The 31st of October is celebrated throughout the world with spooky costumes, decoration and a whole lot of sweets but there is more to Halloween than children walking around the streets in bin bags, or expensive store bought fancy dress costumes as is the norm these days. Halloween has a wealth of history and tradition, historically the USA has had the monopoly on Halloween celebrations but Spain is catching up fast with a combination of tradition, as Spain does so well, and customs from other parts of the world. Let’s have a look at what happens on Halloween in Spain…
What is Halloween really all about?
In Spain it’s actually a three day celebration, Halloween starts on the 31st of October, as you would expect, it’s also known as the Night of the Pumpkins or the Day of the Witches. The 1st of November is All Saints Day which is celebrated with lots of foodie street festivals; of course traditionally it is also the day to celebrate the life of the local saints of Spain, something that is taken very seriously. The 2nd of November is The Day of the Dead, where relatives come together to celebrate the lives of loved ones and often visit cemeteries to pay their respects. In northern Spain it is traditional to take home made sweets and cakes to relatives graves as an offering for them.
What goes on all over Spain on Halloween?
Spain always celebrates properly so as well as the obvious trick-or-treating in the streets, something that has become much more common these days, and the kids parties and fancy dress, there are concerts, street parties and so much more taking place all over Spain. Pumpkin carving is something that is taken very seriously and there are often competitions for the best ones, particularly in northern Spain. In the bigger cities there are often huge parties organised and fancy dress parades are becoming the norm. There are as many adults dressing up and partying the night away as there are children in Spain so whatever the age group of your holiday party, you’re sure to find a great celebration to join.
Spooky events on the Costa del Sol
The biggest, and quite honestly most terrifying, celebration on the Costa del Sol on the 31st of October is the Malaga zombie walk. This tradition began a few years ago and has got bigger and better each year, the costumes are truly amazing so if you’re in Malaga on Halloween make sure you see the parade, or maybe even take part. For the younger members of your party there are always Halloween parties at Selwo Marina, Selwo Aventura, Benalmadena Sea-life, Tivoli World, and Rosaleda Shopping centre and they are just the tip of the iceberg. For a night of terror for both adults and children you should take a look at the events at the Botanical Gardens and the English Cemetery in Malaga, both great events full of frights and fun.
Hopefully you’ll now have a great understanding of what Halloween in Spain is all about, if you’re lucky enough to be taking a holiday in Spain at the end of October be sure to participate in one of these fabulous events if you can.
