Merry Christmas in Czech
Veselé Vánoce
Say it like this: VEH-seh-leh VAH-noh-tseh
Big letters show the part to say louder.
Quick answer
- In Czech, Merry Christmas is Veselé Vánoce, said like VEH-seh-leh VAH-noh-tseh.
- Happy New Year is Šťastný nový rok.
- People say it in Czech Republic.
What Veselé Vánoce means
'Veselé' means merry or cheerful and 'Vánoce' means Christmas, so it is 'Merry Christmas'.
Other ways to say it in Czech
Happy New Year
Šťastný nový rok
Say it like this: SHTYAHST-nee NOH-vee rok
Happy New Year (literally "happy new year")
To write in a Christmas card
Veselé Vánoce a šťastný nový rok
Say it like this: VEH-seh-leh VAH-noh-tseh ah SHTYAHST-nee NOH-vee rok
Where people speak Czech
Czech Republic
Czech (Čeština) belongs to the Slavic (Indo-European) 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 Czech today, then follow his trip.
Follow Rally on Christmas Eve →Christmas traditions where people speak Czech
- Carp for Christmas dinner: The Czech Christmas Eve dinner often features fish soup made with carp and fried carp with potato salad. The meal is eaten on the evening of December 24, called Štědrý den, the Generous Day.[3]
- Ježíšek brings the gifts: Czech children get presents from Ježíšek, Little Jesus, during Christmas Eve dinner. When a bell rings, the children hurry to the tree and find the gifts that Ježíšek left, then open them right away.[3]
- Saint Nicholas on December 5: On the evening of December 5, children watch for Saint Nicholas, called Mikuláš. He comes with an angel and a devil, asks if children have been good, and gives sweets and fruit, with coal for naughty ones.[3]
🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Czech
Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.
Say Merry Christmas in more languages
- PolishWesołych Świąt
- RussianС Рождеством!
- UkrainianЗ Різдвом!
- GalicianBo Nadal
- NorwegianGod jul
- RomanianCrăciun fericit
- CroatianSretan Božić
- SerbianСрећан Божић
Questions parents ask
How do you say Merry Christmas in Czech?
The Czech way to say Merry Christmas is "Veselé Vánoce" (VEH-seh-leh VAH-noh-tseh). It is used in the Czech Republic and by Czech speakers everywhere. Cards often continue with "a šťastný nový rok", which wishes a Happy New Year as well. It is a cheerful, simple phrase for children to learn.[1][2]
How do you pronounce Veselé Vánoce?
Say "VEH-seh-leh VAH-noh-tseh". The stress in Czech is always on the first syllable of each word. The á in Vánoce is a long ah sound, and the c sounds like ts, as in cats. The é in Veselé is a long eh sound.[1]
What does Veselé Vánoce mean?
Veselé means merry or cheerful, and Vánoce means Christmas, so the phrase is Merry Christmas. The word Vánoce is plural in Czech and is used only for the holiday. It is thought to come from an old German word meaning holy nights, like German Weihnachten.[1]
How do you write Veselé Vánoce?
Write it as Veselé Vánoce. Czech uses accent marks, called čárka, on long vowels: é in Veselé and á in Vánoce. Vánoce is always capitalized as a holiday name, while Veselé is capitalized only at the start of a greeting. Czech also has a háček, as in Šťastný, which changes the sound of letters like s and t.[1]
How do you say Happy New Year in Czech?
Say "Šťastný nový rok" (SHTYAHST-nee NOH-vee rok), meaning happy new year. The š is an sh sound, and ť is a soft t. Cards often read "Veselé Vánoce a šťastný nový rok". Czechs also say "Šťastný nový rok" just after midnight on New Year's Eve.[2]
Is there a formal way to say Merry Christmas in Czech?
Veselé Vánoce is polite for everyone. For a more formal card, you can write "Přeji vám veselé Vánoce", which means I wish you a Merry Christmas, using the polite vám for you. With friends and children, the short greeting is best.[1]
When do people say Veselé Vánoce in the Czech Republic?
People say it in the last days before December 24 and on Christmas Eve, called Štědrý den. They also say it on December 25 and 26, which are public holidays. Before that, on December 5, children and families greet Saint Nicholas, who is a separate event.[3]
Is Christmas Eve or Christmas Day the main celebration in the Czech Republic?
Christmas Eve, Štědrý den, December 24, is the main celebration. Families eat dinner, often carp and potato salad, and Ježíšek leaves presents under the tree during the meal. The children open the presents right after dinner. December 25 and 26 are for visits.[3]
What is a popular Christmas tradition in the Czech Republic?
Many Czech families eat fish soup and fried carp with potato salad on Christmas Eve. Some fast during the day, hoping to see a golden pig on the wall, a sign of good luck. After dinner, families cut apples to see if the seeds form a star.[3]
How can I teach kids to say Veselé Vánoce?
Say it in four parts and clap: ve-se-lé Vá-no-ce. Remember that the stress is always on the first syllable of each word. Kids enjoy the ts sound in the c. Make a card, cut an apple across the middle to look for the star, and write Veselé Vánoce on the card.[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.
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We check every greeting against dictionaries, language institutes and cultural sources.
- merry Christmas (translations), Wiktionary
- happy New Year (translations), Wiktionary
- Christmas in Czechia / Czech Republic, WhyChristmas.com
