Today we will visit Africa. Christmas is not an African festival but it was adopted into many cultures after colonialism by Portugal, the Netherlands and Britain who imposed the Christian religion.
Below are 25 ways to say Merry Christmas in various African languages.
- Afrikaans (South Africa, Namibia) – Geseënde Kersfees
- Akan (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin) – Afishapa
- Amharic (Ethiopia) – Melikam Gena! (መልካም ገና!)
- Ashanti/Asante/Asante Twi (Ghana) – afehyia pa
- Chewa (Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe) – Moni Wa Chikondwelero Cha Kristmasi
- Dagbani (Ghana) – Ni ti Burunya Chou
- Edo (Nigeria) – Iselogbe
- Ewe (Ghana, Togo) – Blunya na wo
- Fula/Fulani (Niger, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Togo, Guinea, Sierra Leone) – Jabbama be salla Kirismati
- Hausa (Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Togo) – barka dà Kirsìmatì
- Ibibio (Nigeria) – Idara ukapade isua
- Igbo/Igo (Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea) – E keresimesi Oma
- Kinyarwanda (Rwanda, Uganda, DR Congo) – Noheli nziza
- Lingala (DR Congo, Rep Congo, Central African Republic, Angola) – Mbotama Malamu
- Luganda (Uganda) – Seku Kulu
- Ndebele (Zimbabwe, South Africa) – Izilokotho Ezihle Zamaholdeni
- Shona (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana) – Muve neKisimusi
- Soga/Lasoga (Uganda) – Mwisuka Sekukulu
- Somali (Somalia, Djibouti) – Kirismas Wacan
- Sotho (Lesotho, South Africa) – Le be le keresemese e monate
- Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya, DR Congo, Uganda) – Krismasi Njema / Heri ya Krismasi
- Tigrinya (Ethiopia and Eritreia) – Ruhus Beal Lidet
- Xhosa/isiXhosa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho) – Krismesi emnandi
- Yoruba (Nigeria, Benin) – E ku odun, e ku iye’dun
- Zulu (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland) – UKhisimusi omuhle