Merry Christmas in Yoruba
Ẹ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì
Say it like this: eh KOO oh-DOON keh-REH-see-meh-see
Big letters show the part to say louder.
Quick answer
- In Yoruba, Merry Christmas is Ẹ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì, said like eh KOO oh-DOON keh-REH-see-meh-see.
- Happy New Year is Ẹ kú ọdún tuntun.
- People say it in Nigeria, Benin, Togo.
What Ẹ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì means
'Ẹ kú' is a respectful greeting meaning well done or congratulations, 'ọdún' means year or festival, and 'Kérésìmesì' is Christmas, borrowed from English.
Yoruba is written in the Latin alphabet with dots under some letters (such as ẹ and ọ) and tone marks over vowels, because it is a tonal language.
Other ways to say it in Yoruba
Ẹ kú ọdún, ẹ kú ìyèdún
Say it like this: eh KOO oh-DOON, eh KOO ee-YEH-doon
A general festival greeting used at Christmas and other celebrations.
Happy New Year
Ẹ kú ọdún tuntun
Say it like this: eh KOO oh-DOON too-TOON
Happy New Year, roughly 'well done on the new year'
Where people speak Yoruba
NigeriaBeninTogo
Yoruba (Yorùbá) belongs to the Niger-Congo (Volta-Niger) language family.
Hear it from Rally on Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, Rally the corgi rides the Christmas Train around the world. He reaches Lagos at about 12:45 AM local time, and kids learn to say Ẹ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì as he lands.
Watch Rally arrive in Lagos →Christmas traditions where people speak Yoruba
- Going back to the village: Families who live in cities often travel to the villages where their grandparents and older relatives live. Christmas is a family event, and many relatives gather.[2]
- Carolers at the door: A church choir may visit congregation members at home to sing Christmas carols. Many families also hold parties on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas morning they go to church to give thanks.[2]
- The Christmas feast: Meals may include pounded yam, jollof rice, fried rice, salad and a stew, with beef, goat, ram or chicken. Children enjoy firecrackers, new clothes and Christmas cards.[2]
🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Yoruba
Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.
Say Merry Christmas in more languages
- Twi (Akan)Afehyia pa
- MalagasyArahaba tratry ny Noely
- AfrikaansGeseënde Kersfees
- ZuluUkhisimusi omuhle
- IgboEkeresimesi ọma
- HausaBarka da Kirsimati
- XhosaKrismesi emnandi
- Tigrinyaርሑስ በዓል ልደት
Questions parents ask
How do you say Merry Christmas in Yoruba?
One standard form is 'Ẹ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì', roughly 'well done on the Christmas festival'. Wiktionary also lists the shorter 'kú ọdún' and the general festival greeting 'ẹ kú ọdún, ẹ kú ìyèdún', which is used at Christmas too. Many Yoruba speakers also say the English 'Merry Christmas' freely.[4][3]
How do you pronounce Ẹ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì?
Say 'eh KOO oh-DOON keh-REH-see-meh-see'. The dotted ẹ sounds like the e in bet, and ọ sounds like the o in or. Yoruba is tonal, so pitch changes the meaning of a word. The accent marks show high and low tones, and a recording from a native speaker is the best guide.[4]
What does Ẹ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì mean?
'Ẹ kú' is a Yoruba greeting that means congratulations or well done, used for many occasions. 'Ọdún' means year or festival, and 'Kérésìmesì' is Christmas, borrowed from English. Together the phrase greets someone on the Christmas festival. The shorter 'Ẹ kú ọdún' is a general festival greeting.[4]
How do you write and spell it in Yoruba?
Yoruba uses the Latin alphabet with dots under e, o and s (ẹ, ọ, ṣ) and tone marks above vowels. The full spelling is Ẹ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì. Many people drop the marks when typing, writing 'E ku odun Keresimesi', and are still understood, but the marked form is better for lessons and cards.[4]
How do you say Happy New Year in Yoruba?
One New Year greeting is 'Ẹ kú ọdún tuntun'. 'Ọdún' means year or festival and 'tuntun' means new. The same pattern as the Christmas wish is used, so children can swap the last word. The traditional Yoruba calendar counts its new year separately from January 1.[5]
Is there a formal and a casual way to say it?
The 'Ẹ' at the start is a polite, respectful form, used for elders, groups and strangers. Among friends of the same age, people may shorten it to 'O ku' for one person, but 'Ẹ ku' is the safe choice with a family, teachers or a mixed group of people.[1]
When do people say it in Nigeria?
On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and through the holiday season. Christmas is a major festival for Nigeria's many Christians, and families travel, cook, and go to church. Yoruba speakers also use English 'Merry Christmas' freely. The festival greeting 'Ẹ ku ọdún' is shared with neighbors of any faith.[2][3]
Is the main celebration Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Both are important. Many families hold parties that last all night on Christmas Eve, which is when the main celebrations take place. On Christmas morning, families go to church to give thanks to God, then enjoy a big meal with relatives, and often visit friends.[2]
What are some Christmas traditions in Nigeria?
Homes and streets are decorated, and most homes have an artificial tree. A church choir may visit members at home to sing carols. Families cook pounded yam, jollof rice, stew and meat. Children like firecrackers, and cards and presents are exchanged among family members.[2]
How can I teach Ẹ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì to kids?
Break the phrase into parts and clap: Ẹ-kú, ọ-dún, Ké-ré-sì-me-sì. Let children raise their voice slightly on the syllables with an acute accent, as in Yoruba tonal speech. Show how the dots under the letters change the sound, and practice by making a Christmas card for a friend.[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.
- Useful Yoruba phrases, Omniglot
- Christmas in Nigeria, WhyChristmas.com
- Here are 25 African ways of saying Merry Christmas, Face2Face Africa
- merry Christmas (translations), Wiktionary
- "E ku odun, eku odun tuntun", Iyabo (Substack)
