During the frosty winter nights, there's nothing better to lift your spirits than thoughts of Christmas and New Year's.
As you hum along to Christmas carols and indulge in holiday movies, you might realize there's a gap in your Spanish Christmas vocabulary.
Fortunately, this post is brimming with Spanish words related to Christmas that will not only fill your stocking but also enhance your festive sentences!
Feliz Navidad — Merry Christmas (literally: “Happy Christmas”)
Felices Fiestas — Happy Holidays
Próspero Año Nuevo — Happy New Year (literally: “Prosperous New Year”)
Festive Days and Events in Spanish
La Nochebuena — Christmas Eve
This means “good night” and usually consists of a large meal.
La Misa del Gallo — Midnight Mass
This means “Rooster’s Mass.” Many Catholic families attend this mass at midnight on Christmas Eve as part of their annual celebrations.
La Navidad — Christmas
El Día de Navidad — Christmas Day
El Día de los Santos Inocentes — Day of the Holy Innocents
This holiday is celebrated on December 28th. Though it has Biblical origins, it is now much like the American April Fool’s Day where people play small pranks on each other.
La Nochevieja — New Year’s Eve
This means “old night.”
Un Año Nuevo — New Year
El Día de Año Nuevo — New Year’s Day
La Noche de Reyes — Night of Kings
The name of this holiday refers to the Three Kings most Americans are familiar with.
It occurs on the night of January 5th into the morning of the 6th.
Most gifts are traditionally delivered by the Three Kings during this night. On Christmas, the children just receive small gifts.
