Festive greetings in Spain: How to wish your local friends a merry Christmas and a happy new year

EVERYONE knows the phrase ‘feliz navidad’, but do you know other festive greetings that will make you seem like a local?

Feliz navidad

Meaning ‘Happy Christmas’ this is a popular phrase in the festive season, especially thanks to Jose Feliciano’s famous Christmas tune.

Try saying ‘Te deseo un feliz navidad’ or ‘¡Que pases un feliz Navidad!’ which means ‘I wish you a Merry Christmas’

Felices fiestas

Although you may recognise ‘fiesta’ as the word for party, it can be used in a more general way to mean ‘celebrations’. The most appropriate translation of ‘felices fiestas’ would be ‘happy holidays’.

Mis mejores deseos para navidad y año nuevo

This phrase could be useful for writing Christmas cards as it means ‘best wishes for Christmas and the New Year’.

Mucho cariño para ti y tu familia esta Navidad

Similarly, use this phrase to wish ‘lots of love for you and your family this Christmas’.

Feliz año nuevo

This phrase means ‘Happy New Year’ but if you really want to sound like a local you can shorten it to simply ‘feliz año’, meaning ‘happy year’.

Que tengas un próspero año

If you’ve still got ‘Feliz Navidad’ stuck in your head, you may recognise the phrase ‘prospero año’ meaning ‘prosperous year’. Like the song, the phrase is used to wish people a happy New Year.

Este año te deseo amor, dinero y salud

If you know someone who didn’t win the famed ‘El Gordo’ Christmas lottery, this phrase could be particularly useful meaning ‘this year, I wish you love, money and health’.

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