曼德拉与家人庆祝94岁生日
Some 12 million children across South Africa have sung a specially composed song as part of official celebrations for Nelson Mandela's 94th birthday.
南非大约1200万儿童演唱了一首特别为纳尔逊·曼德拉94岁生日谱写的歌曲。
Mr Mandela spent the day at home and made no public appearances
It was among an outpouring of well wishes from around the world.
The former South African president is believed to have spent a "quiet" day with family at home in the village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape.
The man fondly referred to by his clan name, Madiba, now only appears rarely in public.
He spent 27 years in jail for leading an armed anti-apartheid campaign and became president in 1994.
Since his retirement from public life, the frenzy（狂暴） that erupts around his birthday each year has only grown - with some South Africans complaining his name has been debased（贬低） by its association with a proliferation of causes.
'Favourite food'
The day began with some 12 million schoolchildren singing a birthday song including the line, "We love you father".
Throughout the day, statements were released by politicians, campaigners and union leaders - with Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale urging fellow South Africans to celebrate their fortune to "live in the same country breathing the same air under the same sun with Nelson Mandela".
Mr Mandela's granddaughter, Ndileka Mandela, told Sowetan Live that the Mandela family would celebrate with a lunch including Mr Mandela's favourite food.
"The big lunch will be at 4pm where we will present him with a cake. Our 67 minutes is a way of giving back to him, and that is our birthday gift to him," she said.
"We will probably have food like [local corn dish] samp（玉米粥） and tripe（肚子，内脏） , his favourite food."
On Tuesday Mr Mandela met former US President Bill Clinton.
Mr Clinton, accompanied by his daughter Chelsea, opened a new library for the No-Moscow Primary School in Qunu, ahead of his meeting with Mr Mandela.
"When I think about Mandela I always think about someone committed to the future," Mr Clinton said.
US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, also paid tribute ahead of Mr Mandela's birthday.
The US first couple hailed Mr Mandela's "extraordinary life and steadfast（坚定的） commitment to the principles of democracy and reconciliation".