All Saints' Day

In Spain, like in other countries, we tradicionally celebrate All Saints' Day or All Saints on November 1st. It's a very ancient Catholic or Christian tradition. In terms of Roman Catholic theology, the feast commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in heaven, while the next day, All Souls' Day, commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven.

In Spain, Portugal, Poland, Mexico, France, etc. people take some flowers to the graves of dead relatives and they also light candles and leave them there until they put out.

What do you think about this tradition? I suppose some time all of you have attended the graveyard with your family to visit the graves. Did you like to visit the graveyard? or do you think it's too sad? Tell us about it.

Do you celebrate Halloween?

Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is an international holiday celebrated on October 31. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting haunted attractions, carving jack-o'-lanterns, reading scary stories and watching horror movies.

The origin of this feast is in the Irish Samhain, which was the a festival on the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, with aspects of a Festival of the Dead and it was also a celebration of the Celtic New Year. This feast was not only celebrated in Ireland, but also in a lot of places with Celtic origin like Galicia, Asturias, Bretaña, etc.

Nowadays, Halloween is celebrated in several countries of the Western world, most commonly in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom and occasionally in parts of Australia. In Sweden the All Saints' official holiday takes place on the first Saturday of November.

I know Halloween is a new event in Spain, but in Galicia and in countries with a Celtic origin people have been celebrating it for centuries. Why is it so popular? Maybe because it's funny and different from the typical All Saints' day. What about you? Do you like it? Have you ever disguised yourself as a witch, a ghost, a skeleton, or anything to go to a Halloween party? Or, do you prefer the typical All Saints' day in Spain? Tell us about your preferences and why.