The word Christmas is derived from the Anglo-Saxon “Christes Maessan”, an eleventh-century term meaning Christ’s Mass. Though there is a similar Dutch word for Christmas — “Kersmis” – most languages have derived their name for the holiday from different roots. The orginal Latin term was Festum Nativitatis Domini Nostri Jesu Christi — the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ — which was shortened to Dies Natali Domini, the Birthday of the Lord. From this Latin phrase comes the name for Christmas in a number of European languages: Il Natale (Italian), La Navidad, (Spanish), Natal (Portuguese), Nadal (Provençal), Nollaig (Irish), Nadolig (Welsh). The French Noël may be derived from this source or from “nowel”, meaning “news”. In eastern Europe the name for the season also refers to a birthday: Karacsony in Hungarian; Boze Narodzenie (God’s Birth) in Polish; Greek, Russian and Ukrainian terms for Christmas also refer to the birth of Jesus.
“Holy Night” is the meaning of the German Weihnacht as well as the Czech Veselé Vánoce and the Slovak Veselé Vianoce. The Lithuanian Kaledos is likely derived from the Latin “Kalends”, referring to the Roman New Year festivities. Yule, the ancient northern winter festival, lent its name to Christmas in the Scandinavian lands: Jul (Danish, Swedish and Norwegian), Jól (Icelandic), Joula (Finnish) and even Estonian — Jõule. Ziemassvetki is the Latvian winter festival whose name has become synonymous with Christmas there.