A video of a 108-year-old grandmother blowing out the candle on her birthday cake has sparked a viral TikTok trend with the audio 'Apaga la vela'. Captured at a family party, it features the humorous moment when her daughter urges her to extinguish the candle after singing Las Mañanitas. The clip has gained popularity for depicting everyday distraction scenarios.
The 'Apaga la vela' trend originated at a family birthday celebration for a 108-year-old grandmother. In the original video shared on social media, the woman receives her cake with a lit candle in the center. After singing Las Mañanitas, the grandmother appears distracted and does not immediately respond to the cue to blow out the candle.
Her daughter steps in insistently: 'Blow out the candle', prompting the elderly woman to finally comply, eliciting applause from those present and creating an unintentionally humorous scene. The clip quickly went viral on TikTok, where users have repurposed it for memes and videos illustrating moments of disconnection, such as daydreaming during work or school.
The trend has drawn public figures, including Aaron Mercury and Alexis Ayala, former contestants on the reality show La Casa de los Famosos México 2025, who created their own versions using the audio. Examples feature recreations with hashtags like #humor and #apagalavela, underscoring the simple and relatable charm of the video's origin. This phenomenon echoes other viral Mexican phrases, like 'Ya no está de moda tener novio', which also caught the eye of celebrities.
