How to Say Merry Christmas in Italian: Your Complete Guide
In this episode of The ItalianChat Experience, Sofia and I break down Buon Natale — the Italian Merry Christmas — plus the pronunciation, the phrases you’ll need for Christmas Eve, New Year, and the beautiful tradition of la Befana that gives Italian kids gifts twice.
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How to Say Merry Christmas in Italian: Buon Natale
Buon Natale (BWON nah-TAH-leh) literally means “good Christmas” — and it’s what Italians say to everyone during the holiday season. To family, to strangers on the street, to the barista handing you your espresso. It’s a warm, universal greeting that echoes everywhere in December.
Two pronunciation details to nail. First, “buon” has a W sound in front — BWON, not BON — the same rule from buon appetito. Second, Natale is three syllables with stress on the middle: nah-TAH-leh. That final “e” is not silent. You say it — leh. Put it all together: BWON nah-TAH-leh.
La Vigilia: Why Christmas Eve Matters Most in Italy
Here’s something that catches most Americans by surprise. In Italy, Christmas Eve is often the bigger celebration — not Christmas Day. Italians call it la Vigilia (lah vee-JEE-lyah) — literally “the vigil,” the night before.
The centerpiece is the Cenone della Vigilia (cheh-NOH-neh dehl-lah vee-JEE-lyah) — the big Christmas Eve dinner. Traditionally seafood-heavy, with multiple courses, pasta, wine, and the whole family gathered at one table. It’s not a warm-up to Christmas. In many families, it IS Christmas.
If you want to wish someone a happy Christmas Eve, you say buona Vigilia (BWOH-nah vee-JEE-lyah).
Suggested Read: Christmas in Italy: Top 20 Destinations & Best Traditions
How to Say Happy New Year: Buon Anno
The Italian holiday season doesn’t stop on December 25th — it stretches all the way through New Year and beyond. To wish someone a Happy New Year, you have two options:
- Buon anno (BWON AHN-noh) — “good year.” Short, classic, universal.
- Felice anno nuovo (feh-LEE-cheh AHN-noh NWOH-voh) — “happy new year.” A little more formal, a little more festive.
Both work. Use whichever feels natural in the moment.
Auguri: The One-Word Swiss Army Knife
Auguri (ow-GOO-ree) literally means “best wishes” — and it’s the most versatile holiday word in Italian. Christmas? Auguri! New Year? Auguri! Birthday? Auguri! Wedding? Auguri! Someone got a new job? Auguri!
You’ll hear it constantly during the holiday season. And it’s often used together with buon Natale or buon anno to add extra warmth: “Buon Natale a tutti! Auguri!” Learn this one word and you’ve got a warm response for basically any celebration in Italian life.
A Christmas Eve Toast: How It Sounds
In the episode, we imagine a real scene — a big Italian family Christmas Eve dinner. The nonna is bringing out the seafood, everyone’s raising their glasses. Here’s what you say:
“Buon Natale a tutti! Auguri!” — “Merry Christmas everyone! Best wishes!”
And the whole table answers back:
“Auguri! Buon Natale!”
It’s one of those moments that makes you feel like you belong. If you have Italian relatives or you’re spending Christmas in Italy this year, this is the phrase you want ready.
La Befana: Italy’s Gift-Giving Witch
Here’s the Italian Christmas tradition that fascinates everyone who hears about it for the first time. Meet la Befana (lah beh-FAH-nah) — a kind old witch who flies on a broomstick on the night of January 5th and delivers gifts to Italian children.
She’s basically Italy’s Santa Claus, but she arrives twelve days after Christmas. The holiday she brings is called l’Epifania (leh-pee-fah-NEE-ah) — the Epiphany — on January 6th. So Italian kids get gifts twice: once from Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) on December 25th, and once from la Befana on January 6th.
Good kids get sweets and small toys. Kids who misbehaved? They traditionally get carbone — coal — usually a black candy that looks like coal. It’s a beautiful, weird, wonderful tradition that stretches the Italian holiday season into January and gives kids something to look forward to after Christmas Day.
Suggested Read: La Befana Vien di Notte: Italian Nursery Rhymes
Quick Reference: Italian Christmas Phrases
| Italian | Pronunciation | Meaning | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buon Natale | BWON nah-TAH-leh | Merry Christmas | Anywhere, anyone, all December |
| La Vigilia | lah vee-JEE-lyah | Christmas Eve | Referring to December 24th |
| Buona Vigilia | BWOH-nah vee-JEE-lyah | Happy Christmas Eve | Wishing someone well on Dec 24th |
| Cenone della Vigilia | cheh-NOH-neh dehl-lah vee-JEE-lyah | The big Christmas Eve dinner | Referring to the traditional feast |
| Buon anno | BWON AHN-noh | Happy New Year | December 31st through early January |
| Felice anno nuovo | feh-LEE-cheh AHN-noh NWOH-voh | Happy New Year (longer) | Same, slightly more formal |
| Auguri | ow-GOO-ree | Best wishes | Any celebration — universal |
| La Befana | lah beh-FAH-nah | The gift-giving witch | Italian holiday folklore |
| L’Epifania | leh-pee-fah-NEE-ah | The Epiphany (Jan 6) | The holiday la Befana brings |
Practice These Phrases Out Loud
Christmas phrases carry real emotion — and this is the season when you’ll want to greet Italian relatives, in-laws, friends, or anyone you meet in Italy with genuine warmth.
If you want guided speaking practice where someone models the Italian first, gives you feedback, and helps you respond out loud — that’s exactly what Sofia Voice Coach does inside ItalianChat.
Sofia leads the conversation so you never freeze. She speaks first, you repeat, and she keeps you moving forward.
Suggested Read: How to Practice a Lesson in ItalianChat
See Sofia Voice Coach in Action 👇👇👇
Full Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Max: Ciao, Italian language learners! Welcome to another exciting episode of the Italian Chat Experience. I’m Max, your host, here with our Italian voice coach, Sofia. Are you ready for some Italian today, Sofia?
[00:00:21] Sofia: Ciao, Max. Always ready for some Italian. What’s on the agenda for today’s episode?
[00:00:26] Max: Today we’re getting festive. We’re learning how to say Merry Christmas in Italian. And yes, I know it’s not December yet — but by the time the panettone hits the shelves, you’ll be ready to greet every Italian in your life like a local.
[00:00:44] Sofia: Ha! I love it. Christmas in July. Very Italian energy — always prepared for the next celebration.
[00:00:51] Max: So Sofia, how do you say Merry Christmas in Italian?
[00:00:56] Sofia: It’s buon Natale. Buon Natale. It literally means “good Christmas,” and Italians say it everywhere during the holidays. To family, to strangers on the street, to the barista, to everyone. Buon Natale.
[00:01:12] Max: Let’s break down the pronunciation. There are two things I want to make sure people get right.
[00:01:20] Sofia: Right. First, buon has a W sound — BWON, not BON. Same rule as buon appetito. And Natale is nah-TAH-leh. Three syllables. Stress on the middle — TAH. And that final “e” is not silent — you say it, leh. Put it together: BWON nah-TAH-leh. Buon Natale.
[00:01:40] Max: Wonderful. In Italy, Christmas Eve is actually a bigger deal than Christmas Day for a lot of families. What’s the phrase for that?
[00:01:50] Sofia: La Vigilia. It literally means “the vigil” — the night before. And you’re right, it’s huge. Many Italian families have their big meal on Christmas Eve — the famous Cenone della Vigilia — with seafood, pasta, and everyone at the table. You’d wish someone “buona Vigilia.”
[00:02:07] Max: La Vigilia di Natale. I love it. And of course, Christmas does not stop on the 25th in Italy. How do you say Happy New Year?
[00:02:19] Sofia: Buon anno! Or the longer version — felice anno nuovo — “happy new year.” Both work. You’ll also hear auguri a lot during this whole season. Auguri means “best wishes” — and you can use it for pretty much any holiday or celebration. It’s a one-word Swiss Army knife.
[00:02:37] Max: Let’s put it together. I am at a big Italian family Christmas Eve dinner. The nonna is bringing out the seafood. Everyone’s raising their glasses. What do I say?
[00:02:50] Sofia: You raise your glass and say: “Buon Natale a tutti! Auguri!” — “Merry Christmas everyone! Best wishes!” And the whole table will answer you back: “Auguri! Buon Natale!” It’s one of those moments that makes you feel like you belong.
[00:03:05] Max: Here’s something I want to share. Italian Christmas has some traditions that do not translate directly. Panettone. Pandoro. La Befana. Can you say a bit about la Befana? Because that one always fascinates people.
[00:03:22] Sofia: Oh, la Befana is wonderful. She’s an old woman — a kind witch, really — who flies on a broomstick on the night of January 5th and delivers gifts to kids. She’s basically Italy’s Santa Claus, but arriving twelve days after Christmas. The holiday she brings is called l’Epifania — January 6th. So Italian kids get gifts twice. Not a bad deal.
[00:03:46] Max: Not at all. Excellent. To wrap up, today we practiced buon Natale for Merry Christmas, la Vigilia for Christmas Eve, buon anno and felice anno nuovo for Happy New Year, auguri for best wishes, and we met la Befana — the kind witch who brings gifts on January 6th. You’re now ready for an Italian holiday season. Grazie for listening! Visit LearnItalianPod.com for more resources and to explore ItalianChat, where you can practice real Italian conversations with Sofia. A presto!
[00:04:20] Sofia: A presto! Ciao a tutti!
