| Merry Christmas |
|
| and Happy New Year! | |
| May you be well with each passing year! | |
| 3īd mīlād majīd | عيد ميلاد مَجيد |
| wa3ām sa3īd | وَعام سَعيد |
| kull 3ām waĀantum biḰayr | كُلّ عام وَأَنْتُم بِخَيْر |
“Merry Christmas”
“Christmas” in Arabic is “3īd lmīlād / عيد الميلاد“, i.e. “Holiday of the Birth”, with “the Birth” understood of course as that of Jesus Christ. If the definite article is dropped – i.e. “3īd mīlād / عيد ميلاد” – the meaning is simply “birthday” (more literally: “holiday of birth”).
To wish someone a Merry Christmas, you can say “3īd mīlād majīd / عيد ميلاد مَجيد“. Literally, this means “Glorious Holiday of Birth”. You can also say “3īd mīlād sa3īd / عيد ميلاد سَعيد“, i.e. “Happy Holiday of Birth”, an expression which can also be used to wish someone a Happy Birthday.
“Happy New Year”
To wish someone a Happy New Year, you can say “3ām sa3īd / عام سَعيد” or “sanaŧ sa3īdaŧ / سَنَة سَعيدة“, both of which translate literally to “Happy Year”.
“kull 3ām waĀantum biḰayr / كُلّ عام وَأَنْتُم بِخَيْر” is another way of wishing someone a Happy New Year (note that this is the Modern Standard Arabic pronunciation). This greeting, which may be translated as “May you be well with each passing year” (literally: “Every year and you are well”), is in fact suitable for any festive occasion.
To learn more about Arabic greetings which can be used on any holiday, see our post on holiday greetings.
Once again, from the Lebanese Arabic Institute: we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Related
Easter in Arabic
Holiday Greetings