Halloween in Spain and the first day of November, All Saints Day

When I was a child, there wasn't "Halloween" in Spain. I used to go to the cemetery  with my family in Nerja. It really impressed me to feel the presence of the death. It was like a trip to the past and the future, where I began to ask myself great questions about my existence. A great lesson for life.

The first day of November is "All Saints Day" in Spain. We celebrate a Christian practice to remember the dead. Many Spaniards visit cemeteries, especially in the villages, they carry flowers and clean the graves of relatives and friends. Most people are buried in niches. They are like little apartments. 

These holidays come from pagan autumn festivals, they announce the proximity of the winter. During the autumn, the field after the joy of vintages is waiting for sowing. The Earth, a female symbol, appears barren at this time of the year, but after receiving seed, male symbol, this land becomes hope.

This celebration represents a reunion between the world of the dead (arid land) and the world of the living (life). In the past, after dinner, we used to eat: la castañada, it was a family food dedicated to the dead, which was a souvenir of the ancient funerary meals.

VOCABULARY

Child	Niño-a
Cemetery	Cementerio
Dead	Muerto
To carry	Llevar
Grave	Tumba
Relatives	Parientes
Joy	Gozo
Vintage	Vendimia
Sowing	Siembra
Barren	Estéril
Seed	Semilla
Male	Masculino
Female	Femenino
Land	Tierra
Hope	Esperanza
Chestnut	Castaña
Meal	Comida