{"id":145047,"date":"2022-11-28T04:14:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T09:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/spanish-christmas-carols\/"},"modified":"2024-11-30T06:02:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-30T11:02:54","slug":"spanish-christmas-carols","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-christmas-carols\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Best Spanish Christmas Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas is that time of the year when we avoid our textbooks and dodge anything that looks like work. But there\u2019s a way to enjoy the festivities and still develop your Spanish skills: by listening to Spanish Christmas carols, or villancicos<\/em> as they’re called in Spanish-speaking countries.<\/p>\n

With these songs, you’ll learn some cheerful holiday greetings<\/a>, useful Christmas vocab<\/a> and more.\u00a0
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1. “Feliz Navidad”<\/em><\/a> by Jos\u00e9 Feliciano<\/h2>\n

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“Feliz Navidad<\/em>” is a catchy tune that gets stuck in your head on repeat faster than the song played on the Small World ride at Disney theme parks. Its catchy melody and beat have made it a Christmas favorite in the United States.<\/p>\n

Low-level and advanced learners alike can benefit from listening to this tune. The blend of Spanish and English used in the lyrics means that you can listen and not feel completely lost as to the song\u2019s meaning.<\/p>\n

2. “Cascabel”<\/em><\/a><\/h2>\n

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This famous and widely sung Spanish version of “Jingle Bells” is great for singing along and comparing lyrics. <\/span><\/p>\n

From the opening line \u201c<\/span>Ha llegado Navidad\u201d <\/i>(Christmas has come), <\/i>you\u2019ll notice it’s\u00a0different from\u00a0the English version’s\u00a0<\/span>\u201cJingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way.\u201d This lets you compare and contrast the lyrics for a valuable lesson about translation.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. “El tamborilero”<\/em><\/a><\/h2>\n

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Finding it difficult to roll the infamous Spanish r<\/strong><\/em>? “El tamborilero”<\/em> is not only fun to sing along with, but the Spanish version of “The Little Drummer Boy” will also help you to focus and develop your trilled, rolled r<\/strong><\/em>‘s in an entertaining way when you reach the \u201c<\/em><\/span>Rum-pa-pum-pum\u201d<\/span><\/em> lyrics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pop this track on, lose your inhibitions and you’ll soon be confident enough to roll your r<\/strong><\/em>‘s naturally in everyday conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. “Mi burrito sabanero”<\/em>\u00a0<\/a><\/h2>\n

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Also known as “El burrito de Bel\u00e9n\u201d<\/em> (The Donkey of Bethlehem), this Venezuelan Christmas song is sung in classrooms across Latin America, and was even covered by the famous Spanish singer <\/span>Juanes<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

For added Spanish learning, why not write out the Christmas nativity story, as the lyrics of this song<\/a> tell the tale of a donkey who is journeying to Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. “La fiesta de Pilito”<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n

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This popular party song sings a different kind of salsa. Unlike the usual sensual, provocative salsa lyrics, “La fiesta de Pilito”<\/em> encourages the indulgence of Christmas festivities such as eating cake, pork, rice and rum. Played at parties across Latin America, families and friends take to the dance floor as a group rather than couples.<\/p>\n

This song will have you salsa dancing across your kitchen when cooking Christmas dinner, or around the tree when decorating. Its fun rhythms are impossible to deny, as the lyrics<\/a> encourage listeners to forget their problems during the holidays and just enjoy being\u00a0with their family.<\/p>\n

6. “La Marimorena”<\/em><\/a><\/h2>\n

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This is another example of a Christmas carol in Spain. It’s a fun tune with vocabulary that you might enjoy learning. There are many versions of this popular song\u2014the one performed by Oscar Athie is just an example.<\/p>\n

7. “Noche de paz”<\/em><\/a><\/h2>\n

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This song\u2019s learning potential is great, as it is the Spanish version of \u201cSilent Night.\u201d Because the melody is so recognizable, it\u2019s easy to sing or hum along, and you might even end up remembering the lyrics on your own!<\/p>\n

There is no shortage of versions from which to choose, so it all comes down to your personal preference. I recommend selecting one in which the singer sings clearly so you can understand the lyrics.<\/p>\n

8. “Paseo en trineo”<\/em><\/a><\/h2>\n

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Similar to “Cascabel” <\/em>(Jingle Bells), “Paseo en trineo”<\/em> is a great song for Spanish to English lyric translations and comparisons. Starting with the first line, \u201cPonte la gorra, guantes y abrigo…ya va a nevar\u201d<\/em> (Put on your hat, gloves and coat… it’s going to snow) is clearly different from the English version’s<\/a> opening line: \u201cJust hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring, ting, tingling too.”<\/p>\n

This fun, joyful song is always a winner for getting into the Christmas spirit.<\/p>\n

9. “Blanca Navidad”<\/a><\/em>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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Considered one of the best Latin American singers in the world, Puerto Rican Luis Miguel will have you swooning and waltzing around your living room with his Spanish version of “White Christmas.” This is a great song for relaxing, while listening to the velvet voice of Luis.<\/p>\n

For added Spanish learning, try to count the number of times he uses a word to describe snow. Write it down, then add your own descriptive words to the list.<\/p>\n

10. “Cumbia de Navidad”<\/em> by Los Toribianitos<\/h2>\n

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Said to have come from African slaves in Colombia during the Spanish colonization of the country, Cumbia<\/a> is a vastly popular musical style enjoyed across Latin America.<\/p>\n

Listening to “Cumbia de Navidad”<\/em> will teach you about the deep-rooted cultural history of the continent, as the small dance steps started because the feet of the slaves were shackled so they couldn’t move or do intricate dance steps.<\/p>\n

11. “El Ni\u00f1o Dios”<\/em><\/a> by Oscar Ch\u00e1vez<\/h2>\n

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In Mexico, children must remain steadfast and patient, as they don\u2019t get to open the bulk of their presents until January 6, a day known as Epiphany, or El D\u00eda de los Reyes<\/i><\/a>. Leading up until that day, Mexican families host parties called Posadas<\/i><\/a>, which are performances that demonstrate the story of Christmas in stages.<\/p>\n

On January 6, during the main festivities, families traditionally eat a special cake called Rosca de los Reyes<\/i><\/a>. Inside the cake hides a figurine of baby Jesus. Whoever gets the piece of cake with the baby inside (that sounds so wrong) gets good luck for that year.<\/p>\n

12. “Alegre<\/a> vengo”<\/a> <\/em>by Jorge Morel<\/h2>\n

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“Alegre vengo”<\/i> is a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas tune. In Puerto Rico, Christmas carols are called aguinaldos<\/i>. The songs with a more religious theme are known as villancicos<\/i>.<\/p>\n

As is the case in many Spanish-speaking countries, the main festivities take place on Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena<\/i>, instead of on Christmas Day itself. Generally, Puerto Ricans party so hard on Christmas Eve, often until the wee hours of the next morning. Therefore, Christmas Day for them is a day of rest, relaxation and recovery.<\/p>\n

13. “Me voy a regalar”<\/em><\/a> by Marc Anthony<\/h2>\n

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Unlike “La fiesta de Pilito Navidad,”<\/em> Marc Anthony’s salsa song “Me voy a regalar”<\/em>\u00a0carries\u00a0the pining, romantic lyrics<\/a> of a relationship’s breakup, and the promise to find true love this Christmas rather than excitedly partying the season away.<\/p>\n

This is a great song for translating to English, as it includes many verbs useful to\u00a0Spanish learners. To make the most of this song, use one of your listens to write down\u00a0each verb. Then, see if you can write\u00a0the past, present and future tenses of\u00a0every verb on your list!<\/p>\n

Learning Strategies with Spanish Christmas Carols<\/h2>\n

While Christmas carols make for\u00a0lovely background music to set the mood over the holidays, you can take it several steps further by using these strategies to learn Spanish from these carols.<\/p>\n