Ways to say it
| Syrian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ميلاد مجيد | milad majid | |
| كل عام وانتو بخير | kil 3am w intu bkhair | general festive greeting |
Syria has a sizeable Christian community, and ميلاد مجيد is the specific Christmas greeting used there. كل عام وانتو بخير, 'may every year find you well', is a broader festive greeting used for Christmas as well as other holidays.
What does it mean word for word?
ميلاد means 'birth' or 'nativity' and مجيد means 'glorious', so the phrase wishes someone a glorious nativity.
Which one should you use?
ميلاد مجيد names the holiday directly. كل عام وانتو بخير works for Christmas, New Year and other occasions without naming any of them specifically.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Both phrases suit cards, messages and spoken greetings, with no real difference in formality between them.
Is it said differently in some regions?
ميلاد مجيد is used by Christian communities across Syria and the wider Levant.
How does it change in a sentence?
كل عام وانتو بخير uses the plural انتو, 'you all', since this greeting is usually addressed to a whole family at once.
How do you pronounce it?
The j in مجيد is pronounced as in English 'jam', and the stress falls on the second syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using عيد مبارك, the greeting for Eid, in place of a Christmas greeting mixes up two separate religious holidays.
When do people say it?
In mixed Syrian neighbourhoods, Muslim neighbours often greet Christian friends with ميلاد مجيد as a sign of goodwill, even though it is not their own holiday.
Did you know?
- ميلاد مجيد is specific to Christmas, while كل عام وانتو بخير is a flexible greeting Syrians use across several different holidays through the year.
- In religiously mixed Syrian neighbourhoods, it is common for Muslim neighbours to wish their Christian neighbours ميلاد مجيد as a gesture of goodwill.
Examples in context
- ميلاد مجيد وسنة حلوة.milad majid w sene helwe.Merry Christmas and a nice year.
- كل عام وانتو بخير يا جيران.kil 3am w intu bkhair ya jiran.May every year find you well, neighbors.
- ميلاد مجيد لعيلتكم كلها.milad majid la-eyletkom kella.Merry Christmas to your whole family.
Example conversation
Elias visits his Muslim neighbour Hani on Christmas Eve.
- Haniميلاد مجيد الياس وعيلتك.milad majid Elias w eyletak.Merry Christmas Elias and your family.
- Eliasيسلمو هاني، كتير لطيف منك.yislamo Hani, ktir latif minnak.Thank you Hani, that is very kind of you.
- Haniخذ هالحلوى من عندنا.khud hal-halwa min andna.Take these sweets from us.
- Eliasالله يبارك فيك.allah ybarek fik.Bless you.
