Lots of fun things to do in Barcelona

_Elsa_

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Better known as El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead or All Souls Day), Halloween in Spain is a three-day celebration that kicks off on October 31st with Dia de las Brujas (Day of the Witches), continues with Dia de Todos los Santos (All Saints Day) on November 1st, and culminates with Dia de los Muertos on November 2nd. 

Far from being a commercial holiday, the Spanish Halloween is all about honoring the dead and celebrating the continuity of life. Accordingly, specific customs and rituals can be observed throughout the country, most of them similar to those in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking nations. For instance, during the Dia de Todos los Santos, which is a public holiday, many families tend to gather at the grave of their deceased relatives with holy water, flowers, food, and drink in order to rejoice and socialize. 

Halloween in Barcelona and Catalonia

While Halloween in Spain is mainly observed as a children’s holiday or a spiritual festivity intended to commemorate the dead, throughout the country’s big cities and vibrant university towns you’ll always find clubs, hotels, and restaurants organizing glamorous events and colorful costume parties. 

One of these places is Barcelona, where in addition to the sprightly Halloween fiestas held on October 31st in the city’s famous bars and nightclubs, you’ll also have the chance to enjoy the Catalan tradition of La Castanyada. 

This is a popular All Saints’ Day festival held each year on November 1st in Barcelona and Catalonia, and welcomes visitors with various events, music concerts, and stalls filled with seasonal delicacies such as castanyes (chestnuts), sweet potatoes, sweet wine, and panellets – small Catalan cakes made of marzipan, almonds, and various flavors. This autumn fair is also celebrated in Galicia (Magosto) and Asturias (Magüestu). 

Also, if you are spending Halloween in Barcelona, make sure you visit the city’s magnificent cemeteries, including Montjuïc, Poblenou, and Les Corts, for some special night tours and wonderful classical music concerts. 

Another Halloween custom that can be observed in Barcelona is Ruta de Altares (Route of the Altars). In the last couple of years, this relatively new tradition specific to the Mexican Día de los Muertos has become increasingly evident around the city’s streets, bars, restaurants, shops, galleries, and associations. 

For an even more authentic Catalan tradition, head to the small village of Sant Feliu Sasserra, in the comarca of Bages, where a fascinating two-day Witch Festival is held every year in the honor of the 23 women who were sentenced to death during the Inquisition, after being accused of witchcraft. 

Locally known as Fira de les Bruixes, the event begins on the night of October 31st in Plaça de l’Església with an esoteric parade that runs through the village’s darkest corners. 

On November 1st, All Saints Day finds the town full of dancers, street artists, and stalls offering everything from local delicacies to artisan crafts and tarot services. Sant Feliu Sasserra is also home to a small Witch Museum. (Info here) 

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