Merry Christmas in Guarani
Feliz Navidad
Say it like this: feh-LEES nah-vee-DAHD
Big letters show the part to say louder.
Quick answer
- In Guarani, Merry Christmas is Feliz Navidad, said like feh-LEES nah-vee-DAHD.
- Happy New Year is Feliz Año Nuevo.
- People say it in Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil.
What Feliz Navidad means
'Feliz' (happy) + 'Navidad' (Christmas), both Spanish words. Most Guaraní speakers in Paraguay also speak Spanish, and this is the greeting they use. Guaraní has its own word for joy, vy’a.
Other ways to say it in Guarani
Happy New Year
Feliz Año Nuevo
Say it like this: feh-LEES AHN-yo NWEH-vo
happy new year
Where people speak Guarani
ParaguayArgentinaBoliviaBrazil
Guarani (Avañe’ẽ) belongs to the Tupi-Guarani language family.
Say it with Rally on Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, Rally the corgi rides the Christmas Train to more than 100 places and teaches kids how to say Merry Christmas at every stop. Practice Guarani today, then follow his trip.
Follow Rally on Christmas Eve →Christmas traditions where people speak Guarani
- Flor de coco at the nativity scene: Paraguayan families place the flower of the coconut palm, called mbokaja in Guaraní, in front of the nativity scene as an offering to the baby Jesus. The scent is the smell of Christmas for many Paraguayans.[1][2]
- Clay nativity scenes: Traditional nativity scenes were made of clay and topped with ka’avove’i leaves, with a straw shelter for Mary, Joseph and the baby. Some families build very big scenes with animals, shepherds and the Three Kings.[1]
- Clericó and chipa guasu: On Christmas Eve, families pray, read the story of Jesus's birth, and share a meal. Clericó, a fruit drink, is served, and typical foods include sopa paraguaya and chipa guasu, made from corn.[1]
🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Guarani
Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.
Say Merry Christmas in more languages
- PortugueseFeliz Natal
- QuechuaSumaq kausay kachun Navidad qampaq
- SpanishFeliz Navidad
- NavajoNizhónígo Késhmish Da’doołeeł
- Haitian CreoleJwaye Nwèl
- Greenlandic (Kalaallisut)Juullimi pilluarit
- CherokeeᎤᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ ᏓᏂᏍᏓᏲᎯᎲ
- YorubaẸ kú ọdún Kérésìmesì
Questions parents ask
How do you say Merry Christmas in Guarani?
Paraguayans, including people who speak Guaraní every day, say "Feliz Navidad", the Spanish greeting. Guaraní and Spanish are both everyday languages in Paraguay, and most speakers move easily between them. So this page teaches the greeting people actually use, rather than an invented Guaraní phrase.[1]
How do you pronounce "Feliz Navidad"?
Say it like this: feh-LEES nah-vee-DAHD. The capital letters show the part to stress. In Spanish, the z is said like an s in Latin America, and the final d is soft. Stress the lees in Feliz and the dad in Navidad.
What does "Feliz Navidad" mean?
It means happy Christmas. Feliz means happy and Navidad means Christmas, both Spanish words. Guaraní has its own word for joy, vy’a, which you may hear in Guaraní speech, but this page does not offer a Guaraní-only Christmas phrase, because none could be confirmed from reliable sources.[1][3]
How do you write Merry Christmas in Guarani?
Write it as Feliz Navidad. Guaraní itself uses the Latin alphabet with special marks, such as the tilde over vowels like ẽ and an apostrophe called puso, as in Avañe’ẽ, the Guaraní name of the language.
How do you say Happy New Year in Guarani?
Happy New Year is "Feliz Año Nuevo", said like feh-LEES AHN-yo NWEH-vo. It means happy new year. Like the Christmas greeting, it is Spanish, and Guaraní speakers in Paraguay use it too, because they move easily between the two languages in daily life.
Is there a formal and a casual way to say Merry Christmas in Guarani?
Feliz Navidad is friendly for everyone. In more formal Spanish, people also say "Les deseo una feliz Navidad", meaning I wish you a happy Christmas. With friends and children the short form is perfect. A warm tone matters more than the exact words.
When do people say Merry Christmas in Guarani?
People say it on Christmas Eve, Nochebuena, when families gather to pray, eat and open gifts, and again on Christmas Day. In Paraguay, many families visit neighbourhood nativity scenes during the days around Christmas, and the greeting is heard at those visits too.[1]
Is the main Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day for Guarani speakers?
Christmas Eve, Nochebuena, is the main celebration in Paraguay. Families pray before dinner and read a Bible passage about the birth of Jesus, then share a big meal. Christmas Day follows with visits and rest, so the greeting is used on both days.[1]
What is a Christmas tradition for Guaraní speaking families?
Families place coconut flower, mbokaja in Guaraní, in front of the nativity scene, an old tradition shaped by Guaraní influence. They also make clay nativity scenes and share chipa guasu and sopa paraguaya at the Christmas Eve meal.[1][2]
How can I teach Guarani Christmas words to kids?
Teach Navidad first, since many children already know it, then add feliz. Say vy’a, the Guaraní word for joy, with a tiny catch in the throat for the apostrophe. Children can draw a coconut flower, mbokaja, beside a nativity scene and label it, which links the greeting to a real Paraguayan custom.
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor by Leslie Dunn. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
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We check every greeting against dictionaries, language institutes and cultural sources.