In Russian we say, "С наступающим Новым Годом!" What's the English equivalent? How do you congratulate a person before New Year comes?
After 23:59:99 on the 1st of January we can say Happy New Year - С Новым Годом!
asked Dec 31, 2016 at 15:47
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5Happy New Year! But if you don't translate the Russian greeting (is it in the title?) we'll never know for sure.– Mari-Lou ACommented Dec 31, 2016 at 16:00
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4No, you can wish someone a Happy New Year before 00.00. Do you wish someone a Merry Christmas only on December 25th?– Mari-Lou ACommented Dec 31, 2016 at 16:06
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1@Mari-LouA No, we wish a Merry Christmas on the 7th of January. Before that we say With upcoming Merry Christmas if translate from russian.– SovereignSunCommented Dec 31, 2016 at 16:08
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2Agreed with Mari-Lou: we say "Happy New Year!" for days or even weeks before January 1.– stangdonCommented Dec 31, 2016 at 16:29
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1@SovereignSun - No, we don't specifically say congratulations on the forthcoming or upcoming New Year. It is certainly possible to say "Congratulations on your upcoming ______!" but for New Year's, it's just "Happy New Year!"– stangdonCommented Dec 31, 2016 at 18:14
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1 Answer
It's just plain ole
Happy New Year!
Anglophones begin wishing each other Happy New Year more or less the same time as Christmas.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Hmm... I can sense the OP's disappointment
OK. In Scotland the last day of the old year is called
Hogmanay
The roots of Hogmanay perhaps reach back to the celebration of the winter solstice among the Norse, as well as incorporating customs from the Gaelic celebration of Samhain. The Vikings celebrated Yule, which later contributed to the Twelve Days of Christmas, or the "Daft Days" as they were sometimes called in Scotland. Christmas was not celebrated as a festival and Hogmanay was the more traditional celebration in Scotland. This may have been a result of the Protestant Reformation after which Christmas was seen as "too Papist"
answered Dec 31, 2016 at 16:20
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What is Hogmanay? When Scots drink whiskey, set stuff on fire and jump in the river Commented Dec 31, 2016 at 16:47
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+1 Just to be clear Hogmanay is the name of the celebration, it's not what one says in place of "Happy New Year!" The burning stuff is due to the Vikings, the drinking stuff is because they (Scots) make whiskey and it's close at hand, and the jumping in the river is because they're nutters!– PeterCommented Dec 31, 2016 at 20:27