Last edited Sun Dec 21, 2025, 09:16 AM - Edit history (1)

Not Christian, but pagan, and since Christianity usurped the solstice celebration, they rejoice at the birth of their savior and my ancestors would have danced to see the return of the light.

Vrolijk Kerstfeest

Froeliche Weihnachten my mother's native language
Feliz Navidad my dad's native language

May all DU friends enjoy the happiest of holidays!

Happy New year, Deb!

Posso parlare italiano un poco.
I'm not fluent, but I can communicate. In my 40 something visits to Italy, I didn't have to dine where the tourists went. I could do ok at a joint where nobody spoke English.

My long deceased parents would speak it, so I know a little. But it's difficult for me to communicate effectively.

I envy you in your numerous visits to Italy! Here is where my family is from...

https://www.italia.it/en/basilicata/rionero-in-vulture

I wish you many blessings this Christmas! Molte benedizioni! (I think I spelled that right!)

My dad's side was from Mortelle, Sicily (north of Messina).
My other side came from around Reggio di Calabria. The tip of the toe, so only a few miles to Sicily from there. Village called Paneteria (they obviously baked bread there).
I've never been south of Naples. Really Sorrento, where I went to eat. That's just around the bay at Naples.
My trips were all for work & I spent most of my time in a town a bit under halfway from Florence to Rome. Or in Milan where we had a reactor design & fabrication company we worked with.a lot.
I took days off just to drive and see things, probably half the time.
The site was sizeable but not huge, but a unique set of circumstances required more attention, including things that were barely tangential to my job.
It's the country I've been to most times, though England, Canada & Brazil are way up there too.
My dad was a medical corps interpreter the Army during the postwar occupation/rebuilding of Italy. He was stationed in Naples & got on a train to Reggio on his leaves.
He was fluent. He didn't translate; he thought in both languages. I can't do that except for a handful of common words & phrases.
I did enjoy my visits there.

in my four ancestral languages:

"Nittak Hullo Chito Na Yukpa!" - Choctaw (our original language was related)
“Joyeux Noël!” - French/Cajun French
“Bon Natali” - Sicilian Italian
“Nollaig Chridheil” - Scots Gaelic

you and yours,

Last edited Mon Dec 22, 2025, 07:20 PM - Edit history (1)

Nollaig shona (happy christmas), Yule sona (happy Yule), or Jul toilichte (my family came from the Highlands and Islands—Orkney)--so there’s a lot of Norse mixed in).

nollaig shona

Sretan Bozic I Stretna Nova Godiva

Happy Christmas and Happy New Year.

From Lithuania. I only know my paternal side, and that's where my grandparents and great-grandparents come from.

לעבעדיק ניטל
lebedik nitl

Felicum Natalem Christi
this was the language of the denomination I attended for the first 9 years of my life
(My congregation was slow to implement the reforms of Vatican II such as the language of the Mass being in the vernacular)

The vernacular (or language of the people) for me was
Frohe Weinachten (German)

Wesołych Świąt to all who celebrate.

Nadelik lowen!

Merry KBOW, mate!

Can you guess the language?

Flemish for Joyful Christmas.

I had 12 areas from my dna results - german and english were prevalent