Spanish Halloween: ¿truco o trato?

It is time again for a spooky atmosphere and to be scared, and absolutely waiting for candies. Spain is also ready to dress up their most terrifying costumes to celebrate Halloween (La Noche de Brujas).

It means “Hallows Eve” which falls on the 31st of October, before the evening of “All Hallows Day” and on this very frightening day people wear costumes to disguise themselves as evil spirits so that they cannot be spotted by the real spirits.

Spanish people also live the time of dead and evil, they love to go outside with costumes but not with the same reason as in the other countries. They love to “disfrazar”, which is a very common thing to do in Spain among young people not only on holidays like Halloween but also just solely to have fun. But on Halloween it becomes more challenging and exciting to have the most terrifying make up and have the best dress. Parents sometimes accompany to their kids to enjoy this moment. They visit other houses and say “Truco o Trato?” which is the same tradition in other countries, asking for some candies or else it might not be good for you to see the trick.

Maybe the most important tradition is missing in Spain which is carved pumpkins used as lanterns in other words "jack-o’-lanterns". These lanterns were designed to keep away the spirits from the house by putting at the door or on the window. It can be a bit difficult to find the pumpkins suitable for Halloween, yes there are pumpkins in Spain but may disappoint you if they are not big, round and orange enough.

Generally, Spaniards celebrate All Saints’ Day (Día de todos los Santos) on the 1st of November and Mexico celebrate Days of the Dead (Días de los Muertos) on the 31st of October instead of Halloween. Everyone dress up like evil creatures and have a parade on the streets. Though it has turned into a commercial holiday, still offers a lot of fun and terror. If you are around in any Spanish speaking country these days, a little bit of vocabulary might be handy to celebrate Halloween in a Spanish way.

Spanish Halloween vocabulary:

Calabaza: Pumpkin
Disfraz: Costume
Caramelo: Candy
Bruja: Witch
Duende (Espritu): Spirit
Fantasma:Ghost
Demonio: Demon
Araña: Spider
Sangre: Blood
Esqueleto: Skeleton
Gato negro: Black cat
Murciélago: Bat
Vampiro: Vampire