vivat hr:Vive, viva, i vivat hu:Vive, viva, és vivat no:Vive, viva, og vivat pl:Vive, viva, i vivat ro:Vive, viva, şi vivat fi:Vive, viva, ja vivat sv:Vive, viva, och vivat cs:Vive, viva, i vivat el:Vive, viva και vivat sr:Vive, viva, i vivat lt:Vive, viva, ir vivat vi:Vive, viva, và vivat bg:Живей, живей и живей nl:Vive, viva, en vivat