Distinguishing between 'Merry Christmas' and 'Happy Christmas'

Both "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Christmas" mean "Wishing you a Merry Christmas", but they differ in cultural context and nuances of meaning.

Every Christmas, people often wish each other "Merry Christmas". If you pay attention, you will see the word "merry" commonly used in speeches, Christmas cards or classic melodies such as "Have yourself a merry little Christmas", "We wish you a merry Christmas"...

Meanwhile, "happy" is also often understood as "joyful" but is associated with other holidays such as New Year (Happy new year), birthday (Happy birthday) and rarely seen "Happy Christmas".

So, which is correct? The answer is both.

"Happy Christmas" is widely used in Britain, associated with class differences. In the past, only people of the aristocracy or high social status often used this expression.

For example, Queen Elizabeth II always ends her Christmas speech with the phrase "I wish you all a very happy Christmas". Nowadays, many British people are familiar with this way of saying, also wishing each other a "happy" Christmas instead of "merry" like most of the world .

"Merry" appears a lot in common people's communication. It is believed that "merry" is associated with the noisy, bustling joy of the masses celebrating festivals. For example, ancient people often drank wine to celebrate the holidays, making "merry" also mean "tipsy with joy" in the old way of speaking.

In Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol , poor working-class characters repeatedly wish each other "Merry Christmas." The book's huge success later made "Merry Christmas" popular.

Photo: writerscentre — Photo: *writerscentre*

Furthermore, have you ever wondered why there are two words, "happy" and "merry" that both mean "joyful"? The interesting thing about language lies in the nuances of meaning, and this is one such case.

According to the Oxford dictionary, "happy" is an adjective that means "a feeling of satisfaction, contentment, or well-being within ourselves." When expressing your feelings to your lover during Christmas, you can say, " I'm so happy to spend another Christmas with you ."

On the other hand, "merry" is more descriptive of "the cheerfulness and excitement that is characteristic of festive activities". You can vary many Christmas wishes for your friends with this word, such as "May all of your Christmas memories be merry ", " Wishing you a delightful, merry, and brightful Christmas ", " Eat. Drink. Be Merry. Have a wonderful Christmas! "

In addition, in countries that consider Christmas as the main holiday and celebrate New Year right after, they also have other popular greetings such as "Happy holidays" or "Seasons's greetings". Both carry the general meaning of congratulating for a joyful festive season.

Phuong Anh (According to Economictimes, Royal, Countryliving )

Source link