Christmas in Italy: Italian Vocabulary and Traditions for the Holiday Season (2024)

Christmas is definitely a big deal in Italy, so if you’re learning Italian or simply want to know how to greet your Italian friends on Christmas, this article is for you.

Here we’ll talk about Italian Christmas and New Year words and phrases, and we’ll go through a little bit of Italian Christmas traditions.

Let’s start!

As soon as November comes to a close, some Italian homes begin to display some Christmas decor. For most families, however, the Christmas season officially kicks off on the 8th of December, during the Day of the Immaculate Concepcion, a public holiday.

At this point, you’ll start seeing lots of Christmas ornaments in homes, shops, and on the streets. Christmas markets also open, and Christmas trees now adorn the different piazzas. Christmas is in the air!

Here are some Italian vocabulary you’ll come across at this time.

As the days become more and more festive, you can practically smell the Christmas atmosphere in the air! Or is it just some chestnuts, mulled wine, or freshly baked Christmas breads? Probably all.

The eight days leading up to Christmas can be filled with music from carollers, and in some cities like in Rome or in Southern Italy, you can enjoy music from bagpipers!

This is the perfect time to catch up on some Christmas shopping, so ready your Christmas list, get to baking some cookies, or head over to the Christmas markets to soak in some of the joyous atmosphere.

The main Christmas events begin on Christmas Eve, where families sit down and have dinner that is either lean or elaborate, depending on which traditions they follow. Some Italians prefer a light, no-meat dinner on Christmas Eve while others would go for multiple courses of fish dishes!

Then comes the midnight mass, a tradition all over Italy. After which, it’s time to head home and celebrate Christmas with a toast of sparkling wine and a slice of Christmas cakes, panettone and pandoro.

On Christmas Day, Italians would spend it with family---opening presents, playing cards, watching Christmas movies, and eating a hearty lunch.

The celebrations don’t end there, though. The day after Christmas is still a holiday, St. Stefan’s Day which is like Boxing Day in other countries. It’s time to relax some more and eat leftovers from Christmas.

"Auguri!"

Of course, you need to learn how to greet a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in Italian. The simplest way to do so would be to say “Auguri!” which is a catch-all phrase for all occasions. It means, “Best wishes!” You can use it during the holiday season, too!

Merry Christmas in Italian

To greet people a Merry Christmas in Italian, you say, “Buon Natale!” If you’re writing it in, let’s say, a Christmas card, you can write, “Auguro a tutti Voi un Natale Sereno” (I wish you all a Merry Christmas).

Happy Holidays in Italian

To say happy holidays, you can go with “Buone Feste” or the longer version “Buone feste e tanti auguri “ (happy holidays and best wishes).

Happy New Year in Italian

You can either go with “Buon anno” or “Felice Anno Nuovo”. If you want to be more specific, you can say instead, “Auguri per un felice + year”. For example, “Auguri per un felice 2019!” (Best wishes for a happy 2019!)

To recap:

Christmas in Italy is a long and happy celebration with family and good food. Hope you learned a thing or two about Italian Christmas traditions and vocabulary!

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