There is restless energy in the air in Mumbai… something is stirring on the breeze … what could it be…
Whispers of a movement… the rustling… the last minute errands and purchases… perhaps a stolen lunch with a dear friend, and the air of expectancy… yes it is palpable now – it becomes more than a stirring… it is a small movement at first, but then it burgeons into a full blown frenzy as hundreds of expats finish packing and prepare to fly home for the holidays.
Yes it is time for the annual expat Christmas migration to mostly colder climes.
Many have already flown the coop, navigated the “thrill ride” that is Mumbai International Airport and have completed (in at least one case I know of) the twenty four hour journey to the warmth of the family bosom. For others like myself, we chomp at the bit, itinerary in hand, hovering and pacing as we wait for that final day of school to be over so we can scoop the kids up, load the suitcases and point cars to the airport.
It’s not that we don’t love our adopted city, its not that we don;t have good times here and and make unforgettable memories with great new friends… it’s not that Mumbai hasn’t embraced us and shown off for us and shown us what a great flirt she is… it’s not that we don’t appreciate her culture, diversity and warmth… quite the contrary… we love her for all these things.
However, when Christmas time rolls around there is a little spark that ignites in every expats heart, it is fanned by memories of family dinners, white christmases, christmas carols and blinking lights… it is fueled by ho ho hoeing and reindeers with red noses and earnest letters to Santa… it catches blaze with the thought of seeing loved ones, sharing hugs, kisses under the mistletoe and the warmth of family love. It is the fire of being home for Christmas, a veritable conflagration comprised of children and laughter and christmas trees and love and excitement… it is simply home… and there is nowhere else on earth quite like it at Christmas time.
So we wait restlessly, as we listen to the sounds of the city outside… and we dream of touching home soil as we bid adieu to Mumbai and 2012
Here’s to new memories in 2013
CHEERS!
Mumbai expats – MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Hindi – SHUB NAYA BARAS!
If you do not celebrate Christmas –
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, SEASONS GREETINGS!
All Around the World…
Afrikaans – “GeseÎnde Kersfees en ën Voorspoedige Nuwe Jaar.”
Arabic – “I’d Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida”
Argentine – “Felices Pasquas Y felices ano Nuevo”
Armenian – “Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand”
Basque – Eguberri on
Bohemian – “Vesele Vanoce”
Breton – “Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat”
Bulgarian – “Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo”
Chinese – [Mandarin] – “Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan”
Chinese – [Catonese] – “Saint Dan Fai Lok”
Cornish – “Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth”
Croatian – “Sretan Bozic i Nova Godina” (Merry Christmas & Happy New Year)
Czech – “Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok”
Danish – “GlÊdelig Jul”
Dutch – “Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar”
Inupiaq Eskimo (Kotzebue area in NW Alaska)-
Quvianagli Anaiyyuniqpaliqsi suli Nakuuluni Ukiutqiutiqsi–
(Merry Christmas) (and) (Happy New Year)
Estonian – “Haid joule ja head uut aastat”
Farsi – “Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad”
Filipino-“Maligayang Pasko”
Happy New Year in Filipino
“Manigong Bagong Taon”
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Filipino- “Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon”
Finnish – “Hyvaa joulua”
French – “Joyeux NoÎl”
German – “Froehliche Weihnachten”
Greek – “Kala Christouyenna”
Hawaiian – “Mele Kalikimaka”
Hebrew – “Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova”
Hungarian – “Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket”
Icelandic – “Gledileg Jol”
Indonesian – “Selamat Hari Natal”
Iraqi – “Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah”
Irish – “Nollaig Shona Dhuit”
Italian – “Buone Feste Natalizie”
Japanese –” Shinnen omedeto, kurisumasu omedeto.
The first part is translated “Happy New Year.
Kurisumasu omedeto means Merry Christmas.
Japanese people generally add the expression gozaimasu to indicate some humility.
Korean – “Sung Tan Chuk Ha”
Latvian – “Prieci’gus Ziemsve’tkus un Laimi’gu Jauno Gadu”
Lithuanian – “Linksmu Kaledu”
Navajo – “Merry Keshmish”
Norwegian – “God Jul”
Pennsylvania German – “En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr”
Polish – “Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia”
Portuguese – “Feliz Natal” “Boas Festas”(Good Holidays.)
Rumanian – “Sarbatori Fericite”
Russian – “Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva s Novim Godom”
Serbian – “Hristos se rodi”
Slovakian – “Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce”
Samoan – “La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou”
Scots Gaelic – “Nollaig chridheil huibh”
Serb-Croatian – “Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina”
Slovak – “Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok”
Slovene – “Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto”
Spanish – “Feliz Navidad”
Swedish – “God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt ≈r”
Tahitian -Merry Chrismas :” Ia orana te Noera”
and Happy new year is “Ia orana i te mata iti api”
Thai – “Sawadee Pee Mai”
Turkish – “Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun”
Ukrainian – “Z Rizdvom Khrystovym !” – “Merry Christmas”
” Z Novym Rokom !” – “Happy New Year”
“Z Rizdvom Khrystovym i Novym Rokom !” – both greetings together.
Vietnamese – “Chuc Mung Giang Sinh”
Welsh – “Nadolig Llawen”
Yugoslavian – “Cestitamo Bozic”
JAMAICAN – IRIE CHRISTMAS!
One LOve, One Heart, One People
