New Years Greetings in German, Region by Region

When you want to say Happy New Year to someone in German, you will most often use the phrase  Frohes neues Jahr.  Yet, when youre in different regions of Germany or other German-speaking countries, you may hear different ways to wish someone well in the new year.   Augsburg University in Bavaria conducted a study to find out which New Years greetings dominated certain regions in Germany. The results are quite interesting, with some areas of Germany sticking with tradition, while others offer variations of the greeting. "Frohes Neues Jahr" The German expression,  Frohes neues Jahr  literally translates to Happy New Year. It is widely used in German-speaking countries, particularly in the northern and western states of Germany. This phrase is most common in northern Hesse (the home of Frankfurt), Lower Saxony (including the cities of Hanover and Bremen),  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (the coastal state along the Baltic Sea), and  Schleswig-Holstein (the state that borders Denmark). As often happens, some Germans prefer a shorter version and will simply use  Frohes neues. This is especially true in many areas of Hesse and in the wine country of Mittelrhein. "Prosit Neujahr" It is becoming increasingly more common for many German speakers to use  Prosit Neujahr  instead of the traditional Happy New Year. In German,  prosit  means cheers and  neujahr  is a compound word for new year. This phrase is scattered regionally and is often used in the area around the northern city of Hamburg and northwestern Lower Saxony. You will also likely hear it in many parts of western Germany, particularly around the city of Mannheim. There is also a smattering of its usage in the southeastern region of Germany in the state of Bayern. This may be due, in part, to an influence from eastern Austria and Vienna, where  Prosit Neujahr  is also a popular greeting. "Gesundes Neues Jahr" The German phrase  Gesundes  neues  Jahr  translates to Healthy New Year. You will hear this greeting most often when traveling through eastern regions of Germany, including the cities of Dresden and Nuremberg as well as the Franconia region in the south-central part of Germany. It may also be shortened to  Gesundes neues. "Gutes Neues Jahr" Meaning Good New Year, the German phrase  Gutes neues Jahr  is also popular. This version is most often used in the country of Austria. In Switzerland and the German state of  Baden-Wà ¼rttemberg in the southwest corner of the country, you may hear this phrase shortened to Gutes neues. Its also possible that youll hear this saying in the state of Bavaria, which includes Munich and Nuremberg. Yet, its most often concentrated to the south, closer to the Austrian border. Standard New Year's Greeting If you are unsure of which greeting to use or find yourself in an area of Germany not described previously, you can use a few standard New Years greetings that are widely accepted. They are: Alles Gute  zum  neuen  Jahr! Best wishes for the new year!Einen  guten  Rutsch ins  neue  Jahr! A good start in the new year!Ein glà ¼ckliches  neues  Jahr! Happy New Year!Glà ¼ck und Erfolg  im  neuen  Jahr! Good fortune and success in the new year!Zum neuen Jahr Gesundheit, Glà ¼ck und viel Erfolg! Health, happiness, and much success in the new year! Use one of these phrases, and you cant go wrong, regardless of where you find yourself throughout Germany or German-speaking counties.