If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you may already know that the Christmas season in Spain starts on 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, or Inmaculada Concepcion. It might be a little early yet to wish people a happy Christmas (Feliz Navidad) but it’s never too early (or late!) to try your hand at the Spanish language. So, as we enter the festive season here are some ideas and vocabulary for you to try out.
Spaniards listen to Christmas carols (villanciscos) and often sing them at family gatherings, particularly when children are present. You would recognise the melodies of some carols and songs which are also popular in Spain, such as Silent Night (Noche de Paz), O Come All Ye Faithful (Adestes Fideles) and Jingle Bells (Cascabel), and of course Spain has many traditional Christmas songs of its own besides these. Music is a great aid to language learning, so why not download some of these carols and get to know the lyrics?
Christmas is, of course, also a time for eating and drinking with family and friends. If you like cooking, you could try your hand at making a selection of the foods eaten at the traditional Spanish family feast on Christmas Eve (La Noche Buena), or if you prefer you could bake a Christmas cake (la tarta de Reyes) or a Christmas pudding (el pudin de Navidad). Refer to your dictionary if you need to but do follow the original Spanish recipes as this is a great way to reinforce and grow your vocabulary of foodstuffs, and the tasty treats you will enjoy are an added bonus!
For a more in-depth understanding of the language, join our Private Spanish lessons, provided at your workplace or home throughout the London area.