If you are celebrating Christmas in Wales this year and want to make the best use of your Welsh over the holiday season, you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll find a number of greetings, sayings and important vocabulary in Welsh to do with Christmas. Now there’s no excuse whatsoever to let your Cymraeg get rusty over the break! 😉
Welsh Christmas Greetings (Cyfarchion Nadolig)
The Welsh way of saying Happy Christmas is Nadolig Llawen. You can use this phrase as a stand-alone greeting just as in English.
Nadolig Llawen! – Ac i tithau!
Happy Christmas! – And to you!
Nadolig Llawen is often followed by the phrase a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda which means and a Happy New Year.
Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i chi i gyd!
Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!
Below are a few Welsh Christmas sayings you might hear in passing or encounter in a written document such as a letter or an email.
- Gyda phob dymuniad da am Nadolig Llawen. = With every good wish for a Happy Christmas.
- Dymuniadau gorau am Nadolig Llawen. = Best wishes for a Happy Christmas.
- Ein dymuniadau gorau i chi dros yr Ŵyl. = Our best wishes for the holiday season.
- Gobeithio gewch chi amser da dros y cyfnod Nadolig! = I hope you have a good time over the Christmas period!
- Dymuna A cyfarchion yr Ŵyl i B. = A sends Seasons Greetings to B.
Welsh Christmas Vocabulary (Geirfa Nadolig)
Below are all the most important Welsh words you will need to prepare for the Christmas season. If you can think of any others that aren’t listed here, don’t hesitate to leave me a comment below!
- addurniad / addurniadau = decoration / decorations
- angel / angylion – angel / angels
- anrheg / anrhegion – present / presents
- bendith / bendithion – blessing / blessings
- cannwyll / canhwyllau – candle / candles
- carw / ceirw – reindeer / reindeers
- celyn / celynennau – holly
- cerdyn Nadolig / cardiau Nadolig – Christmas card / cards
- cloch / clychau – bell / bells
- coeden Nadolig / coed Nadolig – Christmas tree / trees
- cracer / cracers – cracker / crackers
- cyfarch / cyfarchion = greeting / greetings
- Cyfarchion yr Ŵyl – Season’s Greetings
- dathlu = to celebrate
- dymundiad / dymuniadau – wish / wishes
- dyn eira / dynion eira – snowman / snowmen
- eglwys / eglwysi – church / churches
- eira – snow
- gweddïo = to pray
- hosan Nadolig / hosannau Nadolig – stocking / stockings
- Iesu – Jesus
- lle tân / lleoedd tân – fireplace / fireplaces
- mins-pei / mins-peis – mince pie
- Noswyl Nadolig = Christmas Eve
- papur lapio = wrapping paper
- pluen eira / plu eira – snowflake / snowflakes
- pwdin Nadolig / pwdinau Nadolig – Christmas pudding / puddings
- seren / sêr – star
- Siôn Corn – Father Christmas
- sled / slediau – sled / sleds
- tinsel – tinsel
- torch / torchau – wreath / wreathes
- twrci / tyrcwn – turkey / turkeys
- uchelwydd – mistletoe
Welsh Christmas Word Search
If you’re looking for a fun way to practise your new Welsh Christmas words, why not download this Christmas word search in Welsh. Just click on the image and it will open a larger version in a new window that you can save. 🙂
