8.1833, Sum: Christmas Wishes in Different Languages

The LINGUIST List linguist at linguistlist.org
Mon Dec 22 22:23:43 UTC 1997


LINGUIST List:  Vol-8-1833. Mon Dec 22 1997. ISSN: 1068-4875.

Subject: 8.1833, Sum: Christmas Wishes in Different Languages

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=================================Directory=================================

1)
Date:  Fri, 19 Dec 1997 15:57:19 +0530 (IST)
From:  Dr R Doctor <doctor at cdac.ernet.in>
Subject:  Christmas Wishes. Better Late Than Never

-------------------------------- Message 1 -------------------------------

Date:  Fri, 19 Dec 1997 15:57:19 +0530 (IST)
From:  Dr R Doctor <doctor at cdac.ernet.in>
Subject:  Christmas Wishes. Better Late Than Never

Hello,
     Last year, I had sent out a query re. Different Ways of
Wishing Merry Christmas. By the time I had replies to my query,
it was past Christmas and somehow it did not seem right to post
the summary.
   So here is the Summary and all good wishes for Christmas in
as many languages as possible.

______________________________________________________________________
BASQUE
`Merry Christmas':EGUBERRI ON,
`Happy New Year' : URTE BERRI ON.
_______________________________________________________________________
DANISH
God Jul            og      Godt Nyt AAr
_______________________________________________________________________
DUTCH
Translation I
The Dutch translation of Happy Christmas and Happy New Year is,

Vrolijk Kerstfeest
&
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

Translation II
In Dutch it says PRETTIGE KERSTDAGEN EN EEN GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR. A
possible and frequent variant to GELUKKIG is VOORSPOEDIG: PRETTIGE
KERSTDAGEN EN EEN VOORSPOEDIG NIEUWJAAR. You can replace NIEUWJAAR
with the yearnumber, now 1997

Translation III
the most common expression for Happy New Year is:

	Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

which for all practical purposes means exactly the same thing.

You might also say

	Een gelukkig 19..    / A Happy 19..
	Een voorspoedig 19.. / A prosperous 19..


For Christmas it depends more on your religion.

The most neutral expression, also used by Protestants, reads

	Prettige Kerstdagen  / Nice, agreeable Xmas days

Roman Catholics would say

	Zalige Kerstdagen    / ?Blesses Xmas days
	Zalig Kerstfeest     / ?Blessed Xmas celebration

_______________________________________________________________________
FINNISH
Hyvaeae Joulu      ja      Onnelista Uutta Vuotta  (Finnish)
Hyva"a" Joulua ja Onnellista Uuta Vuotta (Finnish)

_______________________________________________________________________
FRENCH
Joyeux Noel
Bonne Annee

_______________________________________________________________________
GAELIC
Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath U\r dhuit (Scottish Gaelic)
The diacritics \ and " should be placed above the preceding letter, but
my character set won't allow me to do this...


_______________________________________________________________________
GERMAN
Froehliche Weihnachten und ein Schoenes Neues Jahr (German)

_______________________________________________________________________
GREEK
KALA XRISTOUGENNA
EUTUXISMENOS O KAINOURGIOS XRONOS

or, in a more "katharevousa" (purist) language you may see
the second phrase about New Year as:
EUTUXISMENO TO NEO ETOS
_______________________________________________________________________
HUNGARIAN
Ver. 1
Kellemes / Be'ke's / A'ldott / Kara'csonyi u:nnepeket!
literally:
Merry    / Peaceful / Blessed / Christmas Holidays!

Boldog   U'j   E'vet!
literally:
Happy    New   Year!

Ver. 2
Boldog Kara'csonyt!
merry  christmas+ACC

Boldog u'j e'vet (ki'va'nok)
merry  new year+ACC (wish-I)

(BU'E'K is a popular acronym for the latter used orally as well.)

The apostrophes mark an acute accent on the preceding vowel.

_______________________________________________________________________
ICELANDIC
     Gledilig Jol       og      God Ny'ar


_______________________________________________________________________

IRISH
 Nollaig Shona agus Blian Nua Fe Mhaise:Happy Christmas and Happy New Year

_______________________________________________________________________
NORWEGIAN
Translation I
Most usual in Norwegian:

God jul og godt nytt =E5r
("Merry christmas and happy new year")

Gledelig jul is not unusal.

(god/godt is the "same" word as good. Gledelig means the same as
merry.)

Translation II
HAPPY CHRISTMAS:        (1)     God jul
HAPPY NEW YEAR:         (2)     Godt nytt =E5r
                        (2)     Godt nytt=E5r

There is a difference betwween (2) and (3). (2) is an exact translation of
the English version, while (3) more focusing upon the event of entering a
new year, i.e. while (2) is a comment upon the whole new year, (3) is
concerned with the first days of the new year, a short period like a
weekend or Christmas.

_______________________________________________________________________
PORTUGESE
Feliz Natal
Bom Ano Novo  (Portuguese)

_______________________________________________________________________
RUSSIAN
 HAPPY CHRISTMAS
S rozhdestvom!
S rozhdestvom Hristovim!
on the 7-th of Jan (!)
HAPPY NEW YEAR
S Novim Godom!
S Novim Godom! S Novim Schastyem!
Pozdravlyau s Novim Godom!

_______________________________________________________________________
SERBO-CROATIAN
In Serbo-Croatian (Serbian or Croatian) one says
"Srec'an Boz^ic'" or "Sretan Boz^ic'"
and
"Srec'na Nova godina" or "Sretna Nova godina".
In Serbia, by the way, when you enter someone's house during Christmas,
you are supposed to say:
"Hristos se rodi!" which means "Christ is born!"
The host will then answer:
"Vaistinu se rodi!" "He is born indeed!"

_______________________________________________________________________
SPANISH
Feliz Navidad
Buen Ano Nuevo

_______________________________________________________________________
SWEDISH
Translation I
 God Jul            och     Gott Nytt AAr

 (where AA denotes the scandinavian A with a circle on top, spoken as
  [o] and ae/oe denote a/o-umlaut.)

Translation II (with explanation)
HAPPY CHRISTMAS is God jul, and

HAPPY NEW YEAR is Gott nytt aar (where the aa should really be an a with a
small o over it).

God jul och gott nytt aar

_______________________________________________________________________


		AND THANKS TO COLIBRI HERE IS THE LANGUAGE CHRISTMAS TREE.



                                      +
                                     XXX
                                    XXXXX
                                   XXXXXXX
                                  XXXXXXXXX
                                 "BUON ANNO"
                                "JOYEUX NOEL"
                               "VESELE VANOCE"
                              "MELE KALIKIMAKA"
                             "NODLAG SONA DHUIT"
                            "BLWYDDYN NEWYDD DDA"
                                 "GOD  JUL"
                                "FELIZ NATAL"
                                "BOAS FESTAS"
                               "FELIZ NAVIDAD"
                              "MERRY CHRISTMAS"
                             "KALA CHRISTOUGENA"
                            "VROLIJK  KERSTFEEST"
                           "FROHLICHE WEIHNACHTEN"
                          "BUON  NATALE-GODT NYTAR"
                         "HUAN YING SHENG TAN CHIEH"
                        "WESOLYCH SWIAT-SRETAN BOZIC"
                       "MOADIM LESIMHA-LINKSMU KALEDU"
                      "HAUSKAA JOULUA-AID SAID MOUBARK"
                           "'N  PRETTIG  KERSTMIS"
                          "ONNZLLISTA UUTTA VUOTTA"
                         "Z ROZHDESTYOM  KHRYSTOVYM"
                        "NADOLIG LLAWEN-GOTT NYTTSAR"
                       "FELIC NADAL-GOJAN KRISTNASKON"
                      "S  NOVYM  GODOM-FELIZ ANO NUEVO"
                     "GLEDILEG JOL-NOELINIZ KUTLU OLSUM"
                    "EEN GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR-SRETAN BOSIC"
                   "KRIHSTLINDJA GEZUAR-KALA CHRISTOUGENA"
                  "SELAMAT HARI NATAL - LAHNINGU NAJU METU"
                       "SARBATORI FERICITE-BUON  ANNO"
                      "ZORIONEKO GABON-HRISTOS SE RODI"
                     "BOLDOG KARACSONNY-VESELE  VIANOCE "
                    "MERRY CHRISTMAS  - -  HAPPY NEW YEAR"
                   "ROOMSAID JOULU PUHI -KUNG HO SHENG TEN"
                  "FELICES PASUAS-EIN GLUCKICHES    NEWJAHR"
                 "PRIECIGUS ZIEMAN SVETKUS  SARBATORI VESLLE"
                "BONNE ANNEBLWYDDYN NEWYDD DDADRFELIZ    NATAL"
                                    XXXXX
                                    XXXXX
                                    XXXXX

    Afrikander -        Een Plesierige Kerfees
    Arabic -            I'D MIILAD SAID OUA SANA SAIDA
    Armenian -          Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
    Azeri -             Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
    Basque -            Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
    Bohemian -          Vesele Vanoce
    Brazilian -         Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
    Breton -            Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
    Bulgarian -         Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
    Chinese -=20
        (Mandarin)      Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
        (Catonese)      Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun

    Cornish -           Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
    Cree -              Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
    Croatian -          Sretan Bozic
    Czech -             Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
    Dutch -             Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
    English -           Merry Christmas
    Esperanto -         Gajan Kristnaskon
    Estonian -          Ruumsaid juulup|hi
    Farsi -             Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
    Finnish -           Hyvaa joulua
    French -            Joyeux Noel
    Frisian -           Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it
Nije                         Jier!
    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
    Korean -            Sung Tan Chuk Ha
    Latvian -           Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
    Lithuanian -        Linksmu Kaledu
    Manx -              Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
    Maori -             Meri Kirihimete
    Marathi -           Shub Naya Varsh
    Navajo -            Merry Keshmish
    Norwegian -         God Jul
    Pennsylvania German En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr
    Portuguese -        Boas Festas
    Rapa-Nui -          Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
    Rumanian -          Sarbatori vesele
    Russian -           Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
    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
    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 Ett Gott Nytt
    Tagalog -           Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
    Tamil -             Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
    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









                                XXXXXXXXXXXXX
 =============================================================================

Special Thanks to all the following not only for their help
but also for their WARM WISHES.

fortuna at cc.nccu.edu.tw :	RUSSIAN
Diana van der Ende:	     For the COLIBRI listing
Martsa Sa'ndor			HUNGARIAN
Peter Szigetvari         HUNGARIAN
Manuel Conceicao  		SPANISH,FRENCH,PORTUGESE
Ragnhild Tonenessen		NORWEGIAN
Olaf Husby			NORWEGIAN
Tim Schmitz-Reinthal 	IRISH
Larry Trask			BASQUE
Randall A. Major		SERBO-CROATIAN
Ellen Gerrits 			DUTCH
Bram ten Cate			DUTCH
Arian Verheij 			DUTCH
Jan Anward			SWEDISH
Dominic Watt			GAELIC FINNISH
Nikos Sarantakos 		GREEK

________________________________________________________________________

RAYMOND DOCTOR

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