happy holidays

English

Pronunciation

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Phrase

happy holidays

1. (Canada, US, Philippines) A greeting used during the Christmas and winter holiday season to recognize the celebration of many holidays, sometimes starting with Thanksgiving and including Hanukkah, the winter solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Day.
   • 2009, Ruben Santos Claveria, Holiday Songs and Kisses: Christmas Songs And other Poems:

     In the United States people say Happy Holidays to include all people on the earth: the Jewish people Celebrating Hanukah, Africans celebrating Kwanza, Middle Eastern people celebrating Eid, Christians celebrating Christmas, […]

   • Madeleine Mayfair, What Should I Write? 101 Holiday Wishes for Greeting Cards

     Season's greetings and happy holidays!

Usage notes

• This greeting is typically used only during the winter holiday season, not at other times of the year.
• The use of Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, etc. vs Happy Holidays is disputed. Some non-Christians find it offensive to be told "Merry Christmas"; conversely, some Christians take offence at being wished "Happy Holidays". "Happy holidays" may be seen by some Christians as a shorter way of saying "merry Christmas and happy New Year" and therefore not offensive.

Translations

holiday greeting

• Albanian: gëzuar festat
• Azerbaijani: qutlu olsun, mübarək
• Catalan: bones festes
• Chinese:

  Hakka: 節日快樂 / 节日快乐 (chiet-ngit khoai-lo̍k)

  Hokkien: 節日快樂 / 节日快乐 (chiat-ji̍t khoài-lo̍k)

  Mandarin: 節日快樂 / 节日快乐 (jiérì kuàilè)

• Dutch: fijne feestdagen (nl) pl, gelukkige feestdagen pl, vrolijke feestdagen pl
• Esperanto: feliĉajn festojn
• Estonian: häid pühi
• Finnish: hyvää lomaa, hyviä pyhiä
• French: joyeuses fêtes (fr), bonnes fêtes
• Gagauz: kutlu olsun
• Galician: boas festas f pl
• German: frohe Feiertage, frohe Festtage, frohes Fest
• Greek: καλές γιορτές (el) (kalés giortés)
• Hebrew: חג שמח (chag sameach), מועדים לשמחה (moadim lesimha) (Sephardi Jews)
• Hungarian: kellemes ünnepeket
• Icelandic: gleðilega hátið
• Irish: laethanta saoire sona dhuit (singular), laethanta saoire sona daoibh (plural)
• Italian: buone feste (it) f pl
• Japanese: 楽しい休日 (tanoshī kyūjitsu)
• Korean: 해피 홀리데이 (haepi hollidei)
• Macanese: bô-festa
• Polish: Wesołych Świąt (pl)
• Portuguese: Boas Festas
• Romanian: sărbători fericite
• Russian: с праздником (s prazdnikom), счастливых праздников (sčastlivyx prazdnikov)
• Spanish: ¡Felices Fiestas!, ¡Feliz Navidad!
• Ukrainian: зі свя́том (zi svjátom)
• Urum: Allah mubarek eylesin
• Welsh: gwyliau hapus

See also

• Merry Christmas
• season's greetings