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Άγια Νύχτα
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This page contains a translation into English of the lyrics to the popular Greek song "Ayia Nihta" (Άγια Νύχτα), which was sung by Elena Paparizou and many others. Also included is a pronunciation guide for the Greek lyrics so you can sing along if you like. Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes. If you like the song, please purchase either the album or a download from an authorized source. About this SongThe Greek song "Ayia Nihta" is based on the Christmas carol "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber, to lyrics by Joseph Mohr. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. English-speaking people know it as "Silent Night, Holy Night", and Arabic speakers know the beautiful version by Feirouz named "Sawt el-Eid". About Elena PaparizouElena Paparizou, also known professionally as Helena Paparizou, was the vocalist who popularized this song. She initially rose to fame as a member of a duet known as Antique which was together 1999-2003. Her partner was Nikos Panayiotidis (Νίκος Παναγιωτίδης). Both were born and raised in Sweden to Greek parents, and had known each other since they were children. They were brought together by two Swedish (non-Greek) music producers. Nikos is a singer and bouzouki player. Paparizou's perfect accent in English made her songs very popular as the two of them began to mix Greek and English lyrics. All songs released under Antique's collaboration were a huge success. Antique first appeared on the scene in 2001 when they performed on the Eurovision television show, which is a renowned European music competition. They featured their hit song "I Would Die For You", which included lyrics in both Greek and English, and they won third place. According to Elena, Antique was a "Nordic beats with Greek influences" band. Their first song made it in the top 10 in Sweden — something which is rare, as usually other language genres make it big in the west. Antique albums have sold worldwide, including in the Arabian Gulf. They have also toured the world in concert. |
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Song: Ayia Nihta (Holy Night) Greek Lyrics: Kostas Papadimitriou Music: Franz Xaver Gruber Recorded By: Elena Paparizou (and many others) |
Τραγούδι: Άγια Νύχτα Ελληνικά Στίχοι: Κώστας Παπαδημητρίου Μουσική: Φρανζ Χαβερ Γκρυμπερ κ Τζοσεφ Μορ Ερμηνευτές: Έλενα Παπαρίζου |
Lyrics
The studio release recorded by Elena Paparizou contains only the first two stanzas below. The rest of the song has been performed by many others in live concerts and recordings.
Numbers in parentheses refer to footnotes that appear at the bottom of the translation.
Greek Lyrics |
Pronunciation |
English Translation |
| Άγια Νύχτα, σε προσμένουν | Ayia Nihta se prosmenoun | Holy Night awaits you |
| με χαρά οι Χριστιανοί | me hara ee Hristiani | with joy, the Christians |
| και με πίστη ανυμνούμε |
ke me pisti animnoume | and with faith remember |
| το Θεό δοξολογούμε | to Theo doxologoume | to God praise |
| μ' ένα στόμα, μια φωνή |
m' ena stoma, mia foni | with one mouth, one voice. |
| ναι, με μια φωνή | ne, me mia foni | Yes, with one voice. |
| Η ψυχή μας φτερουγίζει | ee psihi mas fterouyizi | Our souls with wings fly |
| πέρα στ' Άγια τα βουνά | pera st' Ayia ta vouna | toward the Holy mountains |
| όπου ψάλλουν οι αγγέλοι |
opou psaloun ee agelee | where the angels are chanting, |
| απ' τα ουράνια θεία μέλη | ap' ta ourania thia meli | from heavenly divine members, |
| στο Σωτήρα Ωσαννά | sto Sotira Osanna | for the Savior, "Hosanna". |
| ψάλλουν Ωσαννά | psaloun Osanna | They chant "Hosanna". |
| Στης Βηθλεέμ ελάτε όλοι | stis Bethlem elate oli | Come all to Bethlehem, |
| τα βουνά τα ιερά |
ta vouna ta iera | the holy moutains. |
| και μ' ευλάβεια μεγάλη |
k m' evlavia megali | And with big reverence, |
| 'κει που Άγιο Φως προβάλλει | 'kee pou Ayio Fos provali | there where Holy Light come from. |
| προσκυνήστε με χαρά |
proskiniste me hara | with joy worship (1) |
| ναι, με μια χαρά | ne, me mia hara | yes, with one joy |
- This refers to doing a physical act of worship, such as bending forward, kneeling, kissing a religious object, or physically bowing down to pray. It's not just saying words, it's the physical act as well.
Translations of
Elena Paparizou's Songs On This Site
Translations on this web site of songs performed by Elena Paparizou and Antique include:
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Other Related Translations
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About the Translator
This page was contributed by Panayiota Bakis, who is happy to share her culture and music she grew up with! Here's how Panayiota describes her background:
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