We take a breath, open our mouths, and say, “Merry Christmas.” If we're French Canadian, we say, “Joyeux Noel,” and if we're not christian, we often don't say it at all, because it's a christian holiday, and nonchristian people generally have other things to celebrate.
According to Preply, 61% of those surveyed are more likely to say “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays” at 34%. Only BC, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and PEI will opt for “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas.”
"Merry Christmas" is the most common holiday greeting even among those who consider Christmas to be secular. About two thirds of people who say "Merry Christmas" still consider Christmas to be a secular holiday. The term "Happy Holidays" is only used by about a third of Canadians.
One thing that is common in Canada is that people often say “Happy Holidays” to greet each other during this time, instead of just saying “Merry Christmas.” This is because Canada is a multicultural country, and people celebrate various holidays like New Year's Day, Hanukkah, and Christmas.
A simple handshake, friendly nod, or easy 'hello' is a common way Canadians greet each other amidst the chummy crowd. Overall, Canadian greetings are as warm as a fresh stack of pancakes dripping with maple syrup. Interesting fact? 'Eh', an iconic term, often decorates their lively sentences like a cherry on top.
Advertising: Content continues below ad. Many Christians in Canada mark the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25, which is known as Christmas Day. It is a day of celebration when many Canadians exchange gifts and enjoy festive meals.
Canadian traditions include decorating a Christmas tree and exchanging gifts. On Christmas Day, a special meal is prepared; it often consists of a roast turkey, seasonal vegetables, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
What is the traditional Canadian Christmas dinner called?
Tourtière is my family's traditional Christmas Eve meal. It is also a traditional French Canadian Christmas Eve dinner. Let me clarify: I am not French Canadian. Like many Canadians, I have immigrant roots, in my case equal parts Dutch and British.
Queen of England wishes people with 'Happy Christmas'
Some say that the word 'merry' is related to the rowdiness of the underprivileged classes, whereas 'happy' is based on a higher-class connotation especially because it is associated with the royal family wishing 'Happy Christmas'.
You will often see Canadians giving one another light hugs upon greeting. This is a sign that these people are good friends or family. The basic greeting in Canada is a firm handshake with eye-to-eye contact.
With so many fun traditions and plenty of snow to go around, Canada has a lot of holiday magic to offer during Christmas time. Plus, Christmas in Canada means there are Boxing Day and New Year's Eve celebrations to look forward to, so the festivities go on all week long.
It's fine but not normally said beyond 25/12. However after Christmas end generally New Year is followed & it's more reasonable to say “Happy New Year” all the way throughout January as per custom in U.K.
In Canada, children hold Santa Claus to be the bringer of their presents. Many of them hang their stockings to be filled by him with gifts and goodies. Many Canadians open their gifts on Christmas Eve, while others choose to unwrap only one gift on this day and open the rest on Christmas Day.
Canadians, of both civilian and veteran status, raise a glass of Moose Milk on Christmas, as well as during New Year's Day levées. During the latter event—a ceremonial gathering dating back to 1646—legion halls serve Moose Milk to the public (for those of legal drinking age, of course).
While the Scotch pine wins the popularity contest, the Balsam fir is definitely the most Canadian Christmas tree! The balsam fir's short, flat needles make its slender branches easy to decorate.
December 24 is not a public holiday in Canada and general post offices, stores and other businesses are open. However, they may close earlier than usual to allow employees time to travel to the homes of family members.
Christmas celebrations amongst Canadians are also pretty diverse; some have entirely secular celebrations, some religious, some both, some have a big meal on Christmas Eve, others a big brunch Christmas day, others a big dinner Christmas evening, some have tons of presents, others have few or none.
In other words, where many US speakers will pronounce "sorry" like "sari", (i.e. in the lot Lexical Set), Canadians make the first syllable like "sore." In fact, when Canadian actors learn that US speakers say "sorry/sari" in the same manner, they often remark "where's the pain in that?" For us, "sorry," the word many ...
How do you say “yes” in Canadian? You have a choice between “Yes”, “oui” and however “yes” is said in any of the 70 indigenous languages spoken in Canada. You might run into a bit of a bump when it comes to the Gaelic-speakers of Nova Scotia, as Gaelic, in common with all the Celtic languages, has no word for “yes”.
Most Canadians are familiar with “Thank you” and “Merci.” But do you know how to express thanks in languages other than English or French? In the following questions, see if you can match the term for “Thank you” with the language.
