How to Describe Holiday Traditions in Spanish: From 'We eat turkey' to 'We celebrate with...'
Learn to talk about holiday customs in Spanish using celebrar, comer, and reunirse. Master the present tense and reflexive verbs to describe what your family does each year.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
Describing a holiday tradition in Spanish goes beyond naming a dish. You need to say who gathers, what they do, and when it happens. This lesson teaches you the core verbs and sentence patterns for talking about annual customs, such as 'We eat turkey on Thanksgiving' or 'We open gifts at midnight.' You will learn to use the present tense for habitual actions, the reflexive verb reunirse (to get together), and time expressions like todos los años. By the end, you will be able to describe your own family traditions in clear, natural Latin American Spanish.
By the end, you can…
- describe a holiday tradition using the present tense and verbs like celebrar, comer, and reunirse.
- ask and answer questions about when and how a custom is celebrated.
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En Thanksgiving, comemos pavo.
On Thanksgiving, we eat turkey.
en THANKS-gi-ving, ko-ME-mos PA-vo
Use comemos (we eat) for a habitual action. In Latin America, Thanksgiving is often called Día de Acción de Gracias, but the English name is also understood.
Nos reunimos con la familia.
We get together with the family.
nos re-u-NI-mos kon la fa-MI-lya
Reunirse is reflexive. Nos reunimos means 'we gather.' Use it for any family or friend gathering.
Todos los años, celebramos la Navidad.
Every year, we celebrate Christmas.
TO-dos los A-nyos, se-le-BRA-mos la na-vi-DAD
Todos los años signals a recurring tradition. Celebramos means 'we celebrate.'
Abrimos los regalos a medianoche.
We open gifts at midnight.
a-BRI-mos los re-GA-los a me-dya-NO-che
Abrimos (we open) is a regular -ir verb. A medianoche means 'at midnight.' In some countries, gifts are opened on Christmas Eve.
¿Qué hacen para Año Nuevo?
What do you (plural) do for New Year's?
ke A-sen PA-ra A-nyo NWE-vo
Hacen is the ustedes form of hacer. Use it to ask about a group's customs. In Spain, you might hear hacéis instead.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
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Useful pattern
To describe a tradition, use the present tense with a time expression. The structure is: [Time expression] + [verb in nosotros form] + [object]. For example: 'En Navidad, comemos tamales' (At Christmas, we eat tamales). 'Los sábados, visitamos a los abuelos' (On Saturdays, we visit the grandparents). The present tense here does not mean 'right now'; it means 'habitually' or 'every year.' Common time expressions include todos los años (every year), cada diciembre (every December), and los domingos (on Sundays).
When to use it
Use these patterns when talking about annual or recurring events, not one-time actions. If you are describing what you did last year, use the preterite: 'El año pasado comimos pavo' (Last year we ate turkey). For ongoing customs, stick to the present. Also, note that reunirse is reflexive: me reúno, te reúnes, se reúne, nos reunimos. Use nos reunimos for 'we get together.' For 'they get together,' use se reúnen. Example: 'Mis primos se reúnen en casa de la abuela' (My cousins get together at grandma's house).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Qué tradiciones tienen para la Navidad?
What traditions do you have for Christmas?ke tra-di-SYO-nes TYE-nen PA-ra la na-vi-DADNos reunimos en casa de mis tíos y comemos tamales.
We get together at my aunt and uncle's house and eat tamales.nos re-u-NI-mos en KA-sa de mis TI-os i ko-ME-mos ta-MA-les¿Y abren los regalos a medianoche?
And do you open gifts at midnight?i A-bren los re-GA-los a me-dya-NO-cheSí, los abrimos justo después de la cena.
Yes, we open them right after dinner.si, los a-BRI-mos KHUS-to des-PWES de la SE-naA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American countries, Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) is the main celebration, with a late dinner and gifts at midnight. Thanksgiving is not widely celebrated, but where it is, it is often called Día de Acción de Gracias. When talking about traditions, avoid assuming that everyone celebrates the same way. Ask questions like '¿Cómo celebran ustedes?' to show interest and respect.
One thing to watch for
Using 'comemos pavo en Thanksgiving' but forgetting the personal 'a' when saying 'we visit grandma': 'Visitamos abuela' instead of 'Visitamos a la abuela.'
Try this instead: When the direct object is a specific person, use the personal 'a': 'Visitamos a la abuela.' Also, use the definite article: 'a la abuela,' not just 'a abuela.' For animals or things, no personal 'a' is needed: 'Visitamos la casa.'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say 'We celebrate with a big dinner' in Spanish?
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Celebramos con una cena grande.
Celebramos is the nosotros form of celebrar. Con una cena grande means 'with a big dinner.' You could also say 'Celebramos con una gran cena,' but the adjective usually follows the noun.
2Translate: 'My family gets together every December.'
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Mi familia se reúne cada diciembre.
Se reúne is the third-person reflexive form for 'gets together.' Cada diciembre means 'every December.' If you say 'Mi familia se reúnen,' that is incorrect because familia is singular.
3Ask a friend: 'What do you do for New Year's?' (using tú)
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¿Qué haces para Año Nuevo?
Haces is the tú form of hacer. Para Año Nuevo means 'for New Year's.' In some regions, you might hear '¿Qué haces en Año Nuevo?' but para is more common for traditions.
To describe a holiday tradition, use the present tense with time expressions like todos los años, and remember reflexive verbs like reunirse. Ask others about their customs to learn more.
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