Noheli nziza
Noheli nziza is the Kinyarwanda way to say Merry Christmas.
You use this phrase to offer good wishes during the Christmas season. The word Noheli specifically refers to Christmas. If you want to extend the greeting to a group, you can say Noheli nziza ku bose, which means Merry Christmas to everyone.
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of Noheli, which is a loanword for Christmas and nziza, which means good. Literally, the phrase translates to Good Christmas.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Kinyarwanda, the adjective typically follows the noun it modifies. Therefore, the adjective nziza (good) is placed after the noun Noheli (Christmas).
Did you know?
- Because Rwanda is located near the equator, Noheli nziza is spoken during the rainy season rather than the snowy winter associated with 'Merry Christmas' in English.
- While Noheli nziza is the standard greeting, many Rwandans also use the French phrase 'Joyeux Noël' due to Rwanda's colonial history and the status of French as an official language.
- The word nziza in Noheli nziza is the same root used to describe beauty, meaning a 'Merry Christmas' is linguistically a 'Beautiful Christmas'.
Examples in context
- Noheli nziza kuriwe!Merry Christmas to you!
- Noheli nziza kuri inshuti yanjye.Merry Christmas to my friend.
Example conversation
Olivier and Alice greet each other at a Christmas gathering.
- OlivierMuraho Alice, Noheli nziza!Hello Alice, merry Christmas!
- AliceMuraho Olivier, nawe Noheli nziza!Hello Olivier, merry Christmas to you too!
- OlivierEse urasoreye ibiryo?Have you prepared the food?
- AliceYego, byose birahaze.Yes, everything is ready.
