Happy Holidays — But Which One?

From "מועדים לשמחה" to "חג שמח": The Story Behind Our Holiday Greetings

The familiar greeting "חג שמח" rolls easily off the tongue during the Jewish holiday season — yet surprisingly, it wasn’t always part of Jewish tradition. In fact, it’s missing from the official list of blessings and polite expressions published by the Va’ad HaLashon (the precursor to the Academy of the Hebrew Language) back in 1928. Instead, the list included two other holiday greetings: "מועדים לשמחה" (“festive seasons for joy”) and "תזכו לשנים רבות" (“may you merit many more years”).

Both of these older blessings come from community traditions. "מועדים לשמחה" was common among many Jewish communities, both Ashkenazi and Sephardi, during the שלושת הרגלים (the three pilgrimage festivals — Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot). Its origin lies in the Amidah prayer and the holiday Kiddush:

“וַתִּתֶּן לָנוּ ה' אֱלהֵינוּ מוֹעֲדִים לְשִׂמְחָה חַגִּים וּזְמַנִּים לְשָׂשׂון...”Accordingly, in some traditions, the response to "מועדים לשמחה" is "חגים וזמנים לששון". Other variations include "מועדים לשלום", "מועד טוב", and "מועדים טובים" — the latter even appearing in the Book of Zechariah (8:19).

The blessing "תזכו לשנים רבות" (“may you merit many more years”) is traditional in Mizrahi and Yemenite communities. Some say it mainly during the Yamim Nora’im (High Holidays), while others use it for all three pilgrimage festivals. In Mizrahi custom, it’s often extended to "תזכו לשנים רבות ונעימות", to which one replies "תזכו ותחיו ותאריכו ימים". Among Yemenites, a common variation is "תזכו לשנים רבות ומועדים טובים", answered by "בחייך ובימיך הטובים".

So where did "חג שמח" come from?This modern greeting likely entered Hebrew under the influence of Yiddish ("פרעהליכן יום־טוב") and German ("Frohes Fest"). Interestingly, early language advisors debated whether it was appropriate Hebrew at all. Some objected, while others defended it by citing the Talmudic phrase "מפני מה מועדים שבבבל שמחים" (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 145b) and the biblical verse "וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַגֶּךָ" (Deuteronomy 16:14) — “and you shall rejoice in your festival.”

Ironically, the modern "חג שמח" has already developed its own mini-traditions. Some insist it should be used only for the שלושת הרגלים, since those are the only festivals explicitly called חג in the Bible. Others include Rosh Hashanah, citing "תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ" (Psalms 81:4), which some interpret as referring to the New Year. There are also those who prefer to say "חג שמח" only on Yom Tov, when work is prohibited, reserving the more traditional "מועדים לשמחה" for Chol HaMoed.

Let’s end with a particularly elaborate blessing, once customary in the al-Hujariyah region of southern Yemen:

The one blessing:“תוסיפו שנים רבות ומועדים טובים ששים ושמחים בחגיכם ובמועדיכם ובימיכם ובשניכם הטובים.”The one responding:“בחייך ובימיך הטובים.”

A true linguistic שיר הלל — a song of joy to the evolving language of celebration.