How to Say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in Macedonian (With Card Messages and Replies)

To say Merry Christmas in Macedonian, say “Среќен Божиќ!” (Srekjen Bozhikj). On Christmas Day itself, most Macedonians greet each other with “Христос се роди!” (Christ is born!), and the reply is “Вистина се роди!” (Truly He is born!). For Happy New Year, say “Среќна Нова Година!” (Srekjna Nova Godina).

This guide gives you every greeting you need for the Christmas and New Year season. Each one is written in Macedonian Cyrillic, in English letters, and with an easy way to say it. At the end, you will find short messages you can copy straight into a card, a text or a Facebook post.

The main Christmas greetings

Macedonian	In English letters	Say it like	Meaning
Среќен Божиќ!	Srekjen Bozhikj!	SREH-kyen BOH-zhik	Merry Christmas!
Честит Божиќ!	Chestit Bozhikj!	CHES-teet BOH-zhik	Happy Christmas! (a bit more formal)
Христос се роди!	Hristos se rodi!	HREE-stos seh ROH-dee	Christ is born!
Вистина се роди!	Vistina se rodi!	VEE-stee-nah seh ROH-dee	Truly He is born! (the reply)
Среќен Бадник!	Srekjen Badnik!	SREH-kyen BAHD-neek	Happy Christmas Eve!
Среќни празници!	Srekjni praznici!	SREHK-nee PRAHZ-nee-tsee	Happy holidays!

When to use “Hristos se rodi”

“Христос се роди!” is the special greeting for Christmas Day, 7 January. Many people keep using it for a few days after Christmas, and some use it until Vodici on 19 January. When someone says it to you, always answer “Вистина се роди!”. Some people answer “Навистина се роди!”, which means the same thing.

Use it with family, at church and with anyone who celebrates Orthodox Christmas. With friends who don’t, “Среќен Божиќ!” is perfect.

New Year greetings

Macedonian	In English letters	Say it like	Meaning
Среќна Нова Година!	Srekjna Nova Godina!	SREHK-nah NOH-vah GOH-dee-nah	Happy New Year!
Среќна Стара Нова Година!	Srekjna Stara Nova Godina!	SREHK-nah STAH-rah NOH-vah GOH-dee-nah	Happy Old New Year! (14 January)
За многу години!	Za mnogu godini!	zah MNOH-goo GOH-dee-nee	For many years! (a toast)
На здравје!	Na zdravje!	nah ZDRAHV-yeh	Cheers! (to your health)

What is the “Old New Year”?

Because the church uses the old Julian calendar, there is a second New Year on 14 January. It is called Стара Нова Година (the Old New Year) or Василица (Vasilica), after Saint Basil. Many Macedonian families and clubs in Australia hold a dinner dance or party for it. Keep an eye on our Macedonian events calendar in January.

Tricky sounds made easy

Macedonian is written the way it sounds, so once you know the letters, you can read almost anything. A few sounds trip up English speakers:

• ќ – a soft “k” with a little “y” after it, like the “c” in “cute”. This is the end of Божиќ.
• ж – like the “s” in “measure” or “treasure”.
• х – a breathy “h”, like clearing your throat gently. This starts Христос.
• ц – “ts”, like the end of “cats”.
• ј – like the English “y” in “yes”.

Want to learn all 31 letters? Visit our Learn Macedonian page for free videos and learning resources.

Talking to one person or to many

Macedonian has two ways to say “you”. Use ти (ti) with one friend, a child or someone in your family. Use Вие (Vie) to be polite, or when you are talking to more than one person. Baba and Dedo usually get ти from the grandkids, but a priest or someone you just met gets Вие.

• “I wish you (one friend) a merry Christmas” – Ти посакувам среќен Божиќ (Ti posakuvam srekjen Bozhikj).
• “I wish you (polite or a group) a merry Christmas” – Ви посакувам среќен Божиќ (Vi posakuvam srekjen Bozhikj).

How to reply to a greeting

• Исто така! (Isto taka) – Same to you!
• И тебе исто! (I tebe isto) – You too! (to one friend)
• И Вам исто! (I Vam isto) – You too! (polite or a group)
• Благодарам, исто така! (Blagodaram, isto taka) – Thank you, same to you!

Copy-ready messages for cards and texts

For family

Христос се роди! Ви посакувам мирен и благословен Божиќ, полн со здравје и љубов.
Christ is born! I wish you a peaceful and blessed Christmas, full of health and love.

For Baba and Dedo

Мила бабо и дедо, среќен Божиќ! Ве сакаме многу. Многу здравје во Новата година.
Dear Baba and Dedo, merry Christmas! We love you very much. Lots of health in the New Year.

For friends

Среќен Божиќ и среќна Нова Година! Нека ти донесе здравје, среќа и многу убави моменти.
Merry Christmas and happy New Year! May it bring you health, happiness and lots of good times.

For workmates or a business

Ви посакуваме среќни празници и успешна Нова Година.
We wish you happy holidays and a successful New Year.

For social media

Мир Божји, Христос се роди! Среќен Божиќ на сите што славите денес. 🎄
God’s peace, Christ is born! Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating today.

Sending wishes to family in Macedonia

If you are calling relatives in Macedonia, remember the time difference. In January, Macedonia is 10 hours behind Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. A call at 7 pm on Christmas Day in Sydney reaches them at 9 am, just as they are getting ready for church. Perth is only 7 hours ahead of Macedonia in January, so you can call a bit later.

Many Macedonian-Australian families celebrate both 25 December and 7 January. It is fine to wish your Australian friends a merry Christmas in December, and to save “Христос се роди!” for the Orthodox Christmas in January.

Want to know what happens the night before Christmas? Read our guide to Badnik, Macedonian Christmas Eve, with the oak branch, the coin bread and the fasting dinner.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say Merry Christmas in Macedonian?

Say “Среќен Божиќ!” (Srekjen Bozhikj). On Christmas Day, you can also say “Христос се роди!” (Christ is born!).

What is the reply to “Hristos se rodi”?

The reply is “Вистина се роди!” (Vistina se rodi), which means “Truly He is born!”. Some people say “Навистина се роди!”.

How do you say Happy New Year in Macedonian?

Say “Среќна Нова Година!” (Srekjna Nova Godina). For the Old New Year on 14 January, say “Среќна Стара Нова Година!”.

When is Macedonian Christmas?

Macedonian Orthodox Christmas is on 7 January. Christmas Eve, called Badnik, is on 6 January.

Is “Bozhikj” spelt with a K or a C?

In Macedonian Cyrillic it is Божиќ. In English letters you will see Bozhikj, Božiḱ, Bozik or Bozhik. They all mean the same word.

Further reading: The Macedonian language (Wikipedia).

Прочитајте на македонски: Божиќни и новогодишни честитки на македонски