Ways to say it
| Serbian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Срећан Божић | Srećan Božić | Cyrillic | |
| Сретан Божић | Sretan Božić | Cyrillic | |
| Христос се роди | Hristos se rodi | [ˈxɾistos se ˈɾôdiː] (narrow) | Cyrillic |
| ваистину се роди | vaistinu se rodi | Cyrillic | |
| Srećan Božić | Latin | ||
| Sretan Božić | Latin | ||
| Hristos se rodi | [ˈxɾistos se ˈɾôdiː] (narrow) | Latin | |
| vaistinu se rodi | Latin |
These phrases are used to offer good wishes during the Christmas season.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Срећан Божић literally means Happy Christmas, composed of the adjective срећан (happy/lucky) and the noun Божић (Christmas/God's birth).
Which one should you use?
Срећан Божић and Srećan Božić are the standard ways to say Merry Christmas. Сретан Божић and Sretan Božić are a variation of this phrase. For a more religious or liturgical context, you may use Христос се роди or Hristos se rodi.
How do you pronounce it?
Srećan Božić
When do people say it?
While Срећан Божић is a general greeting, Христос се роди is a traditional liturgical greeting used specifically by Orthodox Christians during the Christmas season. When someone says Христос се роди, the traditional response is ваистину се роди (vaistinu se rodi), which means Truly He is born.
Did you know?
- In traditional Serbian households, the greeting Христос се роди is often accompanied by the burning of a badnjak or oak branch, which is a central ritual of the Christmas Eve celebration.
- In some rural areas, the exchange of Христос се роди and ваистину се роди is treated as a ritual dialogue that must be completed fully to ensure a lucky year.
- The term Христос used in these greetings is a direct linguistic transplant from the Ancient Greek word Χριστός.
Examples in context
- Srećan Božić!Merry Christmas!This sentence is useful for practicing the greeting Srećan Božić.Tatoeba #5003507 by Lebad, translation #1723 by brauliobezerra
Example conversation
Two friends are exchanging holiday greetings during a phone call.
- MarijaZdravo Nikola, Срећан Божић!Hello Nikola, Merry Christmas!
- NikolaHvala Marija, isto tebi!Thanks Marija, same to you!
- MarijaKako si proveo praznik?How did you spend the holiday?
- NikolaOdlično, kod kuće sa porodicom.Great, at home with family.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations and entries Срећан Божић, Сретан Божић, Христос се роди, ваистину се роди, Srećan Božić, Sretan Božić, Hristos se rodi, vaistinu se rodi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Божић, Христос, Христос се роди, ваистину се роди, се, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
