Halloween In Barcelona
Barcelona is a Spanish city like no other, proud of its Catalan culture
, but open to visitors and customs from around the world. So although Halloween is not a specifically Spanish, or Catalan festival, the people of Barcelona have welcomed the costumed partying of Halloween with open arms. And if you're looking for a Halloween weekend with a difference, you will certainly find it in the historical city of Barcelona.Halloween, as a north European and American custom, dates back to the celebration of All Hallows Eve, from where the festival on the 31st of October gets its name. But Spain too has its All Saints Day at this of year, but in Barcelona it is celebrated as "Todos los Santos", on the 1st of November. Here, too, there are associations with the dead - for on this day many Catalan people will attend church services in honour of the Catholic saints and martyrs.
This is often followed up with visits to place wreaths on family graves and to remember and respect those departed. Cemeteries actually stay open later on this day and have special flower stalls open. The people of Barcelona have added their own twist to this, a Catalan tradition of La Castanyada, or chestnut time. Roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes are sold by castanyers i castanyeres from street stalls and these are eaten with panellets, small round almond cakes and plenty of sweet wine.
A Halloween holiday is certainly not neglected, however; Barcelonans love to party and dress up, so here in Barcelona you will find plenty of clubs and bars looking to celebrate the imported festival of Halloween. The people of Barcelona have also taken another imported tradition connected with the dead - this time from Mexico.
For the last few years, a number of Mexican style altars, "El Da de Muertos" , have sprung up at this time of year, and now the festival called Ruta de Altares has become a yearly fixture. These altars are a uniquely Mexican slant on honouring the dead, brightly coloured and slightly grotesque - a perfect complement to Halloween.
If you are still thinking of needing a darker, more spooky Halloween vacation experience, don't forget that Barcelona has it's own macabre history, including the patron Saint Eullia who was gruesomely tortured to recant her faith. And for a true gothic experience, you can't get more spooky than Halloween in the claustrophobic streets of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona of the old town.
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