How is Halloween celebrated in Barcelona?
Sandrine
Hey everybody!
Once again and with great pleasure I am going to introduce one of our new team members Her name is Cassandra and she came directly from Trinity College in Connecticut to do a work placement among us.
She will stay with us for one month and will regularly keep you posted about “what’s going on” in Barcelona. Nice, isn’t it?
A few days before Halloween she thought that it might be interesting for you guys to read about this tradition in Spain.
And if you are in our school, do not forget to join our Activity Programme prepared by Pierre!
Cassandra, this is your turn!!!
With Halloween rapidly approaching, there is no better topic for my first Camino blog post!
For starters, as an American student studying abroad in Spain, Halloween is a holiday that I’ve celebrated since a very young age. Choosing a Halloween costume is one of the number one things on an American girls` agenda every October. This got me thinking. How do people celebrate Halloween in Spain? Do they dress up? Do they trick-or-treat? So far, I haven’t noticed my host mom putting up any decorations or buying any candy for possible trick-or-treaters.
My housemate Hilly and I did however manage to find a store selling Halloween decorations in our “barrio” and she did adorn her wall with a “Happy Halloween” sign. I decided before I danced my way into a discoteca dressed as a ballerina, a sailor, or Minnie Mouse, (all previous costume titles), I should probably do some research of my own. Here is what I discovered:
Halloween in Spain is called “Dia de los muertos.” It begins on the evening of October 31st, which is also referred to as La Castañada, and concludes on November 2nd, which is All Souls’ Day.
The main purpose of “Dia de los muertos” is to celebrate the lives of the deceased; it is in no way spent mourning their loss. On this holiday, those who have passed are said to return home. Family members and friends adorn their homes with flowers, candy, and other favorite things of the deceased with hopes of luring them back to their homes. Families will generally visit the gravesites of their loved ones on All Souls’ Day on November 2nd.
Some say Halloween is celebrated more in Northern Spain than in Southern Spain as it was originally founded as a Celtic holiday and Northern Spain was initially home to a fair amount of Celtic immigrants.
Between Barcelona’s location in the middle of Spain, and the influx of North-American immigrants as well as study-abroad students, the celebration of Halloween is growing in popularity.
One of the most important aspects of the celebration is the food! Typical Halloween treats are castañas (chestnuts), panellets, buñuelos (fritters), boniatos (sweet potatoes), y huesos de santo (saint bones).
The chestnut is probably the most popular of all of the treats I mentioned, as it even has a night named after it (La Castañada).
There are many stories about how the chestnut became the staple it is today. One states that there was a tradition for children to hide the chestnuts for the souls of the deceased. If they found them, they would then exchange the chestnuts for panellets. Panellets are a pastry made with almonds and sugar and they are typically served on the “Dia de los santos” on November 1st.
There are many events planned at several of the bars and discotecas to celebrate Halloween. I think I may improvise with the clothing I have in terms of a costume, though I have heard that Menkes on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes is the place to buy one!
Que te lo pases bien! Trick or treat!
Cassandra
