‘Tis the season we grapple with educating students on types of traditions. Christmas brings on this quandary. As we wrestle with the principal of separation of church and state, some educators leave teaching traditions to the family. However, it’s imperative in our global society to understand and respect our diverse traditions and practices.
So, teach and respect traditions of the season. And, don’t hesitate to say, “Merry Christmas!”
Season greetings in languages around the world.
Afrikaans – “Geseënde Kersfees en ‘n Voorspoedige Nuwe Jaar.”
Arabic – “I’d Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida”
Argentine – “Felices Pasquas Y felices ano Nuevo”
Armenian – “Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand”
Basque – Eguberri on
Bohemian – “Vesele Vanoce”
Breton – “Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat”
Bulgarian – “Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo”
Chinese – [Mandarin] – “Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan”
Chinese – [Catonese] – “Saint Dan Fai Lok”
Cornish – “Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth”
Croatian – “Sretan Bozic i Nova Godina” (Merry Christmas & Happy New Year)
Czech – “Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok”
Danish – “Glædelig Jul”
Dutch – “Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar”
Inupiaq Eskimo (Kotzebue area in NW Alaska)-
Quvianagli Anaiyyuniqpaliqsi suli Nakuuluni Ukiutqiutiqsi-
(Merry Christmas) (and) (Happy New Year)
English – “Merry Christmas”
Estonian – “Haid joule ja head uut aastat”
Farsi – “Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad”
Filipino-“Maligayang Pasko”
Happy New Year in Filipino
“Manigong Bagong Taon”
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Filipino- “Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon”
Finnish – “Hyvaa joulua”
French – “Joyeux Noël”
German – “Froehliche Weihnachten”
Greek – “Kala Christouyenna”
Hawaiian – “Mele Kalikimaka”
Hebrew – “Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova”
Hindi – “Shub Naya Baras”
Hungarian – “Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket”
Icelandic – “Gledileg Jol”
Indonesian – “Selamat Hari Natal”
Iraqi – “Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah”
Irish – “Nollaig Shona Dhuit”
Italian – “Buone Feste Natalizie”
Japanese -” Shinnen omedeto, kurisumasu omedeto.
The first part is translated “Happy New Year.
Kurisumasu omedeto means Merry Christmas.
Japanese people generally add the expression gozaimasu to indicate humility.
Korean – “Sung Tan Chuk Ha”
Latvian – “Prieci’gus Ziemsve’tkus un Laimi’gu Jauno Gadu”
Lithuanian – “Linksmu Kaledu”
Navajo – “Merry Keshmish”
Norwegian – “God Jul”
Pennsylvania German – “En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr”
Polish – “Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia”
Portuguese – “Feliz Natal” “Boas Festas”(Good Holidays.)
Romanian – “Craciun fericit” (Merry Christmas), “Sarbatori Fericite” (Happy Holidays) Thanks Julia!
Russian – “Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva s Novim Godom”
Serbian – “Hristos se rodi”
Slovakian – “Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce”
Samoan – “La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou”
Scots Gaelic – “Nollaig chridheil huibh”
Serb-Croatian – “Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina”
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”
Tahitian -Merry Chrismas :” Ia orana te Noera”
and Happy new year is “Ia orana i te mata iti api”
Thai – “Sawadee Pee Mai”
Turkish – “Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun”
Ukrainian – “Z Rizdvom Khrystovym !” – “Merry Christmas”
” Z Novym Rokom !” – “Happy New Year”
“Z Rizdvom Khrystovym i Novym Rokom !” – both greetings together.
Vietnamese – “Chuc Mung Giang Sinh”
Welsh – “Nadolig Llawen”
Yugoslavian – “Cestitamo Bozic”
