How do you say “Once in a blue moon” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is De Pascuas a Ramos, which literally means “From Easters to Palm Sundays”. English speakers use once in a blue moon to mean very rarely. An established expression for something happening very rarely. It is expressive rather than a precise measure of time. Register: informal. Usage frequency: occasional.
Closest natural Spanish
De Pascuas a Ramos
/de ˈpaskwas a ˈramos/
- Literal meaning
- “From Easters to Palm Sundays”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- occasional
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
English looks to an unusual moon. Spanish uses the names of religious celebrations to suggest a long interval.
Neither normally gives a literal timetable. Both mean very rarely, rather than never.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
Muy de vez en cuando
Literally: “Very from time to time”
A broadly useful, conversational option for very occasional events.
Casi nunca
Literally: “Almost never”
Plain wording that puts the frequency close to zero.
Common translation traps
Una vez en una luna azul
This copies the English moon image without giving the established Spanish expression.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
He only calls once in a blue moon.
Spanish
Solo llama de Pascuas a Ramos.
English
We eat out once in a blue moon.
Spanish
Comemos fuera de Pascuas a Ramos.
Related expressions
- What “Once in a blue moon” means in English
- Miss the boat, To be too late for an opportunity.
Last updated 2026-09-13