Language of the Day: Happy New Year around the World
In anticipation of 2024, we asked our team to teach us about new years celebrations from around the world. Many of our staff speak multiple languages, so we learned how to say Happy New Year in different ways. Check out the blog to find how which languages we got!
Zach: In French, we just say “Bonne année” which means “Have a good year.” In Quebec you can also say something a bit silly like “Bonne année, grand nez” which means “Happy new year, big nose!” and someone back reply “Pareillement, grandes dents!” which means “Same to you, big teeth!” It’s kind of a strange tradition, but it makes me laugh.
Jean: In Chinese, we say 新年快乐 (Xīn Nián Kuài Lè!) to say “Happy New Year" even though January 1st isn’t actually a very big holiday in China. That’s because we celebrate the lunar new year in February or March instead. But we still get a day off for January 1 and people still wish each other happy new year. Young people even stay up late for the countdown.
Jordan: In Albanian, they say Gëzuar Vitin e Ri! In fact, New Years is an even bigger holiday than Christmas there. When I spent New Years in Albania, we stayed out late and enjoyed some local coffee culture and saw a fireworks show at midnight.
Chelsea: In Spanish we say “Feliz año nuevo.” My partner is from Colombia and in his culture they gather with their families and have dinner, very similar to how we do it in Canada. However, they also apparently eat 12 grapes at midnight and make a wish for each grape. There are some other obscure traditons too. Some people put lentils in their pockets to bring money in the new year. Other people wear yellow underwear for luck too.
Yeonkab: In Korean, we say “새해 복 많이 받으세요” (Sae-hae bok mani bad-eu-sae-yo) which means “Lots of luck in the new year.” In my country I was always working and I never celebrated new year’s eve. I hope I will have more fun this year.
Natalia: In Portuguese, we say “Feliz Ano Novo” and New Year’s a huge celebration! People like to go to the beach to party and a lot of people dress in white, which comes from African traditions. We also have a tradition about jumping over 7 waves to bring good luck in the new year.
Arghavan: In Farsi, we say “سال نو مبارک“ (Sale no mobaarak) but December 31st isn’t really a holiday in Iran. In fact, we celebrate New Year’s in Springtime with a festival called Nowruz, because it is the beginning of our calendar.
Kulwinder: In Punjabi, Happy New Year is “ਨਵਾ ਸਾਲ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ” (Navā sāla mubāraka). In India, different religious groups celebrate New Year at different times of the year, but we also do the December 31st New year celebration. On that day, it’s mostly the same as Canada. We stay up until midnight and count down the seconds to say happy new year.