Holidays and celebrations in Spanish: what people say and do in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Four countries, one language, and a calendar that barely overlaps. Christmas in Buenos Aires is a summer barbecue at midnight. The Mexican Christmas starts nine days early with a procession and a piñata. Spain’s gift day is in January. This page has the big days in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina, the greeting that goes with each one, what actually happens, and what to bring if someone invites you.
Christmas and New Year
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Eve | la Nochebuena, 24 December | la Nochebuena | la Nochebuena | la Nochebuena, in high summer |
| Christmas Day | la Navidad, 25 December | la Navidad | la Navidad | la Navidad |
| The big meal | Nochebuena, late, then gifts at midnight | Nochebuena dinner, then Christmas lunch on the 25th | Nochebuena, then gifts at midnight | Nochebuena, an asado or cold table, gifts at midnight |
| Who brings the gifts | Santa Claus and el Niño Dios | los Reyes Magos on 6 January, increasingly Papá Noel too | el Niño Dios | Papá Noel |
| New Year’s Eve | la Nochevieja or el fin de año | la Nochevieja | el fin de año or la Nochevieja | el Año Nuevo or el fin de año |
| New Year’s Day | el Año Nuevo, 1 January | el Año Nuevo | el Año Nuevo | el Año Nuevo |
The twelve grapes. In Spain, at midnight on 31 December, everyone eats twelve grapes, one on each strike of the clock, las uvas de la suerte. The strikes come from the clock at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid and people all over the country watch it on television. Getting all twelve down is genuinely difficult and the failure is half the fun. The custom travelled, and Mexicans do the grapes too, often with a wish for each one.
Christmas in the southern summer. Argentina’s Nochebuena falls in high summer. The table is cold cuts, salads, vitel toné, pan dulce and sidra, the toast is at midnight, fireworks go off across the city and children open presents straight after.
Las posadas, Mexico. From 16 to 24 December, nine nights of processions re-enacting Mary and Joseph looking for shelter. People walk with candles, sing the call-and-answer letanía at the door, and when they are let in there is ponche, hot fruit punch, and a piñata with seven points. The verb is pedir posada, to ask for lodging.
Las novenas and Día de las Velitas, Colombia. On the night of 7 December, Colombians put candles and paper lanterns in the windows, on the doorstep and along the street for el Día de las Velitas, the start of the Christmas season. From 16 to 24 December families gather each evening for la novena de aguinaldos, nine nights of readings and carols, villancicos, with natilla and buñuelos to eat. The novena is a household event, and guests are invited.
The greetings:
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Merry Christmas | ¡Feliz Navidad! | Everywhere |
| Happy holidays | ¡Felices fiestas! | Covers the whole period, all four countries |
| Happy New Year | ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! or ¡Feliz año! | |
| A prosperous new year | ¡Próspero año nuevo! | Formal and traditional. Latin America uses it more than Spain |
| Happy Christmas Eve | ¡Feliz Nochebuena! | Said on the day itself |
| All the best for the new year | ¡Que tengas un buen año! | |
| Same to you | ¡Igualmente! | The answer to any of these |
Reyes, 6 January
El Día de Reyes, or el Día de los Reyes Magos, is Epiphany, and in Spain and Mexico it matters more than it does in English-speaking countries.
In Spain, on the evening of 5 January there is la cabalgata, a parade of the Three Kings through every town, throwing sweets to children. Children leave shoes out and water for the camels. Presents arrive on the morning of the 6th. Breakfast is el roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped cake with a small figure hidden inside and a dried bean. Whoever finds the figure is crowned. Whoever finds the bean pays for the cake.
In Mexico, the same night, and the cake is la rosca de Reyes, with small plastic figures of the baby Jesus baked in. Whoever finds one in their slice hosts the tamales on el Día de la Candelaria, 2 February. The obligation is taken seriously.
In Colombia and Argentina, 6 January is marked but far smaller. Argentina’s children leave grass and water out for the camels on the night of the 5th and get a small gift.
| You want to say | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Happy Three Kings’ Day | ¡Feliz Día de Reyes! |
| What did the Kings bring you? | ¿Qué te trajeron los Reyes? |
| I got the figure | Me salió el muñequito. (Mexico) |
Semana Santa
Holy Week runs from el Domingo de Ramos, Palm Sunday, to el Domingo de Resurrección, Easter Sunday, with el Jueves Santo and el Viernes Santo as the two days most people in the region take off work.
Spain has the processions: brotherhoods, las cofradías, carrying los pasos, enormous sculpted floats, through the streets of Seville, Málaga and hundreds of smaller towns, with drums and saetas sung from balconies. Seville’s is the famous one and the city fills. Colombia has its own, and the processions in Popayán are the ones Colombians name. Mexicans keep the religious observance, and it is also the week the cities empty for the beach. Argentines treat it as a long weekend, with rosca de Pascua and chocolate eggs.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Happy Easter | ¡Felices Pascuas! | Spain, Argentina, Colombia. Mexico uses it less |
| Holy Week | la Semana Santa | The week itself, and the holiday |
| The long weekend | el puente | A holiday bridged to the weekend |
| A procession | una procesión | |
| Easter egg | el huevo de Pascua |
National days
| Country | Date | Name | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 15 and 16 September | el Día de la Independencia, and el Grito on the night of the 15th | At eleven at night on the 15th, officials ring the bell and shout ¡Viva México! and the crowd answers ¡Viva! to each name. Fireworks, pozole, chiles en nogada in season |
| Colombia | 20 July | el Día de la Independencia or el Grito de Independencia | Military parade, flags on balconies. 7 August, la Batalla de Boyacá, is the second national date |
| Argentina | 9 July | el Día de la Independencia (1816) | Locro, a thick stew, is the food of the day, and it is cold, so it fits |
| Argentina | 25 May | el Día de la Revolución de Mayo (1810) | Also locro, plus chocolate con churros at school events |
| Spain | 12 October | la Fiesta Nacional de España, also el Día de la Hispanidad | Military parade in Madrid |
12 October has a different name in each country. In Spain it is la Fiesta Nacional. In Mexico and Colombia it is el Día de la Raza. In Argentina it was renamed in 2010 el Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural, and the old name sounds dated there now.
A Colombian detail: most public holidays that do not fall on a Monday are moved to the following Monday by law, which is why Colombians talk about el puente constantly and why the date on the calendar and the day off are often not the same.
Día de Muertos, and what it is not
El Día de Muertos, 1 and 2 November, is Mexican, and it is not Mexican Halloween. Families build una ofrenda, an altar at home or at the grave, with photographs of the dead, the food and drink they liked, flores de cempasúchil, marigolds, whose smell is supposed to guide them, papel picado, calaveritas de azúcar and pan de muerto. The 1st is for children who have died, el Día de los Angelitos, the 2nd for adults. Families spend the night in the cemetery, cleaning the graves and talking. The tone is warm.
Spain has el Día de Todos los Santos on 1 November: flowers on family graves, and huesos de santo and buñuelos de viento in every bakery. In Colombia and Argentina people mark 1 November lightly, and the day is not a major event in either.
| You want to say | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Happy Day of the Dead | ¡Feliz Día de Muertos! |
| We are making the altar | Estamos poniendo la ofrenda. |
| We’re going to the cemetery | Vamos al panteón. (Mexico) / al cementerio |
Mother’s day and father’s day
The dates do not match, and a greeting sent on the wrong Sunday is a common mistake.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mother’s day | 10 May, fixed date | the first Sunday in May | the second Sunday in May | the third Sunday in October |
| Father’s day | the third Sunday in June | 19 March, San José | the third Sunday in June | the third Sunday in June |
Mexico’s 10 May is a fixed date, so it falls on a weekday most years and mothers are taken out to lunch anyway. Everyone is surprised by Argentina’s October date, including other Latin Americans.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Happy Mother’s Day | ¡Feliz Día de la Madre! | Mexico often says ¡Feliz Día de las Madres! |
| Happy Father’s Day | ¡Feliz Día del Padre! | |
| Happy day | ¡Feliz día! | The all-purpose greeting for any named day, used constantly in Colombia and Argentina |
Feliz día on its own is worth learning. Colombians and Argentines say it for the day of the teacher or the day of the friend, and the answer is igualmente or gracias, igual para vos.
Argentines also have el Día del Amigo on 20 July, which is a genuine event: restaurants are fully booked and people send ¡feliz día del amigo! all day.
If you are invited
Arrive late, but know how late. Spain: half an hour after the stated time for dinner at someone’s house, and dinner itself starts at ten or later. Mexico: an hour is normal for a party, less for a sit-down meal. Colombia: half an hour. Argentina: for an asado at one o’clock, arriving an hour later is correct, and the meat will be a while after that.
What to bring. Wine or dessert everywhere. In Argentina, if you are invited to an asado, offer to bring drinks or el postre, and do not offer to help with the fire unless you are asked, because el asador is in charge and the role is not shared. In Mexico, a bottle or something sweet for the children. In Spain, wine, or something for the table, and in Colombia, wine or a cake. In all four, arriving empty-handed for a Christmas or New Year’s meal is noticed.
What you will hear at the door. ¡Feliz Navidad, pasa, pasa! Come in. No te hubieras molestado. You shouldn’t have. Estás en tu casa. Make yourself at home, and in Mexico mi casa es tu casa is said and meant.
When to leave. Later than you think, in all four. A Spanish Nochebuena runs past two in the morning, and an Argentine Christmas goes on until the fireworks stop.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- ¡Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo! Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
- ¡Felices fiestas a toda la familia! Happy holidays to all the family.
- ¿Qué hacen ustedes en Nochebuena? What do you do on Christmas Eve?
- En Argentina la Navidad es en verano. In Argentina Christmas is in summer.
- ¿Me invitas a la novena? Will you invite me to the novena? (Colombia)
- Me salió el muñequito, me tocan los tamales. I got the figure, the tamales are on me. (Mexico)
- El jueves es feriado, hay puente. Thursday is a holiday, there’s a long weekend. (Latin America)
- ¡Feliz Día de la Madre, mamá! Happy Mother’s Day, Mum.
- Vamos al panteón a llevarle flores. We’re going to the cemetery to take her flowers. (Mexico)
- ¿Llevo vino o postre? Shall I bring wine or dessert?
Questions people ask
Is it “feliz Navidad” or “felices Navidades”? Both. Feliz Navidad is the common one everywhere. Felices Navidades is heard in Spain and sounds a little more formal.
When are presents opened? At midnight on Christmas Eve in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. In Spain, Christmas morning from Papá Noel and 6 January from the Reyes, and many families do both.
What is “el puente”? A public holiday next to a weekend, so people take the day in between off. By law most Colombian holidays move to Monday, so the calendar there is full of them. In Spain a longer version is el acueducto.
Is Día de Muertos the same as Halloween? No. It is 1 and 2 November, it is about the family’s own dead, and it comes from Mexican Catholic and pre-Hispanic practice. Halloween is also celebrated in Mexican cities, separately, by children.
What is “feriado” and what is “festivo”? The same thing, a public holiday. In Argentina and Mexico people say feriado or día festivo. In Colombia and Spain it is festivo. Working days are días hábiles or laborables.
Why is Argentine mother’s day in October? It follows an older Catholic calendar date and stayed there. It is the third Sunday in October and every other country in the region is in May.
What do I say on a national day? ¡Feliz día de la independencia!, or in Mexico shout ¡Viva México! when the crowd does. In Argentina and Colombia, ¡feliz día! is enough.
Do people say “happy holidays” to avoid religion? Felices fiestas is used everywhere, but not for that reason. People use it for the whole stretch from Christmas to Reyes, and nobody treats it as a substitute for feliz Navidad.
Practise these words
Navidad, fiesta, feriado, celebrar, brindar, regalo, villancico, misa, desfile, ofrenda, invitar, traer, puente. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.