What does “villancicos” mean in Spanish?

Villancicos are Christmas carols — the traditional songs a group sings together at this time of year. The word almost always comes in the plural, because carols come in sets. In Spain, hay que cantar villancicos — you have got to sing them — is not really a rule, just how Christmas evenings go. Warm and a little joking, it captures the feeling that carols are simply part of the night.

Spoken in the clip: “villancicos, claro, porque hay que cantar villancicos” — carols, of course, because you’ve got to sing carols. The tone is relaxed and amused: at a Spanish Christmas dinner, this is not a debate. A few ways you will meet the word: “Vamos a cantar villancicos” (Let’s sing Christmas carols), “Mi villancico favorito” (My favourite carol), “Los niños cantaron villancicos en el colegio” (The kids sang carols at school). The singular is “villancico” (one carol); the plural “villancicos” is what you will hear most, because carols usually come as a group of songs.