The air is getting colder, the streets are filled with colourful lights, the trees are covered in beautiful decorations: that’s right, Christmas is just around the corner! In Italy, Christmas is everyone’s favourite time of year. Children, in particular, spend Christmas Eve anxiously waiting for Santa Claus, the jolly fellow who has spent the entire …
Christmastime is upon us yet again, and if you are studying Italian, you may well be wondering what Christmas is called in Italy! Natale/na·tà·le/(masculine noun) Christmas Unlike the English word Christmas, there is no explicit mention of Christ, but instead a direct reference to his birth (nascita). Indeed, the etymology of the term Natale can …
Before anyone jumps on me for writing about what is essentially a North American tradition, let me take a moment to say that I know Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in Italy, nor does it show any sign of taking root in Italian culture. That said, I felt it was important to cover this greeting because a …
Winter (inverno) can be a gloomy time of year in Italy, but it is brightened annually by the arrival of carnevale (carnival), a festival that takes place during the week before Lent (quaresima) involving music, processions, dancing and people dressed up in elaborate costume. A fun saying you can learn in preparation for this beloved …
As 2024 comes to a long-awaited end (fine), we want to take a moment to wish (augurare) all our followers a Buon Anno! Although this expression literally translates as good (buon) year (anno), it is by far the most common way of saying Happy New Year! in Italian. Buon Anno a tutti! Happy New Year …
Last year we taught you how to say the traditional holiday greeting Buon Natale! (Merry Christmas!), so this year we’re going with something a bit different! The Italian for Christmas is here! is Natale è arrivato! which literally translates as Christmas has arrived! It is made up of the following components: Natale >> The word …