How To Say Merry Christmas in Latin: 5 Easy Ways
Do you want to send Christmas greetings in Latin, but you aren’t sure what the proper Latin translation is? Here is your ultimate guide to wishing your loved ones a merry Christmas in Latin!
I go into lots of details and discuss different options below, but if you are looking for a quick answer, here you go:
Felicem Nativitatem is a short and sweet way of saying “Merry Christmas” in Latin. You can use it in any context, whether you are writing a Christmas card or sending a quick text message.
Keep reading if you would like to explore other possible Latin translations or if you would like to customize your Christmas greetings!
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5 Ways to Say Merry Christmas in Latin
The literal meaning of the Latin phrase given above is “Happy birth”. After all, that’s what Christmas commemorates: the birth of Jesus Christ.
In English, the word “Christmas” obscures the holiday’s religious origin somewhat. But if we look at modern Romance languages such as Spanish, Italian, and French, we notice a trend: they all use a word that means “birthday” for the holiday.
We find navidad (Spanish), natale (Italian), natal (Portuguese), and noël (French). All of these words ultimately derive from the Latin verb nāscor, nāscī, nātus sum “be born”.
It’s not surprising, then, that the various ways of wishing someone a happy Christmas in Latin revolve around the idea of birth.
Let’s look at the top options one by one.
1. Felicem Nativitatem
As I mentioned above, fēlīcem nātīvitātem literally means “happy birth”. It is my preferred Latin version of “Merry Christmas” because the word Nātīvitās has been used to mean “Christmas” for centuries (more about this below).
Nātīvitās is a Latin noun meaning “birth” or “origin”. In theory it can refer to anyone’s birth, but over the years it has come to be associated primarily with the birth of Jesus Christ. This is, after all, the most important birth according to the Christian tradition.
If you want to be super specific, though, you can add Chrīstī “of Christ” at the end of the wish.
Many people celebrate Christmas by putting up a “nativity”, that is, a display showing Jesus, Mary, and Joseph with the animals in a stable. This English term should help you remember this Latin word for “Christmas”.
Latin students will notice that the phrase is in the accusative case. This is because it is the direct object of the implied act of wishing.
The full sentence would be fēlīcem nātivitātem (Chrīstī) tibi exoptō, “I wish you a happy birth (of Christ)”.
2. Felicem Nativitatem Domini
The expression Fēlīcem Nātīvitātem Dominī literally means “Happy nativity of the Lord”. Nātīvitās Dominī is the accepted way of saying “Christmas” in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.
In the traditional Latin rite, dating back centuries, the heading for Christmas masses is In nātīvitāte Dominī, “On the nativity of the Lord”. See, for instance, page 17 of the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal.
Dominus – an ancient Roman word primarily referring to the owner of enslaved people and, later, to the emperor – became a common title for Jesus Christ in the Christian era. It also appears in the expression annō Dominī.
3. Felicem diem Nativitatis
Fēlīcem diem Nātīvitātis means “happy day of the Nativity”. As you can see, it is quite similar to the previous two ways of wishing a merry Christmas in Latin.
Note: again, we use the accusative case due to the implied act of wishing.
4. Felicem (diem) natalem Christi
This is another great way to express Christmas greetings in Latin. Here, instead of nātīvitās, we find diēs nātālis (or nātālis for short), the Latin word for “birthday”.
In fact, fēlīcem (diem) nātālem Chrīstī literally means “happy birthday of Christ”. If you use this version, make sure you include Chrīstī. Otherwise, it will sound like you are wishing someone happy birthday instead of merry Christmas.
5. Felix Nativitas
This Latin translation of “Merry Christmas” is very close to the Spanish Feliz Navidad, which may be why it appeals to many people. The literal meaning is “Happy birth” or “Happy nativity”.
From a grammatical perspective, fēlīx nātīvitās works differently than the first four versions of Christmas wishes. It is short for fēlīx sit (tibi) nātīvitās, “may the nativity be happy (for you)”.
Sit is the present subjunctive of the irregular verb sum (to be). This is an optative subjunctive, i.e., one that expresses a wish.
Customizing Your Latin Christmas Greetings
Now you know five ways of saying “Merry Christmas” in Latin. But what if you want to add a personal element?
This is easiest to do with versions #1-4. You start with your preferred version of “Merry Christmas” and then add one of the following conclusions.
- . . . tibi optō = I wish you (singular) . . .
- . . . vōbīs optō = I wish you (plural) . . .
- . . . tibi optāmus = we wish you (singular) . . .
- . . . vōbīs optāmus = we wish you (plural) . . .
If you are sending a Christmas card to a couple, you would write: Felicem Nativitatem vobis opto, “I wish y’all a merry Christmas.” Vōbīs is the dative of vōs, the plural form of “you”.
Or, if you and your family are sending an email to a friend, you would write: Felicem Nativitatem tibi optamus, “We wish you a merry Christmas.” This time, you should use tibi, the singular form of “you”, since you are writing to one person.
You can also add names to personalize your Christmas wishes further. Let’s say that my friend Lavinia and I are writing a message to our teacher. I could put, Ego et Lavinia felicem Nativitatem tibi optamus, “Lavinia and I wish you a merry Christmas.”
In Latin, the object comes before the verb. This is why optāmus goes at the end, after fēlīcem Nātīvitātem.
Note that I sometimes use macrons (the little lines over the letters) to indicate which vowels are long. You do not need to use macrons if you are writing a Christmas card or something similar, since macrons are a pronunciation aid.
Christmas Gifts for Lovers of Latin
It’s the season for gift-giving, and if you are looking for a fun “ancient” present for someone in your life, I have two exciting suggestions.
(If my family or friends are reading this – hint hint!)
Merels: An Ancient Roman Strategy Game
If you know someone who enjoys board games, then merels – also called Nine Men’s Morris – is an excellent gift!
The Roman poet Ovid talks about this strategy game in one of his poems (Ars Amatoria 3.365-366). He notes that the goal is to get three pieces lined up in a row.
Ancient Romans enjoyed this game and even carved merels boards into buildings. So take a step into the past and gift a game that has been bringing joy for over 2000 years!
Illustrated Book of Latin Sayings
Do you have a friend or relative who is fond of Latin phrases? Then I have a fantastic recommendation: a new book entitled Et Cetera: An Illustrated Guide to Latin Phrases.
I recently found out about this book and I have been so impressed by the sample I have read. The phrases range from common to obscure and author Maia Lee-Chin offers fun facts commentary on their original context.
Not to mention the beautiful illustrations by Marta Bertello. I am positively in love, and in fact, when my mom asked what book I wanted for Christmas, this was at the top of my list!
👉 Check prices on Amazon or Bookshop!
Conclusion: Bonus Christmas Vocabulary!
Now you should be all set for Christmas this year. You have a variety of Latin phrases to choose from as you send season’s greetings to your loved ones.
Here is some more Christmas-themed Latin vocabulary that might be useful! Or, if not useful, at least fun to know. 🙂
- vigilia Nātīvitātis = Christmas Eve
- fēlīcem vigiliam Nātīvitātis = happy Christmas Eve
- Pater Nātālis = Father Christmas
- Sānctus Nīcolāus = Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas)
- tarandrus = reindeer
If you are already thinking ahead to the next holiday, then you will appreciate my post on how to say Happy New Year in Latin.
Sending Christmas and New Year’s wishes in Latin may be rare these days, but the Latin language is still very much alive. I guarantee that you have used lots of Latin in your everyday life (even if you don’t realize it). See how many of these common Latin abbreviations are familiar to you!
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