15 Holiday Expressions From Around the World

Everyone appreciates a greeting in their own native tongue. Learning holiday expressions from around the world is a fun way to bring us all a little closer. Check out these fun holiday expressions from around the world and impress your family members with your new vocabulary!

Spanish Holiday Expressions

For those who want to offer their Spanish-speaking friends expressions of Happy Holidays, here are a few phrases to learn:

• Te deseo mucha alegría y felicidad estas fiestas. Translated to English this Spanish phrase means "I wish you lots of joy and happiness this holiday season."
• Mis mejores deseos para Navidad y Año Nuevo. Another holiday phrase which means, "My best wishes for Christmas and the New Year."
• Este año te deseo amor, dinero y salud.  This phrase shares sentiment especially useful this year, "This year I wish you love, money, and good health."

Greetings in Various European Languages

To impress your language teacher, or to tell friends from across the Atlantic "Happy Holidays," you can share some greetings in French, Italian, German, or Portuguese.

• Meilleurs voeux .  Means "Good Wishes," or "Best Wishes," in French, and can be used any time of year. During the holidays though, this also translates to "Season's Greetings."

• Joyeux Noël. Also French, this phrase translates simply to "Merry Christmas."

• Vi auguriamo un Natale pieno di amore, pace e felicità, This is Italian, and translates to say, "We wish you a Christmas filled with love, peace, and happiness."

• Ein frohes Weihnachtsfest und alles Gute zum neuen Jahr! Translated from German, this phrase means "A joyful Christmas festival and best wishes for the New Year!"

• Boas Festas. In Portuguese, simply said, this phrase says, "Happy Holidays."

How To Say Merry Christmas in Mandarin

Traditionally China and other native Asian countries do not religiously celebrate Christmas. However, the commercialism of this holiday time of year reaches around the world. While there are many Chinese dialects, Mandarin is one more universally utilized.

• Shèng dàn jié. This translates from Mandarin to say, "Holiday for the birth of a saint."

• Yē dàn jié. This more closely aligns with Christmas and means, "Holiday of the birth of Jesus."

Wishing a Happy Hanukkah in Hebrew

Unlike Christmas, which falls on the same day each year, Hanukkah is celebrated on eight days, which vary from year to year.

• Chag urim sameach. From Hebrew this phrase translates to English as "Happy Festival of Lights."

• Hanukkah sameach! This simply means "Happy Hanukkah!"

A Few Other Holiday Greetings

• Schastlivogo Rozhdestva! Impress your friends, learn this Russian phrase to say, "Merry Christmas!"

• Krismasi Njema. While there are a variety of languages spoken in Africa, this is how to say "Merry Christmas" in Swahili, which is spoken in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lastly, native Hawaiians have their own language. We celebrate our 50th state by sharing:

• Mele Kalikimaka.  It means, "Merry Christmas."

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