חג המולד
How to Say Christmas in Hebrew: Chag HaMolad (חג המולד)
Learn how to say 'Christmas' in Hebrew. Discover the word Chag HaMolad (חג המולד), its pronunciation, meaning, and how to use it in greetings and biblical context.
Quick Answer: How to Say Christmas in Hebrew
Christmas in Hebrew is:
חג המולד
Chag HaMolad Pronounced: khag hah-moh-LAHD
Meaning: Festival of the Birth
Here's something you might not have thought about: Christmas isn't a traditional Jewish holiday. So how do Hebrew speakers actually talk about it? The answer is surprisingly straightforward — and it lands differently than you might expect.
Chag HaMolad: A Modern Hebrew Term
The phrase חג המולד (Chag HaMolad) literally means "Festival of the Birth." Chag (חג) is the word for festival or holiday — the same one used for Passover, Hanukkah, and every major Jewish celebration. Ha (ה) is simply "the." And molad (מולד) means birth or nativity, from the root י.ל.ד (y.l.d) — to give birth.
Modern Hebrew needed a way to name Christmas without borrowing from other languages, so it went straight to the heart of the matter: the birth. No transliteration of "Christmas." No Christ-Mass. Just the festival of the birth. When you say Chag HaMolad, you're naming exactly what the holiday celebrates.
Merry Christmas in Hebrew
To wish someone a Merry Christmas, you say:
חג מולד שמח — Chag Molad Sameach
Pronounced: khag mo-LAD sa-ME-akh
Sameach (שמח) means "happy" or "joyful" — the same word you'll hear in Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday) for Jewish festivals. So Chag Molad Sameach is essentially "Happy Birth Holiday." For a deeper look at the phrase, including how it's used in the Holy Land, check out our Merry Christmas in Hebrew phrase guide.
Who Celebrates Christmas in Hebrew?
Most Jewish Israelis don't celebrate Christmas — it's not part of the traditional calendar. But Israel has a small, growing community of Hebrew-speaking Christians, and Messianic Jews who embrace both their Jewish identity and faith in Yeshua (Jesus). For them, Chag HaMolad isn't a foreign concept. It's their holiday, in their language. The name Yeshua itself comes from the Hebrew word for salvation — yeshuah (יְשׁוּעָה) — so when Hebrew Christians celebrate the birth of Yeshua, they're celebrating the one whose name means salvation. The angel told Joseph: "You shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The wordplay would have been unmistakable to any Hebrew speaker.
How to Pronounce Chag HaMolad
The phrase is pronounced khag hah-moh-LAHD. The "ch" in chag is that guttural Hebrew sound — like the "ch" in "Bach" or Scottish "loch." The emphasis falls on the final syllable: khag hah-moh-LAHD.
Try it slowly: khag (pause) hah-moh-LAHD. Then at normal speed. Once you've got it, you can use it in conversation: Matai Chag HaMolad? (When is Christmas?) or Ani chogeg et Chag HaMolad (I celebrate Christmas).
The Biblical Connection
Christmas itself doesn't appear in the Hebrew Bible — it's a Christian observance. But the language of birth runs through Scripture. Isaiah 9:6 declares: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given" — in Hebrew, ki yeled yulad lanu. The word yulad (יֻלַּד) comes from the same root as molad. He was born. The prophet was pointing to a birth that would change everything.
That's why Chag HaMolad resonates for Hebrew Christians and Messianic Jews. They're not borrowing a foreign holiday. They're celebrating a birth that the Hebrew Scriptures pointed toward — with a word (molad) that the prophets themselves would have understood.
Related Hebrew Words
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning | | --- | --- | --- | | חג המולד | Chag HaMolad | Christmas, Festival of the Birth | | מולד | molad | birth, nativity | | חג | chag | festival, holiday | | שמח | sameach | happy, joyful |
If you're drawn to the joy of the season, simcha (joy) and shalom (peace) are two Hebrew words that capture what many feel at Christmas — the joy of the birth, the peace of the one who came to bring it.
Want to Learn More?
Join 12,000+ Christians learning Hebrew. Get daily word studies, pronunciation guides, and biblical insights delivered to your inbox.
Enjoyed this? Share it with your Bible study group:
Enjoyed This Article? Get One Every Day.
12,000+ Christians receive a free Hebrew word study every morning. Each lesson takes just 2 minutes and includes audio pronunciation, Scripture context, and practical application.