Nollaig Shona! - Happy Christmas!

“Nollaig Shona Dhuit” or “Nollaig Shona Dhaoibh” - What’s the difference? 💡

“Nollaig Shona Dhuit” means “Happy Christmas to you” (singular - wishing Happy Christmas to one person)

“Nollaig Shona Dhaoibh” means “Happy Christmas to you” (plural, wishing Happy Christmas to more than one person)

Grammar of “Nollaig Shona” 📖

“Nollaig” means Christmas and is a feminine noun - this is important because after a feminine singular noun in the nominative case, an adjective is lenited (séimhiú).

“Shona” is the lenited form of “Sona”

What is the origin of the word “Nollaig”? 🖊️

“Nollaig” comes from latin “dies nātālis” - “day of birth” used by Christians as “nātālis” - “the birth (of the lord)”

“nātālis” naturally changed over time in Modern Irish Nollaig, shaped by Irish grammar and sound rules, now fully part of the language meaning Christmas. :)