Autumn is a beautiful time in the northern latitudes. As an American, I associate autumn with Halloween. It’s one of the two big fall holidays, along with Thanksgiving.
My first year abroad in Spain, I realized I was being very narrow-minded. Halloween is an American holiday that the rest of the world doesn’t celebrate. I thought the celebration was over on October 31, but watching everyone head up to the local Spanish church the next day, I realized something was still going on, so I got out to see where everyone was headed.
What is All Saints Day?
November 1 is All Saints Day in Spain. Each year, people gather together to remember their loved ones who are no longer with us. Cemeteries are filled with people celebrating, not mourning, deceased relatives. People cover gravestones in elaborate floral displays, candles, and gifts as they celebrate their memories. It’s a beautiful holiday!
What to See
Traditionally, people lay chrysanthemums over grave markers as a gift and promise to their loved ones that they won’t forget them. This is the most colorful day of the year for cemeteries, and the most lucrative day of the year for florists. Churches hold a mass, sometimes multiple times throughout the day, in memory of the deceased supposedly to shorten their time in purgatory. Sometimes they will even hold the mass in the cemetery.
The Celebration
Rather than a day to mourn loss, All Saints Day is a day to celebrate life and memory. You can see people spending time together in church and in the cemeteries, eating traditional sweets, and gathering together in the town to eat castañas, or chestnuts.
Castañas are one of the traditional foods of All Saints Day and become popular in the winter months as someone roasts them over a bonfire or grill to keep warm. Other traditional foods of the festival include almond cakes and huesos de santo (saint’s bones), which are like rolled donuts.
How Do Outsiders Participate?
As an American expat in Spain and a non-Catholic, I felt very out of place on All Saints Day. I was nervous to go to the cemetery but I wanted to see the beautiful flowers. I walked up to the cemetery on top of the mountain all by myself, trying to blend in. The locals welcomed me and invited me in. What I didn’t realize was that there are no outsiders. Everyone is welcome to take part in the festival. It’s a beautiful celebration about being together, no matter who you are. When a community comes together to celebrate life, you stop feeling out of place and start feeling part of the community.
All Saints Day in Spain
This is one of the most important religious holidays in Spain. The celebrations in the province of Cádiz are the most notable. In villages and towns throughout the province, you can see candlelit processions on All Saints Day. All Saints Day in Spain is a powerful reminder of how important religion and family are to the Spanish people, even in the modern age.
If you’re traveling to Spain during this time, make sure to stop by the cemeteries wherever you are to see the elaborate decorations. The local people will love to see you celebrate with them on this important festival. Just make sure to account for traffic between October 31 and November 2 as everyone returns to their place of birth to celebrate with their loved ones!
Have you ever been in Spain for All Saints Day? Did you notice any of the celebrations or decorations? Share your story with me in the comments below!
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P.S. You might also like 11 Things in Spain That Aren’t Common in the U.S. and Discovering the White Villages of Andalusia