How to Say Merry Christmas in Romanian (and Happy New Year)

If you’re going to spend the Winter holidays in Romania, maybe you’d like to impress your friends or locals with your knowledge of the Romanian language (no, swearing doesn’t count!)

Today, I am here to help you learn how to say Merry Christmas in Romanian, wish somebody a Happy New Year, and other winter-themed words and greetings.

I did a similar article in the past when I taught you how to say I love you in Romanian as well as how to greet in Romanian language and finally – how to say Happy Easter in Romanian.

Now, getting to today’s topic, let’s learn some winter greetings and other holiday-related words in Romanian!

How to say “Merry Christmas” in Romanian

How to Say Merry Christmas in Romanian
Read below for full pronunciation tips & alternatives

This is how you say “Merry Christmas” in the Romanian language: “Crăciun Fericit!

Don’t get scared of the strange letter there! It’s easier to pronounce it than you might think.

It’s true, it might be a tongue twister for most foreigners, but don’t worry about getting it perfectly. Romanians will appreciate you trying and still understand what you’re saying.

What about the pronunciation? It’s something like “crah-choon feh-re-cheet.” Oh yes!

If somebody wishes you “Craciun Fericit” and you want to say “Merry Christmas to you too”, that would be “Craciun fericit si tie” (crah-choon feh-re-cheet she Tsee-eh). Although just saying “Craciun Fericit” would work as well and would be a lot easier for you.

If you’re a fan of winter sports, make sure to also check out my article sharing the Best Ski Resorts in Romania.

How to say “Happy New Year” in Romanian

Happy New Year in Romanian
Read below for full pronunciation tips & alternatives

To wish a Romanian a Happy New Year, you must say: Un an nou fericit! This one’s longer, but probably easier to pronounce. Here’s how to say it: Oon Ahn No Feh-re-cheet.

You can also follow it with a greeting that’s normally used during one’s birthday: La multi ani! (which literally translates to “Many years to you”!). Here is how to say it: Lah Mool-ts Ah-nee.

So if you want to really impress your Romanian friends, you can say: Un an nou fericit si la multi ani! The same goes if you want to go for another tongue-twisting swirl.

If you want to keep things a bit more neutral and not jump into the Christmas spirit, you can always say “Sărbători fericite” which means “Happy holidays“. Here is how to pronounce it: Suhr-buh-toh-ree Feh-ree-chee-teh.

Unlike in other places where such a wish is made to ensure nobody is offended (for example, if they don’t celebrate Christmas), this greeting actually covers the whole set of winter holidays.

You won’t meet many Romanians who don’t celebrate Christmas, and even fewer (if any) might get offended if you wish them a Merry Christmas, so you don’t have to go with the potentially more difficult “Sarbatori fericite.” But it’s good to have options.

Speaking of options, the Christmas market scene is growing tremendously here, so make sure to check out as many as possible. My article about the best Christmas markets in Romania will come in handy.

Here are some more winter and holiday-related words in Romanian, in case you want to impress your friends with your knowledge:

snow: zapada
It’s snowing: ninge
Santa Claus: Mos Craciun
Mulled Wine: Vin fiert (can’t have a winter without it)
I’m getting tipsy: Ma ametesc (just in case)
I’m cold: Imi este frig
I’m happy: Sunt fericit
Christmas: Craciun (I’m sure you had this figured out already)
I love Christmas: Iubesc Craciunul
Christmas carols: Colinde de Craciun
Christmas tree: Brad de Craciun

And this would be it in terms of Christmasy-words. Did I miss any? Let me know in the comment section below and I’ll gladly translate them for you.

And, of course, Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year! Yes, Romania is not yet part of the “politically correct” revolution and we wish everybody a merry Christmas, not happy winter holidays or anything like that.

Santa Claus visiting our apartment a few years ago for a very “Craciun Fericit”

Some things to know about Christmas in Romania (what gifts to bring)

Christmas is kind of a big deal in Romania, so you’re usually expected to bring gifts to family members and your loved ones, but also close friends and even colleagues at work.

For the latter, don’t go overboard: just get something symbolic, and not expensive. For family and loved ones… well… the gifts are usually more substantial since Christmas is, in Romania as in many other parts of the world, the biggest holiday of the year.

Santa Claus usually arrives on the 24th in the evening (before kids go to bed), but in some cases, if the family accepts it, the gifts can be found on the 25th in the morning, under the Christmas tree, US-style.

We don’t have the tradition of giving Christmas cards (although nobody is upset if they receive one), nor to leave milk and cookies for Santa.

Also, the Christmas stockings are not a tradition here in Romania, so expect most gifts to come in boxes or bags and the stockings to be found… nowhere.

Romanian Christmas Greetings

All in all, it doesn’t really matter how you celebrate Christmas and enjoy the winter holidays as long as you do. It’s easy to adapt and most important is, in my opinion, to welcome them all with an open heart.

You can read more about Romania’s traditions here, or remain winter-focused and learn what to expect from Romania during the winter season.

And now you can even make an impression as you know how to say Merry Christmas in Romanian, as well as how to wish somebody A Happy New Year in Romanian!

If there are any other words you need help with, let me know and I will tell you how to say it!

Calin
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6 thoughts on “How to Say Merry Christmas in Romanian (and Happy New Year)”

  1. Calin, you sound very upbeat and festive for the holidays. Hope you and your family have a wonderful season. Craciun Fericit si un an nou fericit!

    (How’d I do?)

    Reply
  2. Been hitting the vin fiert a little early, have we? Le doresc tuturor Craciun fericit, un an nou fericit si la multi ani!

    – Santa Claus: Mos Craciun – Yep, that’s what I told everyone who wanted a hand-out: “Nu sunt Mos Craciun!” – I’m not Santa Claus!

    Reply
    • Haha, just saw that I wrote “mullet wine” instead of “mulled wine”. Oh, well… these things happen :))

      And nice approach with the “I’m not Santa” thing. Still has to be used, unfortunately.

      Reply
  3. Craciun Fericit si un an nou fericit, C!

    I’ve just found your wonderful blog recently, and it has helped me learn a lot about Romania. Thank you!

    I have this dream of celebrating Christmas in Europe where people really do Christmas (I’m from Thailand, you see.) and now I’m thinking about doing that in Romania. Would it be worth fighting with the cold and snow and everything?

    We don’t have proper winter here and people start shivering at 20c degree so when I read somewhere on the internet that your winter is around 2c or lower degree I couldn’t even imagine how cold would that be. I’ve travelled around quite a bit but the coldest I have ever been was about 9c degree only. How would you dress to get warm and don’t stand out or look like a tourist?

    Happy new year to you and your family! I’m looking forward to your next entry

    Reply
    • Hello Anne,

      Thank you for the nice wishes! Happy New Year!

      Regarding your questions, I have to say that until today, it was uncommonly warm and in many places in Romania (like my city near the Danube), it didn’t snow yet. But there were days with temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius, so definitely cold by your standards (and mine, to be honest). But if you want snow and go to a mountain resort for example, you will have plenty of that and cold weather too.

      Regarding what to wear, you will definitely have to buy dedicated clothes for the occasion, including a solid jacket and winter pants and most likely a hat and scarf to put around your neck. You will have to dress in layers – if it somehow gets too hot, you can take one or more down – for example, when you get inside a restaurant or something, where it is much warmer than inside. Supermarkets for example keep a temperature inside of over 20 degrees, and it’s quite a shock when you get in, wearing tons of clothes 🙂

      You won’t stand out – this is how people dress for the winter and even though you will undoubtedly see some brave ones sporting a thin jacket and sneakers, many others will look like they came from a Polar expedition. Each person feels the cold differently (I overdress, for example, because I don’t like it), so it wouldn’t be a problem. Just make the plans in advance and take the leap. The worst that can happen is you needing a bit more clothes than you anticipated 🙂

      Reply

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