Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas! Holiday greetings in different languages


Merry/Happy Christmas


A Christmas cake with a "Merry Christmas" greeting. Image via wiki
The greetings and farewells "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Christmas" are traditionally used in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia, commencing a few weeks prior to Christmas (December 25) of every year.

"Merry," derived from the Old English myrige, originally meant merely "pleasant, and agreeable" rather than joyous or jolly.
Christmas derived from the Old English Cristes mæsse, for Christ's Mass).
The phrase is often preferred when it is known that the receiver is a Christian or celebrates Christmas. The nonreligious often use the greeting as well, however in this case its meaning focuses more on the secular aspects of Christmas, rather than the Nativity of Jesus.
The alternative "Happy Christmas" gained usage in the late 19th century, and is still common in the U.K. and Ireland alongside "Merry Christmas". 
Christmas is a holiday celebrated around the world. Here is a list of how to wish to your friends, neighbors, colleagues and loved ones, 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy New Year' or both in more than 100 languages.

AfrikaansGesëende Kersfees
AfrikanderEen Plesierige Kerfees
African/ Eritrean/ TigrinjaRehus-Beal-Ledeats
AlbanianGezur Krislinjden
Arabic:Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Argentine:Feliz Navidad
Armenian:Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri:Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Bahasa Malaysia:Selamat Hari Natal
Basque:Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bengali:Shuvo Naba Barsha
Bohemian:Vesele Vanoce
Brazilian:Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
Breton:Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian:Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Catalan:Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!
Chile:Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Cantonese)Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Chinese: (Mandarin)Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Choctaw:Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Columbia:Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Cornish:Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Corsian:Pace e salute
Crazanian:Rot Yikji Dol La Roo
Cree:Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian:Sretan Bozic
Czech:Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish:Glædelig Jul
Duri:Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak
Dutch:Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
English:Merry Christmas
Eskimo: (inupik)Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Esperanto:Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian:Ruumsaid juulup|hi
Faeroese:Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!
Farsi:Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish:Hyvaa joulua
Flemish:Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
French:Joyeux Noel
Frisian:Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
Galician:Bo Nada
Gaelic:Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German:Froehliche Weihnachten
Greek:Kala Christouyenna!
Hausa:Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaiian:Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew:Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi:Shub Naya Baras
Hausa:Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaian:Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!
Hungarian:Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic:Gledileg Jol
Indonesian:Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi:Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish:Nollaig Shona Dhuit or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Iroquois:Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Italian:Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese:Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Jiberish:Mithag Crithagsigathmithags
Korean:Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Latin:Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian:Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto
Lettish:Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
Lithuanian:Linksmu Kaledu
Low Saxon:Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar
Macedonian:Sreken Bozhik
Maltese:IL-Milied It-tajjeb
Manx:Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori:Meri Kirihimete
Marathi:Shub Naya Varsh
Navajo:Merry Keshmish
Norwegian:God Jul or Gledelig Jul
Occitan:Pulit nadal e bona annado
Papiamento:Bon Pasco
Papua New Guinea:Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German:En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru:Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philipines:Maligayan Pasko!
Polish:Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese:Feliz Natal
Pushto:Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha
Rapa-Nui (Easter Island):Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rhetian:Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn
Romanche (sursilvan dialect):Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Rumanian:Sarbatori vesele
Russian:Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Sami:Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan:La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Sardinian:Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou
Serbian:Hristos se rodi
Slovakian:Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce
Sami:Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan:La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Scots Gaelic:Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serb-Croatian:Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina
Serbian:Hristos se rodi.
Singhalese:Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak:Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene:Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto
Spanish:Feliz Navidad
Swedish:God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Tagalog:Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tami:Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
Trukeese:(Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Thai:Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish:Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian:Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Urdu:Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
Vietnamese:Chung Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh:Nadolig Llawen
Yugoslavian:Cestitamo Bozic
Yoruba:E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!


Sources: wikiworldofchristmas
...................................................................................................................................
If you would like to keep up with all latest Randomnies additions, please subscribe to Randomnies RSSRSS feed or subscribe to Randomnies by Email.

Subscribe

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Word of the Day

Article of the Day

This Day in History

Today's Birthday

In the News

Quote of the Day

Spelling Bee
difficulty level:
score: -
please wait...
 
spell the word:

Match Up
Match each word in the left column with its synonym on the right. When finished, click Answer to see the results. Good luck!

 
Add to The Free Dictionary