All Slavic Languages: Greetings for Easter! (2025)

Hello to everyone!

Its good to be back in this forum...
I want to know, how do you greet each other for Easter in your native language and according to your customs?! I know due to religion differences, there could be many mismatches, but still I want to see what's common and what's not...

So in Bulgarian when we want to greet somebody with Easter we say:

Христос Воскресе! (Christ resurrected!)
and the answer we get is....
Воистина воскресе! (Yes He did indeed!) or (He really resurrected!)

Easter in Bulgaria is called Великден, lat. Velikden (A Great Day). but we never say 'Happy Eeaster!', like "Честит Великден" or something like that, because we use the above mentioned greeting. So how does it stand for you?!

cecoll said:

Hello to everyone!

Its good to be back in this forum...
I want to know, how do you greet each other for Easter in your native language and according to your customs?! I know due to religion differences, there could be many mismatches, but still I want to see what's common and what's not...

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In Croatia, we just use the pretty bland "Sretan Uskrs!" ("Happy Easter!"). I'm pretty sure that the Church Slavonic greeting "Hristos vaskrse!" is common to all Orthodox Slavic nations.

cecoll said:

Hello to everyone!

Its good to be back in this forum...
I want to know, how do you greet each other for Easter in your native language and according to your customs?! I know due to religion differences, there could be many mismatches, but still I want to see what's common and what's not...

So in Bulgarian when we want to greet somebody with Easter we say:

Христос Воскресе! (Christ resurrected!)
and the answer we get is....
Воистина воскресе! (Yes He did indeed!) or (He really resurrected!)

Easter in Bulgaria is called Великден, lat. Velikden (A Great Day). but we never say 'Happy Eeaster!', like "Честит Великден" or something like that, because we use the above mentioned greeting. So how does it stand for you?!

Click to expand...

Same in Serbian.

Hristos Vaskrse!
and you should answer:
Vaistinu vaskrse.
You can also say voskrese, but recently I've been told it's not correct, although I have been saying voskrese all my life...

A question to our Serbian and Bulgarian friends (and those from other Orthodox nations as may use this greeting): Христос се роди and Христос Васкрсе look like much more than a greeting, it is also a declaration of faith. So imagine that you are not Christian (doesn't matter much whether Muslim, atheist, or anything else*) and want to wish your Christian friend all the best for Christmas/Easter - is the greeting so much formulaic and emptied of meaning that you would still use it, or would you use something different? And if so, what? Честит Беликден/Срећан Васкрс even though these are otherwhise not common greetings? Or avoid mention of the specific holiday altogether and say something like "угодни празници"?

Just curious...

*In fact it may matter. Islam shares a lot of common believes with Christianity, so a declaration of Christian faith need not neccessarily contradict Islamic teachings. But as far as I recall the two faiths diverge on the matter of Christ's resurrection.

beclija said:

A question to our Serbian and Bulgarian friends (and those from other Orthodox nations as may use this greeting): Христос се роди and Христос Васкрсе look like much more than a greeting, it is also a declaration of faith. So imagine that you are not Christian (doesn't matter much whether Muslim, atheist, or anything else*) and want to wish your Christian friend all the best for Christmas/Easter - is the greeting so much formulaic and emptied of meaning that you would still use it, or would you use something different? And if so, what? Честит Беликден/Срећан Васкрс even though these are otherwhise not common greetings? Or avoid mention of the specific holiday altogether and say something like "угодни празници"?

Just curious...

*In fact it may matter. Islam shares a lot of common believes with Christianity, so a declaration of Christian faith need not neccessarily contradict Islamic teachings. But as far as I recall the two faiths diverge on the matter of Christ's resurrection.

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Well, if the friend is Muslim, I wouldn't have any need to wish him happy Christmas/Easter, because they do not celebrate anything connected with Christ. And if it is a Catholic christian, I just say in a way they say it: To Croats I say? Sretan Uskrs/Bozic. Anyway this year is special since Orthodox and Catholic Christmas coincide, bu normally when Orthodox celebrate it, Chatolics don't and vice versa, so according to whose Christmas/Easter is iquestion, it should be said in their own way: ie. if it is Chatolic Easter, then it should be said Sretan Uskrs, and if it is Orthodox one, then it should be Hristos se rodi.

PS: One thing more, because I have just seen this one. Hristos se rodi at least in Serbia has the full meaning of faith and belief. Sretni praznici would say someone who don't mind much about tradition, or is atheist who don't take care much about the feelings of believers (not that anyone would get hurt if someone fails to say it, but it's just... unusual).

Христос се роди and Христос Васкрсе look like much more than a greeting, it is also a declaration of faith.

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Same impression here...

We say "Veselé Velikonoce", Merry Easter.

natasha2000 said:

Well, if the friend is Muslim, I wouldn't have any need to wish him happy Christmas/Easter, because they do not celebrate anything connected with Christ. And if it is a Catholic christian, I just say in a way they say it: To Croats I say? Sretan Uskrs/Bozic. Anyway this year is special since Orthodox and Catholic Christmas coincide, bu normally when Orthodox celebrate it, Chatolics don't and vice versa, so according to whose Christmas/Easter is iquestion, it should be said in their own way: ie. if it is Chatolic Easter, then it should be said Sretan Uskrs, and if it is Orthodox one, then it should be Hristos se rodi.

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But my question was meant the other way round: How would your Muslim friend wish you as an Orthodox "Happy Easter"?

Russian:

Христос Воскресе!

Воистину воскресе!

beclija said:

But my question was meant the other way round: How would your Muslim friend wish you as an Orthodox "Happy Easter"?

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Well... I wouldn't expect from him to say anything what would may hurt his beliefs, provided he is a religious practicing Muslim. I don't have any Muslim friends, but I guess it depends on each person - some would say Hristos se rodi just because of respect to my holiday, and some maybe wouldn't... I guess that I would use the special phrase (if any) to wish happy Ramadan or whatever Muslim holiday to my friend if I knew he/she is activ practicving Muslim and that it is something important for him. So I guess I wouldn't expect less the other way round. In the end, I guess this question is better to be answered by Muslims themselves.

natasha2000 said:

Same in Serbian.
Hristos Vaskrse!
and you should answer:
Vaistinu vaskrse.
You can also say voskrese, but recently I've been told it's not correct, although I have been saying voskrese all my life...

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Really? Why is it incorrect?
I've been using it all my life as well. And it is the one greeting you can hear in Church: Hristos voskrese. Vaistinu voskrese! But it is all the same, I guess. One term is Serbian, other Church Slavonic.

beclija said:

A question to our Serbian and Bulgarian friends (and those from other Orthodox nations as may use this greeting): Христос се роди and Христос Васкрсе look like much more than a greeting, it is also a declaration of faith. So imagine that you are not Christian (doesn't matter much whether Muslim, atheist, or anything else*) and want to wish your Christian friend all the best for Christmas/Easter - is the greeting so much formulaic and emptied of meaning that you would still use it, or would you use something different? And if so, what?

Click to expand...

If I were an atheist I would probably just use: Srećan Uskrs (Vaskrs) / Božić.
Me as a believer, If not sure about smo confession, would probably combine both greetings. If I were to congratulate religious holidays to non-Orthodox Christians, I would just say Srećan Uskrs (Vaskrs) / Božić.

beclija said:

*In fact it may matter. Islam shares a lot of common believes with Christianity, so a declaration of Christian faith need not neccessarily contradict Islamic teachings. But as far as I recall the two faiths diverge on the matter of Christ's resurrection.

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And his nature. Muslims accept him as a prophet, we accept him as the Son of God.

Maja said:

And his nature. Muslims accept him as a prophet, we accept him as the Son of God.

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True. But his nature is not relevant to whether or not uttering "Hristos vaskrse" would be lying from a Muslim's point of view.

beclija said:

So you would expect an atheist or Muslim to say something that is in contradiction to their beliefs just out of respect for you? I find it hard to equate "Ramadan mubarek" (mubarek=Arabic "blessed" - I can wish someone a blessed time without myself believing that there is anything special about this time) with an explicit declaration of a faith that is not mine.
So, if the standard greeting for Ramadan where "Muhammedu resulullah" (=Muhammed je Božji poslanik) instead of the rather neutral "Ramadan mubarek", would you also use it just out of respect for a Muslim friend?

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Not exactly like this. I myself am an atheist, but I respect religious tradition no matter which one is in question. So, I would be pleased if a Muslim or a Catholic said to me Hristos se rodi, because I would also say to them their usual phrases for their religious holidays, but if they don't, I wouldn't feel bad, nor I think that anyone would. So, pleased if it happens, yes, but not unhappy if it doesn't happen. Hell, it happens to me all the time, since all Spansih friends I have wish me happy THEIR Easter/Christmas etc., and I do not make any fuss about it, since I know most of them don't even know what is Orthodox religion, let alone when an how I celebrate ortodox holidays. I also have a few of them who were intereseted enough to ask and to remember and now they wish me happy ortodox holidays even trying to say it in Serbian, which I find so cute and I really appreciate it, even though I am not religious. Intention is what counts, at leat in my case.

On the other hand, if I had a friend that is practicing Muslim, I would like to know all about their holidays, and I would try to wish him happy muslim holidays in a way they do it. I find it more as an expression of respect for the other human being, his beliefs and him as a person, than as expression of my own beliefs...
But then... That's only me...

I really don't mind sying Mohammad blessed if I know this would please my friend. After all, these are only words...

Maja said:

Really? Why is it incorrect?
I've been using it all my life as well. And it is the one greeting you can hear in Church: Hristos voskrese. Vaistinu voskrese! But it is all the same, I guess. One term is Serbian, other Church Slavonic.

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I was surprised, too... As I said, I heve been saying Voskrese all my life...

In Polish we oft say:
Wesołych Świąt Wielkiej Nocy (i mokrego Dyngusa).
Merry Easter (and a wet Dyngus)

You can also come across (especially printed on postcards) Chrystus zmartwychwstał (Christ resurrected).

Tom

Maja said:

If I were an atheist I would probably just use: Srećan Uskrs (Vaskrs) / Božić.
Me as a believer, If not sure about smo confession, would probably combine both greetings. If I were to congratulate religious holidays to non-Orthodox Christians, I would just say Srećan Uskrs (Vaskrs) / Božić.

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On a related note, I'm curious which name for Easter (Uskrs or Vaskrs) is used more frequently in Serbia these days?

As an agnostic theist, I celebrated by saying Chestit Velikden to my Christian friends and to the Christian members of my family beacuse it is also a celebration (that's my point of view) that's beacuse Jesus resurrected! http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Atr%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82+%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD&btnG=Google+Search

But if I was a Christian, I would say Hristos Voskrese as well..! That's better!

I am mixed (Bulgaro-Turkish) like the other mixed Slavs such as Tito, Saksgoburggotski, Bregovich

Athaulf said:

On a related note, I'm curious which name for Easter (Uskrs or Vaskrs) is used more frequently in Serbia these days?

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Uskrs, definitely. Vaskrs is archaic form and it is used in ceremonial sentences or when quoting Bible or something similar. But in normal everydays speech, Uskrs is much more common (if not the only one) word that is used.

natasha2000 said:

Uskrs, definitely. Vaskrs is archaic form and it is used in ceremonial sentences or when quoting Bible or something similar. But in normal everydays speech, Uskrs is much more common (if not the only one) word that is used.

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What about the related verb uskrsnuti/vaskrsnuti? From Serbian books and newspapers, I got the (perhaps wrong) impression that the latter form is used in Serbia more frequently. Is it possible that Vaskrs sounds archaic, but not the verb vaskrsnuti?

Athaulf said:

What about the related verb uskrsnuti/vaskrsnuti? From Serbian books and newspapers, I got the (perhaps wrong) impression that the latter form is used in Serbia more frequently. Is it possible that Vaskrs sounds archaic, but not the verb vaskrsnuti?

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Yes, it would appear so. Uskrs is more used amongst regular folk, and Vaskrs amongst the clergy and devoted believers. However, the verb vaskrsnuti is the one used for the Lord's resurrection. I don't think I ever heard anyone say Hristos je uskrsao.

Q-cumber said:

Russian:

Христос Воскресе!

Воистину воскресе!

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Maybe I missed something but unlike Bulgarian in Russian it's more common to say:
Statement: Христос воскрес!
Reply: Воистину воскрес!

It's the same meaning as in Bulgarian, of course.

Just "Весёлой Пасхи!" (Merry Easter!) or "Счастливой Пасхи!" (Happy Easter) are also OK.