why is happy and merry the same
I am trying to write in spanish Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year, Why is happy and merry the same
7 Answers
Merry Christmas is not universal. Many other cultures say Happy Christmas...., but ignoring that, you translate not word for word, but how the concept is expressed in the other language. If Spanish said Buena Navidad then that is how Merry would be translated.
Spanish happens to use Feliz in both phrases, but would be translated as how they are expressed in English.
We often say "Merry Christmas and a Happy New year"
But
If you reverse them "Happy Christmas and Merry New Year" that might please those that like a drink or two because "merry" can mean sometning like "tipsy" so would last a whole year instead of just the days of Christmas. 
The answer by LagartijaVerde prompted me to create an account here just to get to explain that, there does not need to be any type of alcoholic festivity for a person or group to be labeled "Merry" especially in regards to Christmas.
In short, the word "Merry" in the context of the questioner has nothing to do with "party-time". It has to do with having heartfelt joy and good tidings and spreading those good wishes to our fellow brothers and sisters celebrating the birth, death and resurrection of our lord Christ Jesus. Yes, Jesus is reason for this season and is why we do not celebrate his death but instead is life! We celebrate his birth, and then after being killed, his raising up after lying three days in a tomb dead just like he and other historical canonical accounts said that he would.
Okay now to the questioner's answer.
The term "Merry Christmas" in Spanish would most literally be translated as "Alegre Navidad" but is usually spoken "Feliz Navidad". Feliz and Alegre are both words for happy just like Happy and Merry are similar in English but Alegre is more closely associated with Merry than Happy. Both the English word Merry and the Spanish word Alegre are defined as cheerful, bright, delightful and depending on context can also be associated with tipsy. Since context is important to realize the true meaning of any word or phrase. Using this word in relation to a direct translation from English to Spanish in order to send a traditional greeting of "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" to a Spanish speaking individual you would most accurately proclaim in words or text either: "Alegre Navidad e Feliz Anos Nuevo !" or "Alegre Navidad e Feliz e Prospero Anos Nuevo a todos !" meaning Merry Christmas and Happy and Prosperous New Year to all !
GoodOlJoe!
They are very distinct terms. The antiquated use of them is illustrative. If I say "I want to be happy." I mean Quiero ser feliz The old phrase "to make merry" has a different connotation than "happy". To "make merry" is more en plan fiesta, la juerga.
If you compare the two words, "happy" is more passive, less expressive. "Merry" is more positive, more of a statement. Where "happy" does not exclude tranquility, a sense of peacefulness, "merry" carries a sense of boisterous and celebratory atmosphere, it's party-time.
I think, instead of Merry Christmas, we should should say Yuletide Felicitations! People of a "certain age" in the UK will know where I got that from...! 
In Scandinavia, they don't say Merry/Happy Christmas, but Good Yule (God Jul). Yule/Jul is a pre-Christian mid-winter festive in Northern Europe, celebrated on the shortest day of the year.
Incidentally, the winter solstice is also an important date in the Chinese calendar. It is called "little New Year". Another excuse to eat and drink, of course !!
In Spanish we often say:
¡Feliz navidad y próspero año nuevo!
Happy Christmas and a prosperous new year!
Because they mean the same thing in English?
Why do the people in the U.K. say "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas"? You'd think the darned English would be able to get it right, wouldn't you?
But you can't translate word for word. They're different languages, and the common way of saying things is different. In Spanish you say, "Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year". Why? Just because that's the way they do it.
Why don't you fill your shoes with hay for the camels instead of leaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus? Why don't you give presents on the day when the wise men arrived? Why do you put up Christmas trees and decorate your house with lights instead of putting out luminarias?
