Merry Christmas in Twi (Akan)
Afehyia pa
Say it like this: ah-feh-HEE-ah PAH
Big letters show the part to say louder.
Quick answer
- In Twi (Akan), Merry Christmas is Afehyia pa, said like ah-feh-HEE-ah PAH.
- Happy New Year is Afehyia pa.
- People say it in Ghana.
What Afehyia pa means
'Afe' means year, and 'pa' means good, so it is a wish for a good year. In Ghana the one phrase greets people at both Christmas and New Year.
Twi is written in the Latin alphabet with two extra letters, ɔ and ɛ, which stand for the vowels in 'or' and 'bet'.
Other ways to say it in Twi (Akan)
Afe nkɔ mmɛto yɛn
Say it like this: ah-FEH n-kaw m-meh-TOH yehn
A reply: 'may we live to see another year'.
Happy New Year
Afehyia pa
Say it like this: ah-feh-HEE-ah PAH
Happy New Year: the same phrase serves for Christmas and New Year, and Ghanaians often say it from December 20 into January.
Where people speak Twi (Akan)
Ghana
Twi (Akan) (Twi) belongs to the Niger-Congo (Akan) language family.
Hear it from Rally on Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, Rally the corgi rides the Christmas Train around the world. He reaches Accra at about 12:50 AM local time, and kids learn to say Afehyia pa as he lands.
Watch Rally arrive in Accra →Christmas traditions where people speak Twi (Akan)
- Carolers before dawn: On Christmas Day, celebrations start before dawn when carol groups go from door to door singing, and households give them small gifts. Church services follow mid-morning with hymns in local languages.[3]
- Nativity play and Christmas Eve dinner: On Christmas Eve, families share a special dinner and then go to church, where young people often perform a nativity play. Ghanaian Christmas food includes porridge, stew or okra soup, rice and meats.[3]
- Fireworks and travel: Many people travel to their hometowns for Christmas. Fireworks, called 'knockout', are a big part of the fun, and children compete to see whose shoots highest.[2]
🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Twi (Akan)
Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.
Say Merry Christmas in more languages
- LingalaMbotama malamu
- AfrikaansGeseënde Kersfees
- Amharicመልካም ገና
- SwahiliKrismasi njema
- MalagasyArahaba tratry ny Noely
- XhosaKrismesi emnandi
- IgboEkeresimesi ọma
- Tigrinyaርሑስ በዓል ልደት
Questions parents ask
How do you say Merry Christmas in Twi?
Say 'Afehyia pa'. In Ghana this one Akan greeting wishes people both a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and it is used from about December 20 into the first week of January. You may also see it spelled 'Afehyiapa', 'Afihyiapa' or the casual 'Afishapa'.[1][3][4]
How do you pronounce Afehyia pa?
Say 'ah-feh-HEE-ah PAH'. The first part, 'afe', is two quick syllables, and 'hyia' is a soft 'h' with a short 'ee-ah'. The casual spoken form 'Afishapa' sounds like 'ah-fee-SHAH-pah'. Both are understood, and a cheerful tone matters more than a perfect accent.[1]
What does Afehyia pa mean?
'Afe' means year and 'pa' means good, so 'Afehyia pa' is a wish for a good year. It is a greeting for the end of one year and the start of another, which is why it covers Christmas and New Year together. The article says it translates as 'Merry Christmas and Happy New Year'.[1][5]
How do you write and spell it in Twi?
In Ghanaian newspapers it appears as 'Afehyiapa', 'Afehyia pa' or 'Afihyiapa', and in casual writing as 'Afishapa'. Twi uses the Latin alphabet plus ɔ and ɛ, but this greeting needs neither. A learning site writes the phrase 'Afenhyia pa'. Spelling varies, and all versions are accepted.[1][3][5]
How do you say Happy New Year in Twi?
The same greeting works: 'Afehyia pa'. Learners also use the reply 'Afe nkɔ mmɛto yɛn', which means 'may we live to see another year'. Many Ghanaians also hold an all-night church vigil on New Year's Eve, with drumming, singing and prayer, to cross over into the new year.[2][5]
Is there a formal and a casual way to say it?
'Afehyia pa' is polite enough for elders, teachers and neighbors, and it is also used casually among friends, where it may sound like 'Afishapa'. In Ghana, greeting elders first and with respect is important, so children usually say it to grandparents and neighbors before anyone else.[1]
When do people say Afehyia pa?
From around December 20 to the first week in January, when many people travel to visit relatives. On Christmas morning, people also exchange well-wishing messages. The greeting is heard everywhere in those weeks, including at church, in markets and at home.[1][2]
Is the main celebration Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Both. On Christmas Eve, families share dinner and go to church, where youth often perform a nativity pageant, and there are drums, dancing and greetings. Christmas Day begins before dawn with carolers, then a mid-morning church service and a day of feasting, visiting and dancing with family and neighbors.[3][4]
What are some Christmas traditions in Ghana?
Carolers visit homes before dawn, churches hold nativity plays, and families share a Christmas meal that often includes porridge, stew or okra soup, rice and meats. Many people travel to their hometowns, and fireworks are popular. Father Christmas is sometimes called Papa Bronya, and children picture him in sandals.[2][3][4]
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.
- Afehyiapa!, GhanaWeb
- Christmas and New Year's Eve in Ghana, Ghana Travel
- The Christmas tradition, Graphic Online
- Christmas in Ghana: How the holiday is celebrated, Yen.com.gh
- Twi Season's Greetings, Learn Akan