Spanish Phrases: Christmas and the New Year

This page deals with various Spanish words and phrases connected with Christmas. The first are general items of vocabulary for naming dates, general Christmas activities:

la Navidad	-	Christmas
¡feliz Navidad!	-	Merry Christmas!
¡feliz año nuevo!	-	Happy New Year!
navideño	-	Christmas (adjective), Christmassy
durante las vacaciones de Navidad	-	in the Christmas Holidays
regalos	-	presents
la Nochebuena	-	Christmas Eve
el Día de Navidad	-	Christmas Day
el Día de Reyes	-	Epiphany
el 26 de diciembre	-	Boxing Day (not really a special day outside the UK!)
la Nochevieja, la Noche del año viejo	-	New Year's Eve
el Día del Año Year	-	New Year's Day
envolver los regalos	-	to wrap the presents
mandarles tarjetas/regalos de Navidad a sus amigos	-	to send friends Christmas cards/presents
le mandé una tarjeta (de Navidad) a mi hermano	-	I sent my brother a (Christmas) card
(ir a) un mercado navideño	-	(to go to) a Christmas market
(organizar) una fiesta navideña	-	(to have) a Christmas party
la comida navideña	-	Christmas food/"dinner"1
me regalaron para la Navidad ...	-	I got ... for Christmas

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1. Actually lunch...

Christmas decorations

Here are the Spanish names of some common Christmas decorations:

adornos de Navidad	-	Christmas decorations
poner un árbol de Navidad	-	to put a Christmas tree up
un pino	-	a pine tree
decorar el árbol	-	to decorate the tree
esferas	-	baubles
diamantina	-	glitter
oropel	-	tinsel
una piñata	-	a piņata
(las) luces de Navidad	-	(the) Christmas tree lights, Christmas lights
un nacimiento	-	a crib, Nativity
un belén	-	a crib, Nativity (Spain)
velas	-	candles
colgar	-	to hang
(está) colgado en la pared	-	(it's) hanging on the wall

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Things, events, places and figures associated with Christmas

Here are the Spanish words for various things associated with Christmas. Of course, not all of these images are culturally relevant in all Spanish-speaking countries, which are largely Catholic and predominantly hot (if it could snow, your snowmen would melt pretty quickly at 30 degrees Celcius)!

Belén	-	Bethlehem
María y José	-	Mary and Joseph
el nacimiento de Jesús	-	the Birth of Jesus
el pesebre	-	the Manger
los reyes (magos)	-	the Three Wise Men
la Misa del Gallo	-	Midnight Mass
Papa Noel, Santa Claus	-	Father Christmas, Santa, Santa Claus
un reno	-	a reindeer
los renos	-	the reindeer
el trineo de Papa Noel	-	Santa's sleigh
cascabeles	-	sleighbells
"Rodolfo de la Nariz Roja"	-	"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (generally less known in Spanish speaking countries)
Santa Claus	-	Santa, Santa Claus
San Nicolás	-	St Nicholas
Groenlandia	-	Greenland
villancicos	-	carols
niños/personas que cantan villancicos	-	(child/adult) carolsingers
la nieve	-	snow
está nevando	-	it's snowing
(hacer) un muñeco de nieve	-	(to build) a snowman
(lanzar) bolas de nieve	-	(to throw) snowballs

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Christmas food and drink

Here are some translations of Anglosaxon Christmas food, plus the names of some traditional Christmas food from Spanish-speaking countries:

bacalao	-	cod (eaten in Latin American countries where it is more of a delicacy than in Europe!)
budín	-	pudding
buñuelos	-	type of fritters
(el) brandy	-	brandy
(el) champán	-	champagne
(la) cidra	-	cider
colaciones	-	chocolate or sugar-coated nut snacks
fruit cake	-	Chritsmas cake, fruit cake
lomo mechado	-	stuffed pork
pavo	-	turkey
(mole de) guajolote	-	turkey (in chocolate mole sauce)
ponche	-	fruit punch
romeros	-	traditional Mexican dish made with seed and prawn dumplings and mole sauce
una rosca de reyes	-	a king cake, Epiphany cake (common in Spain and Mexico)
un tronco de Navidad	-	a Yule log

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