December 1, 2020 by Michelle Margaret Fajkus Spanish for Kids, Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

Merry Christmas in Spanish: Words and Phrases for the Holidays

How do you say “Merry Christmas” in Spanish? Feliz navidad, of course. But you probably knew that already, thanks to the catchy pop song of the same name. This post delves into the essential Spanish vocabulary for not only Christmas but also Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

December is the most festive month of the year because it contains a plethora of holidays across varied religions and cultures. Just about anywhere in the world, it’s a month to spend quality time with family and friends, connect with our faith or culture, exchange gifts, and indulge in special foods and treats.

“Merry Christmas” in Spanish: Vocabulary

Knowing how to wish someone a merry Christmas in Spanish definitely comes in handy around Christmas time, but don’t stop there! Here’s some more vocabulary to take the conversation further.

Merry Christmas in Spanish: General Terms

La Navidad, El día de Navidad – Christmas
La Nochebuena – Christmas Eve
El árbol de Navidad – Christmas tree
Los regalos – presents
El brindis – toast
Papá Noel – Santa Claus
La chimenea – chimney
El trineo – sleigh
Los renos – reindeer
El villancico – Christmas carol
La tarjeta de Navidad – Christmas card
La nieve – snow
Las campanas – bells
El muñeco de nieve – snowman
El elfo – elf

Merry Christmas in Spanish: Common Greetings

¡Feliz navidad! – Merry Christmas!
¡Felices fiestas! – Happy holidays!
Que pases lindo esta navidad. – Have a nice time this Christmas.
¡Te deseo una feliz navidad! – I wish you a Merry Christmas!
¡Mis mejores deseos para esta navidad! – Best wishes for this Christmas!

Merry Christmas in Spanish: Decorations

Los adornos – decorations
La guirnalda – garland
El muérdago – mistletoe
Las luces – lights
Las velas – candles
La estrella – star
El cascanueces – nutcracker
El calcetín navideño – stocking
El oropel – tinsel

Merry Christmas in Spanish: Comida

El turrón – nougat
El mazapán – marzipan
Las galleta – cookies
Los nueces – nuts
Las castañas – chestnuts
El pavo – turkey
El champán – champagne
El vino – wine
La sidra – cider
El ponche de huevo – eggnog
El chocolate caliente – hot cocoa
El bastón de caramelo – candy cane
La casa de jengibre – gingerbread house

Merry Christmas in Spanish: Religious Terms

Even though Christmas has become a commercial event observed by people of diverse belief systems, it was originally a Christian holiday. In Spanish-speaking countries, where the majority of the population is Christian (mostly Catholic or evangelical), the everyday language is full of religious terminology—especially around Christmastime.

That’s why it’s useful to learn some of the religious Christmas vocabulary in Spanish, whether you are religious yourself or not.

¡Que Dios te bendiga! – God bless you!
Bendiciones – blessings
El niño Jesús – Baby Jesus
La virgen María – Virgin Mary
La iglesia – church
La misa – Mass
La Misa de Gallo – midnight Mass
¿A qué hora es la misa? – What time is the mass held?
El belén / pesebre – nativity scene
El ángel – angel

Merry Christmas in Spanish: Verbs and Adjectives

Desear – to wish
Decorar – to decorate
Celebrar – to celebrate
Regalar – to gift
Abrir los regalos – to open the presents
Alegre – jolly
Travieso/a – naughty
Agradable – nice
Tranquilo/a – peaceful

Merry Christmas in Spanish: Family and Classroom Activities

1. Sing Christmas Carols

Learning Spanish through music is fun and effective for both children and adults. Many Spanish Christmas carols (villancicos) are translated from English, such as “Noche de Paz” (Silent Night) and “El niño del tambor” (The Little Drummer Boy). Others were written originally in Spanish and feature new melodies and lyrics.

Catchy, simple, repetitive villancicos are ideal for children, for example:

“A las doce de la noche” (At Midnight)
“Campana sobre campana” (Bell over Bell)
“Mi Burrito Sabanero” (The Donkey from the Savannah)

2. Illustrate a Christmas Carol

Encourage your kids or students to illustrate a song once they’re familiar with it. Hang their artwork up to motivate your students and reinforce the vocabulary you worked on. They will love seeing their drawings on the wall!

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3. Act Out Las Posadas

Many Spanish-speaking countries observe Las Posadas (also known as La Novena), a nine-day celebration from December 16 to 24. The holiday is traditionally celebrated with a performance involving two groups: an outside group that represents Mary and Joseph called los peregrinos (the pilgrims) and an inside group that represents the lodge (los posaderos).

The outside group goes from house to house pidiendo posada (asking for lodging) until one house lets them in. Each group sings its part. IThe act ends with praying inside the house and/or a party with sweets and regalitos (little gifts) for the children.

Teach your kids or students the Posadas song and discuss its meaning. If you’re a teacher, divide your class in two groups: the peregrinos and the posaderos. The peregrinos will sing outside the door until the inside group lets them in.

Learn more details from our blog post The Latin American Tradition of Las Posadas to get the full scoop on this inspiring tradition!

Happy Hanukkah in Spanish

The Jewish festival of Janucá lasts for eight days and falls between late November and the end of December each year. The dates vary each year because Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev, the ninth month in the Hebrew calendar.

Use these words and phrases to talk about Hanukkah en español:

¡Feliz Janucá! – Happy Hanukkah!
La Fiesta de las luminarias – Festival of Lights
La Fiesta de la dedicación – Feast of Dedication
La moneda – coin
La peonza – dreidel
Ocho días – eight days
Judío – Jewish
Kosher – kosher
La januquiá – special nine-branched menorah for Hanukkah
La menorá – regular seven-branched menorah
El milagro – miracle
La oración – prayer
El rabino – rabbi
El sabbat – Sabbath
La estrella de David – star of David
Una tortita de patata – potato pancake, latke

Check out these fun resources for Hanukkah lessons and activities in the Spanish classroom.

Celebra Hanukkah con un cuento de Bubbe, a story of three Jewish siblings looking forward to eating their grandmother’s delicious latkes as part of the Hanukkah celebration. (“Bubbe” is the Yiddish word for grandmother.)

But there aren’t enough latkes for everyone! Will they all remember Bubbe’s story of generosity, or are the latkes too tempting to pass up?

Happy Kwanzaa in Spanish

Kwanzaa is a non-religious holiday that was created in 1966 by a professor named Maulana Karenga at California State University. The name comes from Swahili and means the “first fruits” of harvest. One of its objectives is to restore roots in African culture.

Kwanzaa has become a cultural touchstone for approximately 28 million people worldwide. Its three symbolic candle colors are black, green, and red, representing respectively the people, their struggle, and hope for the future. People who observe Kwanzaa reflect on the Nguzo Saba with seven principles from December 26 to January 1.

English	Spanish	Swahili
Unity	la unidad	Umoja
Self-determination	la autodeterminación	Kujichagulia
Collective work and responsibility	el trabajo y la responsabilidad colectivo	Ujima
Cooperative economics	la economía cooperativa	Ujamaa
Purpose	el objetivo y dirección	Nia
Creativity	la creatividad	Kuumba
Faith	la fe	Imani

Use these words and phrases to talk about Kwanzaa in Spanish:

África – Africa
El africano / la africana – African
Afro Estadounidense – African-American
El patrimonio – heritage
La cosecha – harvest
La esperanza – hope
La humanidad – humanity
La meditación – meditation
El renacimiento – rebirth
El respeto – respect
La lucha – struggle
El cáliz de la Unidad – Unity cup

Read Celebra Kwanzaa con Boots y sus gatitos, the story of an African-American family that gets together to celebrate Kwanzaa. Will the celebration be spoiled because their beloved cat, Boots, is missing? The family sets off on a quest to find Boots by putting the seven values celebrated in Kwanzaa into practice.

¡Felices Fiestas!

Why and how are you celebrating your holiday this month? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Want more amazing Spanish content for you and your family? Check out these posts:

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Michelle Margaret Fajkus

Editor & Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Michelle Margaret Fajkus is a bilingual writer and longtime yoga teacher. A former advertising copywriter turned bilingual elementary school teacher, she is now a freelance writer, editor and translator. A native Texan, Michelle has Mexican roots and learned Spanish in middle and high school. She has become more fluent thanks to living as an expat in Guatemala. She lives with her family on beautiful Lake Atitlan.