I have spoken or tried to speak (or sign) all of the languages below at some time in my life! (If you did not realize it, Breton, Cornish and Welsh are related.) Thanks to my African friends who introduced me to some of their tongues. Thanks to my Norwegian "cousins" for visiting the Caribbean and also allowing me to meet up again centuries later. Thanks for an absence of fear in trying to say at least "Hello" and "Thank you" whereever I travel. Thanks to my parents for never letting me think that the colour of my skin had anything to do with anything except the colour of my skin. Thanks to all those people I have met who had never met a black man before and now know that we are a lot like them.
The world is really small and languages are one of its barriers. Let's try to get over them little by little with seasonal greetings (see a much longer list of Christmas greetings that will help).
American Sign Language
Arawak - Aba satho niw jari da'wisida bon
Breton - Nedeleg laouen na bloav ezh mat
Cantonese - Seng Dan Fai Lok, Sang Nian Fai Lok
Carib - Sirito kypoton ra'a
Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Creole/Seychelles - Bonn e Erez Ane
Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
Estonian - Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi ja Head uut aastat
French - Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
German - Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr!
Greek - Kala Christougenna Ki'eftihismenos O Kenourios Chronos
Hausa - Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Igbo - Ekelere m gi maka Keresimesi na ubochi izizi afo ozo
Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit
Italian - Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Latin - Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis
Latvian - Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Malagasy - Arahaba tratry ny Krismasy
Norweigan/Nynorsk - eg ynskjer hermed dykk alle ein god jul og godt nyttår
Norweigan/Bokmål - God Jul og Godt Nyttår
Polish - Wesolych Swiat i Szczesliwego Nowego Roku.
Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva i s Novim Godom
Spanish - Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Swahili - ºKrismas Njema Na Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº
Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Welsh - Nadolig LLawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Yoruba - E ku odun, e ku iye' dun!
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