Maria Branyas Morera, born in 1907 in San Francisco, celebrated her 117th birthday on March 4. Guinness World Records shared a post on Instagram about her.

Guinness World Records (GWR) took to Instagram to share a post on a woman celebrating her 117th birthday. Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest living person, survived World War I, World War II, the Spanish Flu pandemic, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Happy birthday to Maria Branyas Morera who celebrates her 117th birthday today. She was verified as the world’s oldest person back in January 2023. Maria was born on 4 March 1907 in San Francisco, USA, but returned to Spain with her family when she was eight to settle in Catalonia. She’s lived in the region ever since and has resided in the same nursing home for the past 23 years,” GWR wrote as they posted a picture of Morera on Instagram.

While talking to GWR, Morera shared that “luck and good genetics” are not the only attributing factors behind her longevity. She also added that the other factors are “order, tranquillity, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people”.

How did Maria Branyas Morera celebrate her 117th birthday?

“She is happy to be able to celebrate this special day intimately with her family and colleagues and wishes everyone a happy Monday,” Eva Carrera Boix, the director of Maria’s nursing home, told GWR. The centenarian celebrated her birthday on March 4.

“She is very grateful for all the congratulations received and the interest that so many people have shown in her state of health,” Boix added.

Take a look at this post by GWR about the 117-year-old world record holder:

The post was shared about 14 hours ago. Since then, it has gathered nearly 1.8 lakh likes and the numbers are only increasing. The share has further collected tons of comments from people.

What did Instagram users say about this GWR post?

“She lived through two world wars and two pandemics, She has a better idea of how the world is than any of us,” wrote an Instagram user.

“She is 99 years older than me,” posted another.

“May God bless her and give her more energy and health,” joined a third.

More about Maria Branyas Morera:

“Maria lived through the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 as well as the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), which she said she has ‘very bad memories’ of,” shared GWR.

“Over a century after the 1918 pandemic, Maria also survived Covid-19 – she contracted the virus a few weeks after turning 113 in 2020 but made a full recovery within days,” they added.

She is presently in a good condition. She has no physical or mental issues beyond her hearing and mobility issues.