Merry Christmas in Amharic
መልካም ገና
Melkam Genna
Say it like this: mel-KAHM GEH-nah
Big letters show the part to say louder.
Quick answer
- In Amharic, Merry Christmas is መልካም ገና (Melkam Genna), said like mel-KAHM GEH-nah.
- Happy New Year is መልካም አዲስ ዓመት (Melkam Addis Amet).
- People say it in Ethiopia.
What Melkam Genna means
'Melkam' means good or lovely, and 'Genna' is the Ethiopian name for Christmas.
Amharic is written in the Ge'ez script, in which each symbol stands for a consonant plus a vowel, and it reads left to right.
Other ways to say it in Amharic
Happy New Year
መልካም አዲስ ዓመት
Melkam Addis Amet
Say it like this: mel-KAHM ah-DEES AH-met
Happy New Year: 'addis' means new and 'amet' means year. Ethiopia's own New Year, Enkutatash, falls in September.
To write in a Christmas card
መልካም ገና እና መልካም አዲስ ዓመት
Melkam Genna ena Melkam Addis Amet
Say it like this: mel-KAHM GEH-nah EH-nah mel-KAHM ah-DEES AH-met
Where people speak Amharic
Ethiopia
Amharic (አማርኛ) belongs to the Afro-Asiatic (Semitic) language family.
Hear it from Rally on Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, Rally the corgi rides the Christmas Train around the world. He reaches Addis Ababa at about 12:12 AM local time, and kids learn to say መልካም ገና as he lands.
Watch Rally arrive in Addis Ababa →Christmas traditions where people speak Amharic
- The game of Genna: Boys and men play a hockey-like game with a curved stick and a round wooden ball. The game is also called genna, and it is played on Christmas Day.[1][2]
- White clothes: People dress in white for Genna, often wearing the netela, a thin white cotton cloth with colored stripes at the ends, draped like a shawl.[1][2]
- The long church service: The Christmas Eve service starts around 6 p.m. and goes until about 3 a.m. Worshippers hold candles and walk around the church three times. Afterward, families eat wat stew with injera.[1][2]
🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Amharic
Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.
Say Merry Christmas in more languages
- HausaBarka da Kirsimati
- MalagasyArahaba tratry ny Noely
- KinyarwandaNoheli nziza
- Tigrinyaርሑስ በዓል ልደት
- ZuluUkhisimusi omuhle
- IgboEkeresimesi ọma
- SwahiliKrismasi njema
- YorubaẸ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì
Questions parents ask
How do you say Merry Christmas in Amharic?
Say መልካም ገና, 'Melkam Genna'. It is the usual greeting in Ethiopia, where Christmas is called Genna (or Gena). It is written and spoken the same way for cards, texts and conversation. Remember that Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate on January 7, so people say it then, not in December.[1][3]
How do you pronounce Melkam Genna?
Say 'mel-KAHM GEH-nah'. The first word has two beats, 'mel-KAHM', with a clear 'l' and a long 'a'. In 'Genna' the double 'n' means you hold the sound slightly longer, and the stress is on the first syllable. Spellings in English vary, such as 'Melkam Gena', 'Melikam Gena' or 'Melkam Genna'.[3]
What does Melkam Genna mean?
'Melkam' means good, lovely or nice, and 'Genna' is the Ethiopian name for Christmas. So 'Melkam Genna' is simply 'Merry Christmas' or 'Good Christmas'. The same word 'melkam' also opens the New Year greeting, 'Melkam Addis Amet', so learning one word helps with two greetings.[3]
How do you write and spell it in Amharic?
Amharic uses the Ge'ez script, in which each symbol is a consonant plus a vowel: መልካም ገና. It reads from left to right. In English letters, people write 'Melkam Genna' or 'Melkam Gena'; both are used, and neither is wrong, since there is no single standard way to romanize Amharic.[3]
How do you say Happy New Year in Amharic?
Say መልካም አዲስ ዓመት, 'Melkam Addis Amet', pronounced 'mel-KAHM ah-DEES AH-met'. 'Addis' means new and 'amet' means year. Ethiopia's own New Year, Enkutatash, is in September, so this phrase is mostly used then. On a card you may write 'Melkam Genna ena Melkam Addis Amet'.[6][4]
Is there a formal and a casual way to say it?
'Melkam Genna' suits everyone, from friends and classmates to teachers and elders. Amharic has polite and casual forms of 'you', but this greeting stays the same for both, so a child can use it with anyone. Remember to say it around January 7, when Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas falls, rather than in December.[3]
When do people say Melkam Genna?
Say it on and just before January 7, which is Christmas Day for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, who follow the Julian calendar. Many people fast for about six weeks before Christmas, so the greeting also celebrates the end of the fast, which is broken with a festive meal after the long church service.[1][2]
Is the main celebration Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Both. The Christmas Eve service, on January 6, begins around 6 p.m. and lasts until about 3 a.m. on Christmas morning, and most people also go to church on January 7. Genna is a reflective holiday focused on church, a shared meal and games. Gifts are usually small.[1][2]
What are some Ethiopian Christmas traditions?
People wear white, often a netela shawl, and go to church. Boys play the hockey-like game called genna. After the fast, families eat wat, a thick spicy stew, with injera flatbread. Gifts are modest. Timkat, which honors the baptism of Jesus, follows on January 19, so the festive season continues for almost two more weeks.[1][2][3]
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor by Leslie Dunn. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonSources
We check every greeting against dictionaries, language institutes and cultural sources.
- Christmas in Ethiopia, WhyChristmas.com
- Genna: An Ethiopian Christmas Celebrated on January 7th, Talk Africana
- Melkam Genna (Merry Christmas), Lojs.org
- Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in Languages, RF Cafe
- merry Christmas, Wiktionary
- happy New Year, Wiktionary
