Special Vocabulary: Christmas

Spanish Phrases: Christmas and the New Year

This list deals with various Spanish words and phrases connected with Christmas. The first are general items of vocabulary for naming dates and 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 Nuevo - 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
(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
me regalaron para la Navidad ... - I got ... for Christmas

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 - Christmas cracker
(las) luces de Navidad - (the) Christmas tree lights, Christmas lights
un belén - a crib, Nativity
velas - candles
colgar - to hang

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
Papá 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 make) a snowman
(lanzar) bolas de nieve - (to throw) snowballs

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
brandy - brandy
champán - champagne
cidra - cider
colaciones - chocolate or sugar-coated nut snacks
fruit cake - Chritsmas cake, fruit cake
cerdo mechado - stuffed pork
pavo - turkey
ponche - fruit punch
una rosca de reyes - a king cake, Epiphany cake (common in Spain and Mexico)
un tronco de Navidad - a Yule log