с праздником
s prazdnikom[ˈs‿prazʲnʲɪkəm]
The English phrase "happy holidays" can be translated into Russian as с праздником (s prazdnikom) or счастливых праздников.
Meaning: holiday greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| с праздником | s prazdnikom | [ˈs‿prazʲnʲɪkəm] (narrow) |
| счастливых праздников | sčastlivyx prazdnikov |
The phrase с праздником is the most natural and frequent way to say "Happy [Holiday]!" in Russian. You can also use the expression С прошедшими праздниками! to mean "Happy holidays that have passed!" If you are greeting someone for both the New Year and Christmas, you can add и Рождеством! to your New Year greeting to say "and Christmas."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase с праздником literally translates to "with holiday".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form счастливых праздников uses the genitive plural to express a wish for "happy holidays".
How do you pronounce it?
s prazdnikom
Did you know?
- If someone greets you with с праздником on a random Tuesday, they might be congratulating you on a personal 'name day' rather than a public holiday.
- In Russia, the most important 'holiday' is actually New Year's Eve, not Christmas. Because of this, the greeting с праздником is most commonly used to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
- In Russia, it is culturally acceptable to continue saying С прошедшими праздниками! (Happy past holidays!) for several days or even weeks after the actual date has passed.
Examples in context
- Счастливых праздников.Happy holidays.This sentence is useful for expressing the sentiment of "Happy holidays."Tatoeba #3800102 by odexed, translation #2044389 by CK
- С праздником вас, дорогие друзья!S prazdnikom vas, dorogiye druz'ya!Happy holidays to you, dear friends!
- Поздравляю и еще раз с праздником!Pozdravlyayu i yeshche raz s prazdnikom!Congratulations and happy holidays once again!
Example conversation
Andrey and Ekaterina meet at a festive party.
- Андрей AndreyЕкатерина, с праздником!Ekaterina, s prazdnikom!Ekaterina, happy holidays!
- Екатерина EkaterinaСпасибо, Андрей! И тебя тоже!Spasibo, Andrey! I tebya tozhe!Thank you, Andrey! To you too!
- Андрей AndreyКак у тебя дела?Kak u tebya dela?How are you doing?
- Екатерина EkaterinaВсе отлично, спасибо!Vse otlichno, spasibo!Everything is great, thanks!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy holidays” translations and entries с праздником, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
