Christmas · Brazilian Portuguese
How to say Merry Christmas in Portuguese
Merry Christmas in Portuguese is Feliz Natal (feh-LEEZ nah-TAHW).
Below: the phrases Brazilians use at Christmas and New Year, all with audio, how Christmas works in a country where it falls in summer, 24 Christmas words, and free coloring pages, gift tags and an advent calendar to print.
Christmas phrases
- Feliz Natal!Merry Christmas!
- Boas Festas!Happy holidays!
- Feliz Ano Novo!Happy New Year!
- Feliz Natal e um próspero Ano Novo!Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
- Feliz Natal pra você também!Merry Christmas to you too! · the reply
- Um ótimo Natal para você e sua família.Have a great Christmas, you and your family.
Christmas in Brazil
It's summer. Christmas in Brazil falls in the hottest part of the year, often 30°C (86°F) or more, so plenty of families spend the holidays at the beach.
The big meal is the ceia de Natal, on the night of the 24th, often eaten close to midnight. Many families open their presents then, rather than on the morning of the 25th.
On the table: peru (turkey), panetone (panettone), farofa (toasted cassava flour) and rabanada, bread soaked in milk and egg, fried, then rolled in sugar and cinnamon.
At work and among friends there's amigo secreto, Secret Santa. You tirar (draw) a name: Quem você tirou? means who did you get?
Santa is Papai Noel, also called o Bom Velhinho, the good old man.
Houses and streets light up with pisca-pisca, fairy lights: literally blink-blink.
A week later comes Réveillon, New Year's Eve, which many spend on the beach dressed in white, jumping seven waves for luck at midnight.
24 Christmas words
One for each day of December up to Christmas Eve, the same words as the advent calendar, each with an example and a note.
| Listen | Portuguese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| o Natal | ChristmasNatal comes from the Latin for birth (natalis), like natal in English. | O Natal no Brasil é no verão.Christmas in Brazil is in summer. | |
| a árvore de Natal | the Christmas treeYou don't put up a tree, you montar it: assemble it. | Vamos montar a árvore de Natal?Shall we put up the Christmas tree? | |
| o Papai Noel | Santa ClausSanta has a nickname too: o Bom Velhinho, the good old man. | As crianças escrevem cartas para o Papai Noel.Children write letters to Santa. | |
| o presente | the presentPresente also means present as in here: it's what you answer when the teacher calls the register. | Esse presente é para você!This present is for you! | |
| a estrela | the starA starfish is an estrela-do-mar: a star of the sea. | A estrela fica no topo da árvore.The star goes on top of the tree. | |
| o sino | the bellJingle Bells in Brazil is Bate o sino: ring the bell. | Ouviu o sino? É o Papai Noel!Did you hear the bell? It's Santa! | |
| a vela | the candleVela is also a sail: a sailing boat is um barco a vela. | Ela acendeu uma vela vermelha.She lit a red candle. | |
| o presépio | the nativity sceneIt comes from the Latin for manger. | Minha avó monta o presépio todo ano.My grandma sets up the nativity scene every year. | |
| o enfeite | the decorationThe verb is enfeitar: Enfeitei a casa toda! I decorated the whole house! | Pendura esse enfeite aqui.Hang this decoration here. | |
| a guirlanda | the wreathTem is how Brazilians say there is: Tem uma guirlanda… There's a wreath… | Tem uma guirlanda na porta.There's a wreath on the door. | |
| o pisca-pisca | the fairy lightsLiterally blink-blink: piscar means to blink, or to wink. | O pisca-pisca não está funcionando!The fairy lights aren't working! | |
| a meia | the stockingMeia is a sock, and also half: meia hora is half an hour. | Deixei uma meia na janela para o Papai Noel.I left a stocking in the window for Santa. | |
| o amigo secreto | Secret SantaYou tirar (draw) a name. Quem você tirou? means who did you get? | Quem você tirou no amigo secreto?Who did you get in Secret Santa? | |
| o cartão | the cardCartão is a card, carta is a letter. Easy to mix up! | Escrevi um cartão de Natal para ela.I wrote her a Christmas card. | |
| o panetone | the panettoneA big Brazilian Christmas debate: frutas cristalizadas (candied fruit) or gotas de chocolate (chocolate chips)? | Panetone com ou sem frutas cristalizadas?Panettone with or without candied fruit? | |
| a rabanada | Brazilian French toastBread soaked in milk and egg, fried, then rolled in sugar and cinnamon. Brazil's Christmas treat. | A rabanada da minha mãe é a melhor.My mom's rabanada is the best. | |
| o peru | the turkeyo peru is the bird, o Peru is the country. Same word! | O peru ainda está no forno.The turkey is still in the oven. | |
| a ceia de Natal | Christmas Eve dinnerCeia means a late supper. In Brazil the big Christmas meal is on the 24th, late at night. | A ceia é na noite do dia 24.The dinner is on the night of the 24th. | |
| a rena | the reindeerRudolph is Rodolfo in Brazil: Rodolfo, a rena do nariz vermelho. | As renas puxam o trenó.The reindeer pull the sleigh. | |
| o trenó | the sleighThe accent tells you where the stress goes: tre-NÓ. | O trenó do Papai Noel está cheio de presentes.Santa's sleigh is full of presents. | |
| o anjo | the angelA sweet compliment: Você é um anjo! You're an angel! | A criança se vestiu de anjo.The child dressed up as an angel. | |
| a família | the familyToda after the noun means whole: a família toda, the whole family. | A família toda vem para o Natal.The whole family comes for Christmas. | |
| a véspera de Natal | Christmas EveVéspera is the eve, the day before: véspera de Ano Novo is New Year's Eve. | Na véspera de Natal, a gente abre os presentes à meia-noite.On Christmas Eve, we open the presents at midnight. | |
| Feliz Natal! | Merry Christmas!To reply: Feliz Natal pra você também! Merry Christmas to you too! | Feliz Natal e um próspero Ano Novo!Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! |
Free printables
Free to print at home or in class, on US Letter (they print fine on A4 at “fit to page”). Each coloring page has three words to color, with the English below.
Download all coloring pages (PDF)
Papai Noel na praia: Santa on the beach
- o Papai Noel · Santa Claus
- o gorro · the Santa hat
- o castelo de areia · the sandcastle
A árvore de Natal: The Christmas tree
- a árvore · the tree
- a estrela · the star
- o pisca-pisca · the fairy lights
A ceia de Natal: Christmas Eve dinner
- o peru · the turkey
- o panetone · the panettone
- a rabanada · the French toast
O amigo secreto: Secret Santa
- o amigo secreto · Secret Santa
- o presente · the present
- o laço · the bow
Cantando no Natal: Singing at Christmas
- o sino · the bell
- a vela · the candle
- a música · the music
Feliz Ano Novo!: Happy New Year!
- os fogos · the fireworks
- a roupa branca · the white clothes
- a onda · the wave
Gift tags
Eight tags to color, cut out and tie on: Para (to) and De (from)
Print the gift tags (Gift tags, PDF)
Advent calendar
One Christmas word a day, 1 to 24 December, a square to color each day
Print the advent calendar (Advent calendar, PDF)
Questions
How do you say Merry Christmas in Brazilian Portuguese?
Feliz Natal (feh-LEEZ nah-TAHW). To wish someone a happy New Year as well, say Feliz Natal e um próspero Ano Novo! And if someone says it to you, the reply is Feliz Natal pra você também!
What do Brazilians eat at Christmas?
The big meal is the ceia de Natal on Christmas Eve: usually turkey (peru) or ham, farofa, rice, salads, panettone (panetone) and rabanada, a fried bread soaked in milk and egg and rolled in sugar and cinnamon.
When do Brazilians open presents?
Many families open them on the night of the 24th, after the ceia de Natal, often at midnight. Children may still find something from Papai Noel on the morning of the 25th.
Is it Feliz Natal or Boas Festas?
Both are right. Feliz Natal is for Christmas itself. Boas Festas (happy holidays) covers the whole season, New Year included, so it's the one for a card or a message to anyone.