შობას გილოცავთ
šobas gilocavt
Merry Christmas in Georgian is expressed as შობას გილოცავთ (šobas gilocavt). Wiktionary also lists შობას გილოცავ (šobas gilocav) and ბედნიერ შობას გისურვებთ (bednier šobas gisurvebt).
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Georgian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| შობას გილოცავთ | šobas gilocavt |
| შობას გილოცავ | šobas gilocav |
| ბედნიერ შობას გისურვებთ | bednier šobas gisurvebt |
| გილოცავ შობის დღესასწაულს! | gilocav šobis dɣesasc̣auls! |
| გილოცავთ შობის დღესასწაულს! | gilocavt šobis dɣesasc̣auls! |
These phrases are used to offer good wishes during the Christmas season.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase შობას გილოცავთ literally means 'I/we congratulate you on Christmas'.
Which one should you use?
შობას გილოცავთ is the most common and direct way to say Merry Christmas. In contrast, ბედნიერ შობას გისურვებთ is a more formal way to say 'I/we wish you a Merry Christmas'.
How do you pronounce it?
šobas gilocavt
Did you know?
- In Georgia, the Orthodox Christmas celebrated with შობას გილოცავთ takes place on January 7 rather than December 25.
- The verb გილოცავთ is used for Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries, as Georgian treats these celebrations as acts of 'congratulating' someone.
- In traditional Georgian households, the wish შობას გილოცავთ is often accompanied by the sharing of 'gozi', a special traditional bread.
Examples in context
- მადლობთ, თქვენც შობას გილოცავთ.madlobt, tkvents shobas gilocavt.Thank you, Merry Christmas to you too.
Example conversation
Two friends meet on the street during the holidays.
- დავით Davidგამარჯობა, ელენე, შობას გილოცავთ!gamarjoba, elene, shobas gilocavt!Hello, Elene, Merry Christmas!
- ელენე Eleneგმადლობთ, დავით, თქვენც შობას გილოცავთ!gmadlobt, davit, tkvents shobas gilocavt!Thank you, Davit, Merry Christmas to you too!
- დავით Davidროგორ ხართ?rogor khart?How are you?
- ელენე Eleneკარგად ვარ, გმადლობთ.kargad var, gmadlobt.I am well, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
