Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Sunday 24 November |
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Aleteia logo
Lifestyle
separateurCreated with Sketch.

9 Ways to say Merry Christmas around the world

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Jorieri | Shutterstock

Cerith Gardiner - published on 12/17/19 - updated on 12/23/21

Calling all linguists: try these out with your kids!

One way of spreading goodwill during the festive season is to be able to wish others a “Merry Christmas.” Whether you live in a cosmopolitan area and mingle with people from different countries, have digital friends from around the world, or just have a love of languages, take a look at how you can share a little Christmas joy during this festive season.

To help you out with the more unusual languages we’ve included a link on how to pronounce it: be prepared as some are real tongue twisters for English speakers!

WEB3-CHRISTMAS-AROUND-THE-WORLD-1.jpg

Icelandic

In the chilly northern countries, Christmas time is rich in meaning and symbolism. Passers by might wish each other gleðileg jól.

WEB3-CHRISTMAS-AROUND-THE-WORLD-2.jpg

Spanish

You’ll probably be quite at ease pronouncing Feliz Navidad, used throughout Spain and Latin America. But watch out for that end consonant! Feliz means “happy or glad,” and it’s a lovely way to express how we feel about the birth of Jesus.

WEB3-CHRISTMAS-AROUND-THE-WORLD-3.jpg

Italian

In Rome you might hear a lot of Buon Natale, pronounced Bwon Nah-TAH-ley. It’s one of the easier alternatives to the English greeting, so try a few more festive Italian words with this video.

WEB3-CHRISTMAS-AROUND-THE-WORLD-4.jpg

Tags:
Christmas
Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you.

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.

2025-Aleteia-Pilgrimage-300×250-1.png
Daily prayer
And today we celebrate...




Top 10
See More
Newsletter
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. Subscribe here.