Every now and then, for reasons I cannot fathom, the annoying ads that appear on my computer screen are in Spanish.
Not that I have anything against Spanish-language ads… but I don’t speak Spanish.
I know a few Spanish words, however.
“Bueno”
“Enchilada”
“Chihuahua”
Recently, I was introduced to the phrase “Felices Fiestas”, courtesy of Carolina Herrera. (Fragrances for Him and Her.)
And I also know the words of the Christmas song, “Feliz Navidad.”
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Próspero año y felicidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Próspero año y felicidad
Songwriter and singer José Feliciano recorded the song in 1970. It also included some English lyrics.
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart
A couple of simple phrases, and a catchy tune. A pretty uncomplicated song, considering it has been recognized by ASCAP as one of the top 25 most played and recorded Christmas songs around the world. Reportedly, when José Feliciano wrote it, he was suffering from the ‘Christmas blues’… living in Los Angeles far away from his family in New York, and feeling lonely and missing the whole Christmas-with-family scene.
Emotional pain being the source of some of the world’s best-loved songs.
Thanks to Mr. Feliciano, I am familiar — very familiar, even — with six Spanish words that I probably would not have known otherwise.
But I’m concerned now about ‘Felices Fiestas’.
If I’m guessing right — if ‘Feliz Navidad’ means ‘Merry Christmas’ — then I would be willing to bet good money that ‘Felices Fiestas’ means ‘Happy Holidays’.
This does not make me feliz!
We’re having a big problem, here in America, with people refusing to say ‘Merry Christmas’ because they’re afraid they might offend someone who subscribes to a foreign religion like, say, Islam or Hinduism or Judaism or Atheism. At the same time, people who belong to those religions are refusing to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to the rest of us, who are in fact trying our best to have a merry Christmas.
So, an awful lot of people have been switching to ‘Happy Holidays’ as a greeting. Christians who are afraid of insulting someone of a different religion… and people from other religions who have no problem insulting Christians.
We understand that there are a fair number of other so-called ‘holidays’ that happen around December 25. Hanukkah. Rohatsu. Lucia. Nochebuena. Omisoka. Kwanzaa. Hogmanay. Krampusnacht.
But these are pretty much foreign holidays, celebrated in places where they don’t even speak English. (Hanukkah might be the exception to that rule. Lots of people who celebrate Hanukkah also speak English.)
But my point here is, we already have the big problem of people saying ‘Happy Holidays’ instead of ‘Merry Christmas’.
Do we really need this problem translated into Spanish?
¡Pienso que no!
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all.