Africa is home to thousands of major languages that are spoken by millions of people on the continent.
As Christmas approaches, the Christian community in Africa is gearing up to celebrate it in style. Although not an African festival, Christmas remains one of the biggest celebrations on the continent.
Marked annually on the 25th of December, Christmas comes with its special salutation i.e. Merry Christmas. The greeting, however, has been Africanised in several dialects.
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In commemoration of Christmas, here are 25 ways of saying Merry Christmas in some African languages;
1. Afrikaans (South Africa, Namibia) – Geseënde Kersfees
2. Akan (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin) – Afishapa
3. Amharic (Ethiopia) – Melikam Gena! (መልካም ገና!)
4. Ashanti/Asante/Asante Twi (Ghana) – afehyia pa
5. Chewa (Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe) – Moni Wa Chikondwelero Cha Kristmasi
6. Dagbani (Ghana) – Ni ti Burunya Chou
7. Edo (Nigeria) – Iselogbe
8. Ewe (Ghana, Togo) – Blunya na wo
9. Fula/Fulani (Niger, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Togo, Guinea, Sierra Leone) – Jabbama be salla Kirismati
10. Hausa (Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Togo) – barka dà Kirsìmatì
11. Ibibio (Nigeria) – Idara ukapade isua
12. Igbo/Igo (Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea) – E keresimesi Oma
13. Kinyarwanda (Rwanda, Uganda, DR Congo) – Noheli nziza
14. Lingala (DR Congo, Rep Congo, Central African Republic, Angola) – Mbotama Malamu
15. Luganda (Uganda) – Seku Kulu
16. Ndebele (Zimbabwe, South Africa) – Izilokotho Ezihle Zamaholdeni
17. Shona (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana) – Muve neKisimusi
18. Soga/Lasoga (Uganda) – Mwisuka Sekukulu
19. Somali (Somalia, Djibouti) – Kirismas Wacan
20. Sotho (Lesotho, South Africa) – Le be le keresemese e monate
21. Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya, DR Congo, Uganda) – Krismasi Njema / Heri ya Krismasi
22. Tigrinya (Ethiopia and Eritreia) – Ruhus Beal Lidet
23. Xhosa/isiXhosa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho) – Krismesi emnandi
24. Yoruba (Nigeria, Benin) – E ku odun, e ku iye’dun
25. Zulu (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland) – UKhisimusi omuhle
