December begins the holiday season for many countries and cultures, with lots of religious and year-end celebrations happening this month. Here is a short list of some of the greetings you may hear around the world:
- “Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo.” (Brazil)
- “Merry Christmas” or “Joyeux Noel” (Canada)
- “Gun Tso Sun Tan’Gung Haw Sun” (Chinese/Cantonese)
- “Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan” (Chinese/Mandarin)
- “Joyeux Noel!” (France)
- “Froehliche Weihnachten und ein glueckliches Neues Jahr!” (Germany)
- “Kala Christouyenna!” (Greece)
- “Mele Kalikimaka” (Hawaii)
- “Baradin ki shubh kamnaaye!” (India)
- “Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova” (Israel/Hebrew)
- “Buone Feste Natalizie” or “Buon Natale!” (Italy)
- “Meri Kuri” or “Meri Kurisumasu” (Japan)
- “Feliz Navidad.” (Latin America)
- “Merry Keshmish” or “Nizhonigo Keshmish” (Native American/Navajo Nation)
- “God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt Ar!” (Sweden)
- “Feliz Natal” or “Boas Festas.” (Portugal)
- “Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom!” (Russia)
- “Happy Christmas” or “Merry Christmas” (United Kingdom)
- “Nadolig Llawen!” (Wales)
Join us in spreading some holiday cheer – Happy Holidays from all of us here at Rapport International.
Holidays celebrated around the world in December (this is not an exhaustive list, please comment with additional holidays and celebrations):
1st December
Independence Day: Portugal
Republic Day: Central African Republic
National Day: Romania
2nd December
National Day: Laos, United Arab Emirates
3rd-10th December
Hanukkah: Israel - and all other Jewish populations throughout the world
5th December
King Bhumibol's Birthday: Thailand
6th December
Independence Day: Finland
St. Nicholas Day: Germany
8th December
Immaculate Conception: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Italy, Malta, Peru, Portugal, Seychelles, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela
9th December
Republic Day: Tanzania
10th December
Constitution Day: Thailand
Human Rights Day: Namibia
13th December
Republic Day: Malta
16th December
Day of Reconciliation: South Africa
National Day: Bahrain
Victory Day: Bangladesh
Independence Day: Kazakhstan
17th December
National Day: Bhutan
Independence Day 2: Kazakhstan
18th December
Republic Day: Niger
Independence Day 3: Kazakhstan
19th December
St. Nicholas Day: Ukraine
23rd December
Emperor's Birthday: Japan
24th December
Christmas Eve: Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe
25th December
Christmas Day: Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe
26th December
Boxing Day: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Finland, Germany, Malta, New Zealand, Tanzania, United Kingdom
Day of Goodwill: Namibia, South Africa
Independence and Unity Day: Slovenia
St. Stephen's Day: Ireland, Italy, Switzerland
30th December
Rizal Day: Philippines
31st December
Hogmanay: Scotland
New Year's Eve: Celebrated around the world – Have a happy new year!
Rapport International works with customers who do business internationally or with culturally diverse customers, and we love to celebrate with our clients. We hope you’ve enjoyed the information above, and that you’ll join us in celebrating on a global level.
