Event location: Many clubs and hotels in Barcelona organise Halloween parties
The Halloween tradition is celebrated in Spain and Barcelona in much the same way as in other European cities with Halloween fancy dress parties featuring all manner of ghouls, ghosts, witches and zombies having a fine old time. Check out the parties at Shoko , Monasterio and for an upmarket party try Hotel Casa Fuster. For other top clubs in town that will probably have Halloween themes tonight visit our Barcelona clubbing section. A fun new Mexican tradtion started in Barcelona a few years back called Ruta de Altares, where you can visit different "El Día de Muertos" (Day of the Dead) alters in 19 bars, shops and galleries around Barcelona in memory of the recently departed. Visit http://www.rutadealtares.org for more information.
The 1st November is a public holiday in Spain called "Todos los Santos" (All Saints). On this day you can enjoy the Catalan tradition called La Castanyada and also on all Saints' Day it is a tradition to attend church services in honor of Catholic saints and martyrs and to visit family graves and place flowers, wreaths and candles. The cemeteries in Barcelona have longer opening hours during Halloween weekend from 08.00 until 18.00 and you will see special flower stalls at the gates.
The Origins of Halloween
Although the modern Halloween is based on traditions from the USA, the origins of Halloween can actually be found in Celtic Britain. The Celts lived in the British Isles during ancient times and worshipped the gods of nature. There were two important festivals in the Celtic calendar, Beltane and Samhain. Samhain was pronounced something like "Sow-win," which might be origin for the modern word Halloween. Beltane celebrated the beginning of summer and Samhain the start of winter, and was the first day of the year on the Celtic calendar. The festival of Samhain started on October 31 and finished on November 1. The Celts were afraid of winter because the days were short and cold, and the nights were very long. and they associated winter with death and evil spirits.
The Celts believed that on the night of October 31 the spirits of the dead rose from the tombs and they made big fires to frighten the ghosts off. They also wore scary costumes and played games on October 31 to bring good luck in the year. Nuts and apples were eaten as these were considered lucky food. The colors of Halloween are also of Celtic origin. Black was the colour of winter and long nights. Orange was the colour of the harvest. The black cat is another symbol of Halloween. The Celts believed that the black cat had special powers.
Come in Barcelona right now in order to discover the city and then to do parties for the Halloween night!!!And rent an apartment with your friends!!
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