While Christmas may not be celebrated in every culture, almost every language has a term for it. Take a look at our list of international well-wishes and impress your family and friends with your linguistic trivia!
Afrikaans – Geseknde Kersfees en ‘n gelukkige nuwe jaar!
Albanian – Gézuar Krishlindjet Vitin e Ri!
Amharic – Melkam Yelidet Beaal!
Arabic – I’D Miilad Said ous Sana Saida!
Aramaic – Edo bri’cho o rish d’shato brich’to!
Armenian – Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand!
Aromunian – Crãciunu hãriosu shi unu anu nãu, bunu!
Azeri – Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun!
Bahasa Malaysia – Selamat Hari Natal
Basque – Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Belorussian – Winshuyu sa Svyatkami i z Novym godam!
Bengali – Shuvo Baro Din – Shuvo Nabo Barsho!
Bicolano – Maugmang Capascuhan asin Masaganang Ba gong Taon!
Bohemian – Vesele Vanoce!
Brazilien – Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo!
Breton – Nedeleg laouen na bloav ezh mat!
Bulgarien – Vesela Koleda i chestita nova godina!
Catalan – Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!
Cantonese – Seng Dan Fai Lok, Sang Nian Fai Lok!
Cebuano – Malipayong Pasko ug Bulahang Bagong Tuig!
Chamorro – Felis Nabidat! Biba Anu Nueba!
Chinese – Shen tan jie kuai le. Hsin Nien Kuaile!
Chinese (Cantonese) – Sing Dan Fae Lok. Gung Hai Fat Choi!
Chinese (Mandarin) – Shen Dan Kuai Le Xin Nian Yu Kuai!
Choctaw – Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito!
Cornish – Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth!
Corsican – Bon Natale e Bon capu d’ annu!
Cree – Mitho Makosi Kesikansi!
Creek – Afvcke Nettvcakorakko!
Croatian – Sretan Bozic!
Czech – Stastne a vesele vanoce a stastny novy rok!
Dänisch – Glaedelig Jul og godt nyt aar!
Duri – Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak!
Dutch – Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar!
Dutch – Prettige kerstdagen en een gelukkig nieuw jaar!
Egyptian – Colo sana wintom tiebeen !
English – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !
Eskimo (inupik) – Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Esperanto – Felican Kristnaskon kaj Bonan Novjaron!
Estonian – Rõõmsaid jõulupühi ja head uut aastat!
Euskera – Zorionak eta Urte Berri On !
Faeroese – Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!
Farsi – Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad!
Filipinos – Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!
Finnish – Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta!
Flemish – Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar!
French – Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
Frisian – Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
Friulian – Bon Nadâl e Bon An Gnûf!
Gaelic – Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ur!
Scots Gaelic – Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath yr!
Galician – Bon Nadal e Bo Ani Novo!
German – Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr!
Greek – Kala Xristouyena kai Eftyhisméno to Néo Étos!
Greenlandic – Juullimi Ukiortaassamilu Pilluarit!
Hausa – Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaian – Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!
Hebrew – Mo’adim Lesimkha. Shana Tova!
Hindi – Shub Naya Baras!
Hungarian – Boldog karacsonyi uennepeket es boldog ujevet!
Iban -Selamat Ari Krismas enggau Taun Baru!
Icelandic – Gledhileg jol og farsflt komandi ar!
Ilocano – Naimbag a Pascua ken Naragsac nga Baro nga Tawen!
Indonesian – Selamat Hari Natal dan Selamat Tahun Baru!
Iraqi – Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah!
Irish – Nollaig Shona duit!
Irish Gaelic – Nollaig faoi shean agus faoi shonas duit agus bliain nua faoi mhaise dhuit!
Italian – Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!
Japanese – Meri Kurisumasu soshite Akemashite Omedeto!
Jèrriais – Bouan Noué et Bouanne Année!
Kadazan – Kotobian Tadau Do Krimas om Toun Vagu!
Karelian – Rastawanke Sinun, Uvven Vuvenke Sinun !
Korean – Sung Tan Chuk Ha!
Krio – Appi Krismes en Appi Niu Yaa!
Kurdish – Seva piroz sahibe u sersala te piroz be!
Ladin – Bon Nadel y Bon Ann Nuef!
Lappic – Buorit Juovllat ja Buorre Oddajahki!
Latin – Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian – Priecigus Ziemsvetkus un Laimigu Jaungadu!
Lausitzian – Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto!
Lithuanian – Linksmu Kaledu! Maltese – Nixtieklek Milied tajjeb u is-sena t-tabja!
Livian – Riiemlizi Talspividi ja pagin vonno udaigastos!
Low Saxon – Heughliche Winachten un ‘n moi Nijaar!
Luganda – Ninakutakia Kristimas Njema na Heri ya Mwaka Mpya
Luxemburgish – Schéi Krëschtdeeg an e Schéint Néi Joer!
Macedonian -Streken Bozhik!
Malay – Selamat Hari Natal dan Tahun Baru!
Malayalam – Puthuvalsara Aashamsakal!
Maltese – Nixtieklek Milied tajjeb u is-sena t-tabja!
Mandarin – Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan!
Manx – Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa!
Maori – Meri Kirihimete!
Marathi – Shub Naya Varsh!
Modern Greek – Kala Christougenna kai evtichismenos o kainourios chronos!
Mongolian – Zul saryn bolon shine ony mend devshuulye!
Monogasque – Festusu Natale e Bona ana noeva !
Norwegian – God Jul Og Godt Nytt Aar!
Occitan – Polit nadal e bona annada!
Oriya – Sukhamaya christmass ebang khusibhara naba barsa!
Pampamgo – Malugud Pascu at saca Masayang Bayung Banua!
Papiamento – Bon Pasco y un Feliz Aña Nobo!
Papua New Guinea -Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia
i go long yu!
Pashto – De Christmas akhtar de bakhtawar au newai kal de mubarak sha!
Pennsylvania German – En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Polish – Vesowe Boze Narodzenie!
Polish – Wesolych Swiat i Szczesliwego Nowego Roku!
Portuguese – Boas Festas e um feliz Ano Novo!
Punjabi – Nave sal di mubaraka!
Pushto – Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha!
Raeto-Ramance – Bella Festas da zNadal ed in Ventiravel Onn Nov!
Rapa-Nui – Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua!
Rhetian – Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn!
Romanche – Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Romani (GYPSY) – Bachtalo krecunu Thaj Bachtalo Nevo Bers!
Romanian – Craciun fericit si un an nou fericit!
Russian – S nastupaiushchim Novym godom i s Rozhdestvom Khristovym!
Romanche (sursilvan dialect) – Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Sambal – Maligayang Pasko at Masayang Ba-yon Taon!
Sami – Buorrit Juovllat!
Samoan – La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou!
Sranantongoan – Switi Kresneti nanga wan bun Nyunjari
Sardian – Felize Nadale e Bonu Cabuannu!
Sardinian – Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou!
Scots Gaelic – Nollaig chridheil huibh!
Serbian – Hristos se rodi!
Sicilian – Bon Natali e Prosperu Annu Novu !
Singhalese – Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa!
Slovakian – Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce!
Slovak – Vesele Vianoce i na zdravie v novom roku!
Slovene – Vesele bozicne praznike in srecno novo leto!
Slovenian – Vesele bozicne praznike in srecno novo leto!
Sorbian – Wjesole hody a strowe Nowe leto!
Spanish – Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo (gilt für alle lateinamerikanischen spanischsprachigen Länder)!
Sudanese – Wilujeng Natal Sareng Warsa Enggal!
Surigaonon – Malipayon na pasko sanan bag-on tuig!
Swahili – ºKrismas Njema Na Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº !
Swedish – God Jul Och Ett Gott Nytt Ar!
Tagalog – Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!
Tamil – Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal!
Thai – Suk san wan Christmas!
Thai – Suk san wan pee mai – Happy New Year!
Tok Pisin – Meri Krismas & Hepi Nu Yia!
Tongan – Kilisimasi Fiefia & Ta’u fo’ou monu ia!
Trukeese (Micronesian) – Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Trukeese – Neekirissimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Tswana – Keresemose o monate le masego a ngwaga o montsha!
Turkish – Noeliniz kutlu olsun ve yeni yilinis kutlu olsun!
Turkish – Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun!
Ukrainian – Srozhdestvom Kristovym!
Ukrainan – Z novym rokom i s rizdvom Hrystovym!
Ukrainan – Khrystos Rodevsia!
Urdu – Naya Saal Mubarak Ho!
Vepsi – Rastvoidenke i Udenke Vodenke!
Vietnamese – Chuc mung nam moi va Giang Sinh vui ve!
Waray – Maupay nga Pasko ngan Mainuswagon nga Bago nga Tuig!
Welsh – Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Da!
Xhosa – Siniqwenelela Ikrisimesi EmnandI Nonyaka Omtsha Ozele Iintsikelelo Namathamsanqa!
Yayeya – Krisema!
Yiddish – Gute Vaynakhtn un a Gut Nay Yor!
Yoruba – E ku odun, e ku iye’dun!
Zulu – Sinifesela Ukhisimusi Omuhle Nonyaka Omusha Onempumelelo!
Cover Photo by Anneka