Italian wishes

A wish that can be used on every occasion is auguri (best wishes): you will never be wrong….but let’s go through specific wishes for main occasions:

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Occasion WIsh
New Year’s Day Buon anno! (Ti auguro un) felice anno nuovo!
Epiphany Buona Epifania! Buona Befana! (but you’d better not say that to a woman, she could understand that you are ironically referring to her as a Befana, an old and badly dressed lady)
Easter Buona Pasqua! (any kind of chocolate egg is very welcome on this day)
Ferragosto Buon Ferragosto!
Merry Christmas! Buon Natale!
On Easter or Christmas Holidays Buone Feste!
On winter or summer holidays Buone vacanze!
On birthdays (compleanni) Buon compleanno! Tanti auguri!
On 8th March Women’s Day Auguri!
On father’s day 19th March Auguri papà!
On mother’s day 8th May Auguri mamma!
For the bride and groom Auguri!
For the birth of a new baby, congratulations! Congratulazioni!
Good luck Buona fortuna!
The common way and most used expression before exams, competitions, performances of any kind is an antiphrastic and apotropaic one (i.e. you say exactly the contrary of what you really wish and this way you’ll deceive the evil and keep it away from that person): In bocca al lupo! (lit.: in the mouth of the wolf) Notice: when somebody wishes you In bocca al lupo you have to reply: Crepi (il lupo)! (lit: I hope it dies) Otherwise you’ll have bad luck!