Merry Christmas in Faroese
Gleðilig jól
Say it like this: GLEH-ah-lih YOH-ool
Big letters show the part to say louder.
Quick answer
- In Faroese, Merry Christmas is Gleðilig jól, said like GLEH-ah-lih YOH-ool.
- Happy New Year is Gott nýggjár.
- People say it in Faroe Islands, Denmark.
What Gleðilig jól means
Word for word it is 'gleðilig' (joyful) plus 'jól' (Christmas). The word jól is related to the English word Yule and comes from an old Norse midwinter feast.
Other ways to say it in Faroese
Happy New Year
Gott nýggjár
Say it like this: got NIJ-yar
good new year, word for word 'good new-year'
To write in a Christmas card
Gleðilig jól og gott nýggjár
Say it like this: GLEH-ah-lih YOH-ool og got NIJ-yar
Where people speak Faroese
Faroe IslandsDenmark
Faroese (føroyskt) belongs to the Indo-European, North Germanic (related to Icelandic and Norwegian) 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 Faroese today, then follow his trip.
Follow Rally on Christmas Eve →Christmas traditions where people speak Faroese
- Skerpikjøt, air-dried lamb: A Christmas favourite in the Faroe Islands is skerpikjøt, lamb that is dried and fermented in a wooden drying shed called a hjallur. It is cut into thin slices and served with bread or potatoes.[1]
- Kleynur and gingerbread: Faroese homes smell of baking at Christmas. Kleynur are twisted doughnuts, and families also bake gingerbread and almond treats. People enjoy them with coffee or hot drinks while friends and family gather together.[1]
- Christmas City in Tórshavn: A shopping centre in Tórshavn builds a Christmas display each year, full of elves, animals, trees and ornaments, and children love it. Many towns in the Faroe Islands also light up their streets and harbours in December.[2]
🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Faroese
Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.
Say Merry Christmas in more languages
- FinnishHyvää joulua
- CzechVeselé Vánoce
- DutchVrolijk kerstfeest
- SwedishGod jul
- LithuanianLinksmų Kalėdų
- Scottish GaelicNollaig Chridheil
- UkrainianЗ Різдвом!
- BosnianSretan Božić
Questions parents ask
How do you say Merry Christmas in Faroese?
The most common way to say Merry Christmas in Faroese is Gleðilig jól. It is pronounced "GLEH-ah-lih YOH-ool". Faroese speakers say Gleðilig jól in person and on cards. A fuller wish is Gleðilig jól og gott nýggjár, which adds good new year.[3]
How do you pronounce Merry Christmas in Faroese?
Say it like this: GLEH-ah-lih YOH-ool. The capital letters show the stressed syllable, so say that part a little louder and longer. The letter ð in Faroese is usually silent or a very soft sound, and the g at the start of gleðilig sounds like a k. In everyday speech it sounds close to KLEH-ah-lih, and jól has a long oh sound.
What does Merry Christmas mean word for word in Faroese?
Word for word it is 'gleðilig' (joyful) plus 'jól' (Christmas). The word jól is related to the English word Yule and comes from an old Norse midwinter feast. Faroese is closely related to Icelandic and Old Norse, so the word jól is also familiar from other Nordic languages.[3]
How do you write Merry Christmas in Faroese?
Write it as Gleðilig jól. Faroese uses the letters ð, ó, ø, á, í, ú and ý, and they must be kept because they change the sound. Both words are lowercase in the middle of a sentence, and Gleðilig is capitalised at the start.
How do you say Happy New Year in Faroese?
Happy New Year in Faroese is Gott nýggjár, pronounced "got NIJ-yar". It means good new year, word for word 'good new-year'. Faroese people say Gott nýggjár for the new year. It is often combined with the Christmas wish in the card greeting Gleðilig jól og gott nýggjár, where og means and.[4]
Is there a formal and a casual way to say Merry Christmas in Faroese?
Gleðilig jól is used with everyone, including friends, teachers and elders, so children do not need a separate casual form. A longer card may add wishes for peace and health. It is polite, friendly and suitable in every setting.[3]
When do people say Merry Christmas in Faroese?
Faroese people say it in December, especially in the days around Christmas, and on cards and in messages. They also say it as a goodbye before the holidays, when they will not see one another until after Christmas.[2]
Which day is the main Christmas celebration for Faroese speakers: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Faroese families celebrate across Christmas Eve, December 24, and Christmas Day, December 25, with baking, family gatherings and a traditional Christmas meal. December 26 is also a holiday, so the festive days run together. Families often visit relatives over these days, which makes the whole stretch feel like one long celebration.[1][2]
What is skerpikjøt?
A Christmas favourite in the Faroe Islands is skerpikjøt, lamb that is dried and fermented in a wooden drying shed called a hjallur. It is cut into thin slices and served with bread or potatoes. The salty sea air in the hjallur gives the meat its deep, tangy flavour.[1]
How can I teach Merry Christmas in Faroese to kids?
Teach Gleðilig jól through baking. Make simple twisted doughnuts, or play with dough, and say the greeting each time a child shapes a piece. Link jól to the English word Yule so children see that languages are connected.
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 gastronomy on the Faroe Islands, All Things Nordic
- Christmas in the Faroe Islands, Visit Faroe Islands
- Merry Christmas (translations), Wiktionary
- Happy New Year (translations), Wiktionary
