Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| с Рождество́м | s Roždestvóm |
| с Рождество́м Христо́вым | s Roždestvóm Xristóvym |
| Весёлого Рождества́ | Vesjólovo Roždestvá |
| Счастли́вого Рождества́ | Sčastlívovo Roždestvá |
These phrases are used to offer good wishes during the Christmas season. Because Orthodox Christmas in Russia is celebrated on January 7th, these greetings are used in early January rather than late December. You can also say С наступающим Рождеством! to mean "With the upcoming Christmas" a few days before the holiday, or Всех с наступающим Рождеством! to say "Everyone, with the upcoming Christmas!"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase с Рождеством literally means "with Christmas".
Which one should you use?
с Рождество́м is the most common, standard way to wish someone a Merry Christmas. In contrast, Весёлого Рождества́ (Merry/Cheerful Christmas) sounds more like a direct translation of the English idiom and is less idiomatic in Russian.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
с Рождество́м Христо́вым is a more formal and traditionally religious version of the greeting, often used in a church context or by more devout believers. Similarly, С Рождеством Христовым! is a formal way to say Merry Christmas and Поздравляю с Рождеством! is a formal expression meaning "Congratulations on Christmas".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase с Рождеством, the word Рождеством is the noun Рождество in the instrumental case, used here to mean "congratulations on [the occasion of] Christmas".
How do you pronounce it?
s Roždestvóm
Did you know?
- In Russia, the greeting с Рождество́м is often overshadowed by New Year greetings, as the New Year is the primary winter holiday where gifts are exchanged.
- In many Russian households, the holiday is not just a single day of celebration but a period of 'святочные' (Svyatki), traditional folk festivities that begin after the birth of Christ.
- The preposition с used in с Рождество́м is inherited from the Proto-Slavic root *sъ(n).
Examples in context
- С Рождество́м тебя!S Rozhdestvom tebya!Merry Christmas to you!
- Всех поздравляю с Рождество́м!Vsekh pozdravlyayu s Rozhdestvom!Merry Christmas to everyone!
Example conversation
Anastasia and Andrey greet each other during the holiday season.
- Анастасия AnastasiaАндрей, с Рождество́м!Andrey, s Rozhdestvom!Andrey, Merry Christmas!
- Андрей AndreyСпасибо, Анастасия! И тебя тоже.Spasibo, Anastasiya! I tebya tozhe.Thanks, Anastasia! And to you too.
- Анастасия AnastasiaПусть этот праздник будет чудесным.Pust' etot prazdnik budet chudesnym.May this holiday be wonderful.
- Андрей AndreyОбязательно будет!Obyazatel'no budet!It certainly will be!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries с, CC BY-SA 4.0.
