There is a popular Spanish song that goes: “Año nuevo, vida nueva… Más alegres los días serán” which literally means “New year, new life… There will be happier days”.
2021 is just around the corner and I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait.
2020 took us for a ride but we are getting through it together. And what a better opportunity to learn Spanish in context than to apply it to situations that are meaningful to you and that you can relate to.
This is why today I wanted to bring you a few Spanish words related to celebrations and most importantly, the New Year. Not only will you learn to say Happy New Year in Spanish, but you’ll also learn phrases you can use for Spanish wishes for the New Year:
- Brindar: (to toast) Brindar is Spanish for to make a toast. If you want to start a toast, you can say Brindemos which means Let’s make a toast. A toast as a noun translates to Brindis in Spanish as in ¿Puedes hacer un brindis? (Can you make a toast?)
The verb brindar can be followed by two different prepositions a and por. Then, you have phrases such as:
- Brindo a tu salud (Cheers to your health)
- Brindo por el año nuevo (Cheers to the New Year)
As you can see, these phrases are better translated with the English word Cheers. However, the Spanish cheers saying, after we make a toast and as we raise our cups together, we say: Salud! (which literally means Health).
Saying Salud is the formal and most common way to cheer or toast in Spanish. But, if you are looking for a funkier way to say cheers, here’s a popular expression we use:
Arriba, abajo, al centro y adentro.
This expression is often accompanied by the physical gesture of raising your glass, then bringing it down, center and finally, taking a sip. The literal meaning of this colorful expression is up, down, center and in. It’s a fun way to cheer and it usually brings a laugh. But no, this is not a drinking game.
How do you say Happy New Year in Spanish?
- ¡Feliz año!: Now, of course, I can’t leave out the most obvious yet important expression of them all. In Spanish, you can say Feliz Año Nuevo (that’s Happy New Year) but most often you will hear that Spanish speakers shorten it to just Feliz Año.
In addition to this, in some Spanish cultures, we don’t only focus on the New Year, but some Spanish speaking countries also have the concept of the Año Viejo (that is The Old Year).
The night of December 31st is known as Nochevieja; and in countries like Venezuela and Colombia, it is customary to “build” a dummy or doll of the Año Viejo. Families do this by creating a human figure dressed in clothes, in some cases it even sports a wig or hat. We usually draw or paint a face on it as well. Then the doll is stuffed with fireworks or firecrackers. The tradition is to light the Old Year right after midnight and watch it burn as we celebrate the beginning of the New Year. As you can see, we mean business when it comes to ending a year!
In many South American countries, it’s also common to give El abrazo de Año Nuevo (the New Year Hug) and people make sure to visit their friends and relatives during the first week of the year just for this purpose. Of course, in 2020 this tradition will look very different but there is always the option of sending a virtual abrazo de año nuevo! (Gracias, Zoom!)
- Resoluciones de año nuevo: (New Year Resolutions) It’s always a nice idea to have a fresh start at the beginning of a year. So, here are some words you can use to talk about your goals for this New Year:
- Meta (n.) – goal
- Propósito (n.) – purpose
- Objetivo (n.) – objective
- Éxito (n.) success
- Ser positivo (phrasal v.) to be positive.
- Persistir (v.) to persist.
- Disciplina (n.) discipline.
You can practice writing your goals in Spanish, and for that, here are some writing prompts to help you get started:
- Mi meta para este año es… (My goal for this new year is…)
- Mi propósito de Año Nuevo es… (My New Year purpose is…)
- Este año quiero... (This year I want to…)
Others expressions to give best wishes:
Finally, if you are looking for ideas on what to write about on your Christmas cards this year, why not impress them with some Spanish Happy New Year phrases? Here are some expressions you can say in Spanish to wish your friends and family Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year:
- Felices Fiestas (Happy Holidays)
- Feliz y próspero Año Nuevo (Happy and prosperous New Year)
- Te deseo todo lo mejor (I wish you all the best)
- Mis mejores deseos (Best wishes)
P.S. If you are looking to learn a new song in Spanish, here are the rest of the lyrics for the Año Nuevo, Vida Nueva I mentioned at the beginning.
¡Feliz año everyone!
Año nuevo, vida nueva
Más alegres los días serán
Año nuevo, vida nueva
Con salud y con prosperidad…
Entre pitos y matracas
Entre música y sonrisa
El reloj ya nos avisa
Que ha llegado un año más…
Las mujeres y los hombres
Un besito nos daremos,
Entre todos cantaremos
Llenos de felicidad…
Vamos todos a cantar.
Año nuevo, vida nueva
Más alegres los días serán
Año nuevo, vida nueva
Con salud y con prosperidad…
Isabel Solano