Are you one of those people who feel like you’re in February one minute and the next, you’re waiting for the countdown on New Year’s Eve? I’m certainly one of those! In a blink of an eye, you’re already waiting for the year to change and wishing people a wonderful year! Greeks, in particular, are very tied to their family. Spending New Year with their family and friends is almost mandatory! So how do they wish a Happy New Year in Greek each other? Let’s find out!
How To Wish A Happy New Year In Greek?
So how is the Greek Happy New Year? The most common way to wish a Happy New Year is simply by saying Καλή Χρονιά! that is the approximation to “Happy New Year!” in English.
Conversation Example:
- Person 1: Σας εύχομαι καλή χρονιά! (Sas éfchomai kalí chroniá! – I wish you a very Happy New Year!)
- Person 2: Σας ευχαριστούμε πολύ, και εμείς σε εσάς. Καλή χρονιά γεμάτη ευημερία. (Sas efcharistoúme polý, kai emeís se esás. Kalí chroniá gemáti evimería. – Thank you very much, we also to you. Have a happy new year full of prosperity.)
New Year’s Related Greek Words
To wish your Greek friend a very Happy New Year, it may be helpful to know a few more words to complete your sentences, so here is a list of a few Greek vocabularies about the New Year.
What Are The Most Common New Year Resolutions?
So what are the most common new year resolutions among the Greek people? Primarily based on luck and spending time with the family, let’s look at some of the most popular new year’s resolutions.
- Spend more time with the family – Θα περνάω περισσότερο χρόνο με την οικογένεια (Tha pernáo perisótero hróno me tin ikoyénia)
- Lose weight – Θα χάσω βάρος (Tha háso város)
- Quit smoking – Θα κόψω το κάπνισμα. (Tha kópso to kápnisma)
- Save money – Θα κάνω οικονομία. (Tha káno ikonomía)
- Learn something new – Θα μάθω κάτι καινούριο. (Tha mátho káti kenúrio)
- Learn Greek – ΜΑΘΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (MATHE ELLINIKA)
New Year’s Eve Traditions In Greek Culture
Are you planning to travel to Greece? If you befriend anyone, there’s a huge chance they’ll invite you to celebrate the Holidays with them. New Year’s Eve in Greece is traditionally spent among family and friends. On December 31st, families intensely prepare vast and rich dinner parties, or ρεβεγιόν Πρωτοχρονιάς in Greek, to share with their close ones.
On New Year’s Eve night, many people open bottles of champagne as a sign of good luck and prosperity so that they can buy and open a new bottle next year. In a very religious and Christian country, after midnight, the household brings the New Year’s cake or βασιλόπιτα, and after making the cross sign three times over the cake with the knife, cuts the first piece for Christ, a second for Virgin Mary and the third one for St. Basil. After that, the remaining people are served.
But the βασιλόπιτα is not an ordinary cake! When cooking it, a lucky coin is placed inside, and it is believed that the person that receives the slice with the coin inside it will have luck for the upcoming year!
Once the clock hits midnight, people greet each other and wish a Καλή Χρονιά! (Happy New Year) to each other.
Unlike many other countries in Europe, on January 1st, “Santa Claus,” or Άγιος Βασίλης in Greek, comes to give gifts to the children.
The first visit to the house is also a very important tradition for Greeks. It is called ποδαρικό, which is “first-foot” in English, and is a tradition where the first guest to come to the house in the New Year must be a good-hearted relative that must enter the house with his right foot to bring luck for the following year. As you can see, Greeks ask for a lot of luck every year!
Learn More Greek With Ling
If you have been learning Greek, you’ll see that learning how to say Happy New Year will be something you will use very often, especially if you’re planning to head to Greece.
If this is your first step into the beautiful Greek language, why not make a New Year’s Resolution to speak Greek?
In both cases, learning more vocabulary and grammar in Greek is fundamental if you want to connect with the people and have a wonderful time in this incredible country. Thus, I have just the perfect tool for you to start learning and eventually dominate every little aspect of this language.
Let me present to you Ling App! This innovative language-learning app is brought to you by a team of language enthusiasts and experts who genuinely understand your needs as a learner! It comes with a gamified approach that’ll undeniably supercharge your process toward achieving your target level of proficiency. From games to quizzes and in-depth lessons, this app got you covered!
So, make it your New Year’s Resolution to learn Greek, and let’s start this journey together! Download Ling App on Play Store or App Store today!
