A while ago I learned the words to Jingle Bells in Spanish, which is known as Cascabel.
I had previously learned and been exposed to many other Christmas songs in Spanish, but for some reason had never learned Jingle Bells in Spanish. However, soon that was taken care of and I started reflecting on the power that Christmas songs have had on my life.
One of the great things about Christmas songs is that they evoke similar feelings in whatever language they are sung. Christmas songs in Spanish hold a special place in my heart because they remind me of those times I spent in Latin America during Christmas and they alone were able to remind me of home and help me feel the joy of Christmas.
It can be lonely spending the holidays away from home and from everything you are used to. But Christmas songs (especially the familiar ones that we all know and love) can help us overcome those lonely feelings. They sure helped me.
One of the most often sung Christmas songs has to be Jingle Bells. Growing up, my brothers and I would sing this song a lot during Christmas (although most of the time it was to lyrics that our mom wouldn’t quite approve of).
Like I mentioned earlier, however, it wasn’t until fairly recently that I learned the words to Jingle Bells in Spanish, or Cascabel.
There are a couple of variations on the lyrics in Cascabel, but I only learned one way to sing it and I have posted that version below.
I hope you enjoy it and that it brings you happiness all year round.
First, though, the English version:
Jingle Bells in English
Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Over the hills we go
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bobtail ring,
Making spirits bright.
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
Jingle all the way.
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
Jingle all the way.
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
There are actually three more verses to this Christmas song, but I won’t list them here. You can find them on other sites like Wikipedia, or by searching for Jingle Bell lyrics.
Jingle Bells in Spanish
There are a few different versions of Jingle Bells in Spanish, and there doesn’t seem to be one “official” version that is used more than others.
Here is one version that I first learned when I was studying Spanish:
Version 1
Cascabel, cascabel,
Música de amor.
Dulces horas, gratas horas,
Juventud en flor.
Cascabel, cascabel,
Tan sentimental.
No ceces, oh cascabel,
De repiquetear.
Version 2
As I mentioned, though, there are lots of different versions, and if you’re looking for one that is a bit more in line with the original version, and that comes with a great YouTube video for teaching the song to students, use these lyrics:
Cascabel, cascabel
Suena el cascabel
Este día en trineo
Vamos a pasear.
Navidad, Navidad
Hoy es Navidad.
Es un día de alegría
Y felicidad.
Videos of Jingle Bells in Spanish and English
Here are a couple of videos if you’re interested in doing some translation practice with Christmas songs like this.
This video contains the lyrics of Jingle Bells in Spanish.
This video contains the lyrics of Jingle Bells in Spanish (or Cascabel).
Conclusion
Christmas songs in Spanish are awesome and one of the first ones every Spanish speaker learns is Jingle Bells in Spanish, otherwise known as Cascabel. Hope you’ve enjoyed it!
