Polish › Phrases › Merry Christmas
It is the phrase every Polish family says to each other before they eat on 24 December — and unlike the English version, it is rarely said on its own. It comes attached to a wish, made to one person, face to face.
Every Christmas wish, and when to use it
| Polish | Say it like | When to use it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wesołych Świąt | veh-SOH-wih SHFYONT | Merry Christmas — the standard, safe with anyone | |
| Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia | veh-SOH-wih SHFYONT boh-ZHEH-goh nah-roh-DZEH-nyah | The full formal version — cards, letters, speeches | |
| Radosnych Świąt | rah-DOSS-nihkh SHFYONT | “Joyful holidays” — a slightly warmer alternative | |
| Zdrowych i spokojnych Świąt | ZDROH-vihkh ee spoh-KOY-nihkh SHFYONT | “Healthy and peaceful holidays” — what people wish older relatives | |
| Wszystkiego najlepszego | fshist-KYEH-goh nigh-LEP-sheh-goh | “All the best” — the everyday add-on | |
| Smacznego | smahch-NEH-goh | “Enjoy your meal” — said before the first spoonful of barszcz |
1 The wish is personal, not general Wesołych Świąt
Poles do not simply call it across a room. The wish is made one-to-one while breaking the opłatek wafer, and it is meant to be specific — health to the person who was ill, luck to the one sitting exams. A general Wesołych Świąt is correct, but the specific version is the one people remember.
2 Christmas Eve is the day that matters Wigilia
The meal, the wafer, the tree and the presents all happen on 24 December. Christmas Day has its own lunch, but if a Polish family invites you for Christmas, they mean the night before.
And for the New Year
| Polish | Say it like | When to use it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku | shchen-SHLEE-veh-goh noh-VEH-goh ROH-koo | Happy New Year — the full, standard form | |
| Do siego roku | doh SHEH-goh ROH-koo | An old wish — “may you reach the coming year”. Grandparents still use it | |
| Wszystkiego dobrego w Nowym Roku | fshist-KYEH-goh doh-BREH-goh v NOH-vihm ROH-koo | “All good things in the New Year” — for cards |
The words around the tree
| Polish | Say it like | What it is | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boże Narodzenie | BOH-zheh nah-roh-DZEH-nyeh | Christmas itself — literally “God’s birth” | |
| Wigilia | vee-GHEEL-yah | Christmas Eve, and the supper eaten that night — the main event | |
| choinka | hoy-EEN-kah | The Christmas tree | |
| prezenty | preh-ZEN-tih | Presents | |
| Mikołaj | mee-KOH-wine | St Nicholas — who comes on 6 December, and again at Christmas | |
| kolęda | koh-LEN-dah | A Christmas carol — Poland has hundreds of its own |
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