🎄 Holiday Culture

⏱ 11 min read

In this lesson, you'll learn useful English vocabulary and everyday expressions for talking about holidays, family celebrations, traditions, gifts, special meals, vacations, and holiday plans. Each English word and phrase includes translations in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.

🟢 Basic Holiday Vocabulary

📅 Public holiday

🇪🇸 Spanish: Día festivo
🇫🇷 French: Jour férié
🇩🇪 German: Feiertag
🇮🇹 Italian: Giorno festivo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Feriado
🎉 Celebration

🇪🇸 Spanish: Celebración
🇫🇷 French: Célébration
🇩🇪 German: Feier
🇮🇹 Italian: Celebrazione
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Celebração
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family

🇪🇸 Spanish: Familia
🇫🇷 French: Famille
🇩🇪 German: Familie
🇮🇹 Italian: Famiglia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Família
🎁 Gift

🇪🇸 Spanish: Regalo
🇫🇷 French: Cadeau
🇩🇪 German: Geschenk
🇮🇹 Italian: Regalo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Presente
🍽️ Dinner

🇪🇸 Spanish: Cena
🇫🇷 French: Dîner
🇩🇪 German: Abendessen
🇮🇹 Italian: Cena
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jantar
🎊 Party

🇪🇸 Spanish: Fiesta
🇫🇷 French: Fête
🇩🇪 German: Party / Feier
🇮🇹 Italian: Festa
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Festa

🟡 Holiday & Celebration Vocabulary

🎄 Christmas

🇪🇸 Spanish: Navidad
🇫🇷 French: Noël
🇩🇪 German: Weihnachten
🇮🇹 Italian: Natale
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Natal
🎆 New Year's Day

🇪🇸 Spanish: Año Nuevo
🇫🇷 French: Nouvel An
🇩🇪 German: Neujahr
🇮🇹 Italian: Capodanno
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ano Novo
🐣 Easter

🇪🇸 Spanish: Pascua
🇫🇷 French: Pâques
🇩🇪 German: Ostern
🇮🇹 Italian: Pasqua
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Páscoa
🕯️ Tradition

🇪🇸 Spanish: Tradición
🇫🇷 French: Tradition
🇩🇪 German: Tradition
🇮🇹 Italian: Tradizione
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tradição
🍲 Traditional food

🇪🇸 Spanish: Comida tradicional
🇫🇷 French: Plat traditionnel
🇩🇪 German: Traditionelles Essen
🇮🇹 Italian: Cibo tradizionale
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Comida tradicional
🎇 Fireworks

🇪🇸 Spanish: Fuegos artificiales
🇫🇷 French: Feux d'artifice
🇩🇪 German: Feuerwerk
🇮🇹 Italian: Fuochi d'artificio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fogos de artifício

🏠 Holiday Plans & Activities

🤝 Family gathering

🇪🇸 Spanish: Reunión familiar
🇫🇷 French: Réunion de famille
🇩🇪 German: Familientreffen
🇮🇹 Italian: Riunione di famiglia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Reunião de família
🍽️ Special meal

🇪🇸 Spanish: Comida especial
🇫🇷 French: Repas spécial
🇩🇪 German: Besonderes Essen
🇮🇹 Italian: Pasto speciale
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Refeição especial
✈️ Holiday trip

🇪🇸 Spanish: Viaje de vacaciones
🇫🇷 French: Voyage de vacances
🇩🇪 German: Urlaubsreise
🇮🇹 Italian: Viaggio di vacanza
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Viagem de férias
🏖️ Vacation (US) / Holiday (UK)

🇪🇸 Spanish: Vacaciones
🇫🇷 French: Vacances
🇩🇪 German: Urlaub
🇮🇹 Italian: Vacanza
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Férias
😌 Day off

🇪🇸 Spanish: Día libre
🇫🇷 French: Jour de congé
🇩🇪 German: Freier Tag
🇮🇹 Italian: Giorno libero
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Dia de folga
🎁 Exchange gifts

🇪🇸 Spanish: Intercambiar regalos
🇫🇷 French: Échanger des cadeaux
🇩🇪 German: Geschenke austauschen
🇮🇹 Italian: Scambiarsi regali
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Trocar presentes

▶️ Holiday Actions

🎉 Celebrate

🇪🇸 Spanish: Celebrar
🇫🇷 French: Célébrer
🇩🇪 German: Feiern
🇮🇹 Italian: Festeggiare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Celebrar
🎁 Give a gift

🇪🇸 Spanish: Dar un regalo
🇫🇷 French: Offrir un cadeau
🇩🇪 German: Ein Geschenk geben
🇮🇹 Italian: Fare un regalo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Dar um presente
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Spend time with family

🇪🇸 Spanish: Pasar tiempo con la familia
🇫🇷 French: Passer du temps en famille
🇩🇪 German: Zeit mit der Familie verbringen
🇮🇹 Italian: Passare del tempo con la famiglia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Passar tempo com a família
🍳 Prepare dinner

🇪🇸 Spanish: Preparar la cena
🇫🇷 French: Préparer le dîner
🇩🇪 German: Das Abendessen vorbereiten
🇮🇹 Italian: Preparare la cena
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Preparar o jantar
✈️ Travel

🇪🇸 Spanish: Viajar
🇫🇷 French: Voyager
🇩🇪 German: Reisen
🇮🇹 Italian: Viaggiare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Viajar
🎄 Decorate

🇪🇸 Spanish: Decorar
🇫🇷 French: Décorer
🇩🇪 German: Dekorieren
🇮🇹 Italian: Decorare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Decorar

🧠 Talking About Holidays

💡 Use celebrate when talking about holidays, birthdays, festivals, and other special occasions.

We celebrate Christmas with our family.

🇪🇸 Celebramos la Navidad con nuestra familia.
🇫🇷 Nous célébrons Noël en famille.
🇩🇪 Wir feiern Weihnachten mit unserer Familie.
🇮🇹 Festeggiamo il Natale con la nostra famiglia.
🇵🇹 Celebramos o Natal com nossa família.
💡 Use spend to talk about where or with whom you spend holidays.

I'm going to spend the holidays with my family.

🇪🇸 Voy a pasar las fiestas con mi familia.
🇫🇷 Je vais passer les fêtes avec ma famille.
🇩🇪 Ich werde die Feiertage mit meiner Familie verbringen.
🇮🇹 Passerò le feste con la mia famiglia.
🇵🇹 Vou passar as festas com minha família.

We spent New Year's Day at home.

🇪🇸 Pasamos el Año Nuevo en casa.
🇫🇷 Nous avons passé le Nouvel An à la maison.
🇩🇪 Wir haben Neujahr zu Hause verbracht.
🇮🇹 Abbiamo passato Capodanno a casa.
🇵🇹 Passamos o Ano Novo em casa.
💡 Holiday has different meanings in different English-speaking countries.

🇺🇸 In American English, holiday usually means a special day like Christmas or Thanksgiving, while vacation means time away from work or school.

🇬🇧 In British English, holiday can mean both a public holiday and a vacation.

Tomorrow is a public holiday.

🇪🇸 Mañana es día festivo.
🇫🇷 Demain est un jour férié.
🇩🇪 Morgen ist Feiertag.
🇮🇹 Domani è un giorno festivo.
🇵🇹 Amanhã é feriado.

🎉 Holiday Greetings

🎄 Merry Christmas!

🇪🇸 Feliz Navidad
🇫🇷 Joyeux Noël
🇩🇪 Frohe Weihnachten
🇮🇹 Buon Natale
🇵🇹 Feliz Natal
🎆 Happy New Year!

🇪🇸 ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!
🇫🇷 Bonne année !
🇩🇪 Frohes neues Jahr!
🇮🇹 Buon anno!
🇵🇹 Feliz Ano Novo!
🎊 Happy Holidays!

🇪🇸 Felices fiestas
🇫🇷 Joyeuses fêtes
🇩🇪 Schöne Feiertage
🇮🇹 Buone feste
🇵🇹 Boas festas
🥂 Have a wonderful holiday!

🇪🇸 Que tengas unas maravillosas vacaciones / fiestas
🇫🇷 Passez de merveilleuses fêtes
🇩🇪 Schöne Feiertage!
🇮🇹 Buone feste!
🇵🇹 Tenha ótimas festas!

❓ Useful Holiday Questions

🎉 What are you celebrating?

🇪🇸 ¿Qué celebras?
🇫🇷 Que fêtes-tu ?
🇩🇪 Was feierst du?
🇮🇹 Che cosa festeggi?
🇵🇹 O que você está comemorando?
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Are you spending the holidays with your family?

🇪🇸 ¿Vas a pasar las fiestas con tu familia?
🇫🇷 Vas-tu passer les fêtes avec ta famille ?
🇩🇪 Verbringst du die Feiertage mit deiner Familie?
🇮🇹 Passerai le feste con la tua famiglia?
🇵🇹 Você vai passar as festas com sua família?
🎄 How do you celebrate Christmas?

🇪🇸 ¿Cómo celebran la Navidad?
🇫🇷 Comment célébrez-vous Noël ?
🇩🇪 Wie feiert ihr Weihnachten?
🇮🇹 Come festeggiate il Natale?
🇵🇹 Como vocês comemoram o Natal?
🎁 Do you exchange gifts?

🇪🇸 ¿Intercambian regalos?
🇫🇷 Échangez-vous des cadeaux ?
🇩🇪 Tauscht ihr Geschenke aus?
🇮🇹 Vi scambiate i regali?
🇵🇹 Vocês trocam presentes?
🍽️ What do you usually eat during the holidays?

🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Qué comen durante las fiestas?
🇫🇷 French: Que mangez-vous habituellement pendant les fêtes ?
🇩🇪 German: Was esst ihr normalerweise an den Feiertagen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Cosa mangiate di solito durante le feste?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O que vocês costumam comer durante as festas?
📅 Is tomorrow a public holiday?

🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Mañana es día festivo?
🇫🇷 French: Demain est-il férié ?
🇩🇪 German: Ist morgen ein Feiertag?
🇮🇹 Italian: Domani è un giorno festivo?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Amanhã é feriado?

💬 Common Holiday Phrases

🎁 I brought you a special gift.

🇪🇸 Spanish: Te traje un regalo especial.
🇫🇷 French: Je t'ai apporté un cadeau spécial.
🇩🇪 German: Ich habe dir ein besonderes Geschenk mitgebracht.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ti ho portato un regalo speciale.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Trouxe um presente especial para você.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 We celebrate together as a family.

🇪🇸 Spanish: Celebramos juntos en familia.
🇫🇷 French: Nous célébrons en famille.
🇩🇪 German: Wir feiern gemeinsam als Familie.
🇮🇹 Italian: Festeggiamo insieme in famiglia.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Celebramos juntos em família.
🍽️ We're going to prepare a special dinner.

🇪🇸 Spanish: Vamos a preparar una cena especial.
🇫🇷 French: Nous allons préparer un dîner spécial.
🇩🇪 German: Wir werden ein besonderes Abendessen zubereiten.
🇮🇹 Italian: Prepareremo una cena speciale.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Vamos preparar um jantar especial.
🎆 We're going to watch the fireworks.

🇪🇸 Spanish: Vamos a ver los fuegos artificiales.
🇫🇷 French: Nous allons regarder le feu d'artifice.
🇩🇪 German: Wir werden das Feuerwerk anschauen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Andremo a vedere i fuochi d'artificio.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Vamos assistir aos fogos de artifício.

💬 Everyday Conversations

Holiday Plans

A: What are you going to do during the holidays?
B: I'm going to visit my family.
A: Are you going to celebrate together?
B: Yes, we're going to prepare a special dinner.

🇪🇸 ¿Qué vas a hacer durante las fiestas?
Voy a visitar a mi familia.
¿Van a celebrar juntos?
Sí, vamos a preparar una cena especial.
Talking About Traditions

A: Do you have any special traditions?
B: Yes, we have dinner together every year.
A: Do you also exchange gifts?
B: Yes, after dinner.

🇪🇸 ¿Tienen alguna tradición especial?
Sí, cenamos juntos todos los años.
¿También intercambian regalos?
Sí, después de la cena.

📝 Example Sentences

🍽️ Christmas dinner is a family tradition.

🇪🇸 Christmas dinner es una tradición familiar.
🇫🇷 Le dîner de Noël est une tradition familiale.
🇩🇪 Das Weihnachtsessen ist eine Familientradition.
🇮🇹 La cena di Natale è una tradizione di famiglia.
🇵🇹 O jantar de Natal é uma tradição familiar.
🎊 The party lasts all night.

🇪🇸 La fiesta dura toda la noche.
🇫🇷 La fête dure toute la nuit.
🇩🇪 Die Feier dauert die ganze Nacht.
🇮🇹 La festa dura tutta la notte.
🇵🇹 A festa dura a noite toda.
🕯️ This tradition is very old.

🇪🇸 Esta tradición es muy antigua.
🇫🇷 Cette tradition est très ancienne.
🇩🇪 Diese Tradition ist sehr alt.
🇮🇹 Questa tradizione è molto antica.
🇵🇹 Esta tradição é muito antiga.
🎇 The fireworks light up the sky.

🇪🇸 Los fuegos artificiales iluminan el cielo.
🇫🇷 Les feux d'artifice illuminent le ciel.
🇩🇪 Das Feuerwerk erleuchtet den Himmel.
🇮🇹 I fuochi d'artificio illuminano il cielo.
🇵🇹 Os fogos de artifício iluminam o céu.
🎁 The children open their gifts in the morning.

🇪🇸 Los niños abren sus regalos por la mañana.
🇫🇷 Les enfants ouvrent leurs cadeaux le matin.
🇩🇪 Die Kinder öffnen morgens ihre Geschenke.
🇮🇹 I bambini aprono i loro regali al mattino.
🇵🇹 As crianças abrem seus presentes pela manhã.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The whole family gets together to celebrate.

🇪🇸 Toda la familia se reúne para celebrar.
🇫🇷 Toute la famille se réunit pour célébrer.
🇩🇪 Die ganze Familie kommt zum Feiern zusammen.
🇮🇹 Tutta la famiglia si riunisce per festeggiare.
🇵🇹 Toda a família se reúne para comemorar.

🏆 Final Practice

Try saying each English phrase before pressing play.

  • Merry Christmas!
  • What are you going to do during the holidays?
  • I'm going to spend the holidays with my family.
  • We're going to prepare a special dinner.
  • Do you exchange gifts?
  • Tomorrow is a public holiday.