Merry Christmas in Belarusian
З Калядамі
Z Kaliadami
Say it like this: z kah-LYAH-dah-mee
Big letters show the part to say louder.
Quick answer
- In Belarusian, Merry Christmas is З Калядамі (Z Kaliadami), said like z kah-LYAH-dah-mee.
- Happy New Year is З Новым годам (Z Novym hodam).
- People say it in Belarus, Poland (Podlasie), Russia, Lithuania and more.
What Z Kaliadami means
Word for word it is 'з' (z, with) plus 'Калядамі' (Kaliadami, Christmas time). Kaliady is the Belarusian name for the whole winter holiday season, from Christmas to New Year, so the greeting means 'with Kaliady'.
Belarusian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, with special letters such as і and ў.
Other ways to say it in Belarusian
З Нараджэннем Хрыстовым
Z Naradžennem Chrystovym
Say it like this: z nah-rah-JEH-nyem khris-TOH-vim
Means 'with the birth of Christ'. A more religious and formal greeting.
Happy New Year
З Новым годам
Z Novym hodam
Say it like this: z NOH-vim HOH-dam
with the new year, a happy new year
Where people speak Belarusian
BelarusPoland (Podlasie)RussiaLithuaniaLatviaUkraine
Belarusian (беларуская (bielaruskaja)) belongs to the Indo-European, East Slavic language family.
Say it with Rally on Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, Rally the corgi rides the Christmas Train to more than 100 places and teaches kids how to say Merry Christmas at every stop. Practice Belarusian today, then follow his trip.
Follow Rally on Christmas Eve →Christmas traditions where people speak Belarusian
- Kaliady, the winter season: Kaliady is the Belarusian name for the whole season from Christmas to New Year. It starts with Christmas on December 25 for Catholics and Protestants and ends with Orthodox Christmas on January 7, with New Year in between.[1]
- The Kućcia meals: There are three special meals called Kućcia during Kaliady. The Orthodox Christmas Eve meal has 12 dishes with no meat, including kućcia porridge, pancakes, fish and mushrooms, and sometimes straw under the tablecloth.[1]
- Dzied Maroz at New Year: Gifts are often put under the New Year tree and opened on New Year's Eve. Dzied Maroz, Father Frost, brings presents to children, often with his granddaughter Snegurochka, and some children also get a visit from Sviaty Mikalaj.[1]
🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Belarusian
Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.
Say Merry Christmas in more languages
- WelshNadolig Llawen
- Scottish GaelicNollaig Chridheil
- DanishGlædelig jul
- UkrainianЗ Різдвом!
- EsperantoFeliĉan Kristnaskon
- HungarianBoldog karácsonyt
- LatinFelix dies Nativitatis
- BosnianSretan Božić
Questions parents ask
How do you say Merry Christmas in Belarusian?
The most common way to say Merry Christmas in Belarusian is З Калядамі (Z Kaliadami). It is pronounced "z kah-LYAH-dah-mee". Belarusians say З Калядамі to cover the whole Christmas and New Year season. Many also say З Нараджэннем Хрыстовым, meaning with the birth of Christ, as a religious greeting.[2][1]
How do you pronounce Merry Christmas in Belarusian?
Say it like this: z kah-LYAH-dah-mee. The capital letters show the stressed syllable, so say that part a little louder and longer. The letters ля sound like lya. Stress falls on the second syllable of Калядамі, so say kah-LYAH-dah-mee, with a strong middle part.
What does Merry Christmas mean word for word in Belarusian?
Word for word it is 'з' (z, with) plus 'Калядамі' (Kaliadami, Christmas time). Kaliady is the Belarusian name for the whole winter holiday season, from Christmas to New Year, so the greeting means 'with Kaliady'. It wishes you a good holiday season rather than a single day.[1]
How do you write Merry Christmas in Belarusian?
Write it in Cyrillic as З Калядамі, which in Latin letters is Z Kaliadami. Belarusian uses the letters і and ў, which Russian does not. Write З as a separate short word, and capitalise it at the start of a sentence or card.
How do you say Happy New Year in Belarusian?
Happy New Year in Belarusian is З Новым годам (Z Novym hodam), pronounced "z NOH-vim HOH-dam". It literally means 'with the new year'. New Year is a major family holiday in Belarus, with a decorated tree, a festive dinner and gifts on New Year's Eve.[3][1]
Is there a formal and a casual way to say Merry Christmas in Belarusian?
З Калядамі is friendly and warm for everyone. З Нараджэннем Хрыстовым is more religious and formal, and is used among Orthodox Christians, in church and with older people. Children can safely start with the shorter greeting and learn the longer one later.[2]
When do people say Merry Christmas in Belarusian?
Belarusians say it from December 25 up to January 7, since the season runs between the two Christmases. Belarus marks both dates as public holidays, so the greeting is heard in both December and January, especially around January 6 and 7 for Orthodox families.[1]
Which day is the main Christmas celebration for Belarusian speakers: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Orthodox Christmas Eve is January 6 and Christmas Day is January 7, which is the date most people in Belarus celebrate. Catholics and Protestants celebrate on December 25. The New Year is in the middle, and it is often the bigger family party.[1]
What is Kaliady in Belarus?
Kaliady is the Belarusian name for the whole season from Christmas to New Year. It starts with Christmas on December 25 for Catholics and Protestants and ends with Orthodox Christmas on January 7, with New Year in between. In the past, people dressed up and went round singing songs, which was also called Kaliady, and a few villages still do it.[1]
How can I teach Merry Christmas in Belarusian to kids?
Teach З Калядамі through the idea of a long season. Draw a timeline from December 25 to January 7 with the New Year in the middle, and have children put a star on each date as they say the greeting. Cyrillic letters can be matched to sounds.
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.
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We check every greeting against dictionaries, language institutes and cultural sources.
- Christmas in Belarus, WhyChristmas.com
- Merry Christmas (translations), Wiktionary
- Happy New Year (translations), Wiktionary