🎃 Halloween in Spain: Traditions, Food, Vocabulary & Fun Facts
- Mónica Jiménez
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Have you ever wondered how people celebrate Halloween in Spain? 🇪🇸
Imagine walking through a Spanish town on October 31st: kids in spooky costumes shout “¡Truco o trato!” in the streets, bakeries smell of freshly fried buñuelos, and candles flicker in windows to honor the souls of the departed. 🕯️
Halloween in Spain isn’t just a copy of the American version — it’s a magical blend of ancient traditions, family gatherings, delicious food, and a pinch of Spanish humor.
👻 Do they celebrate Halloween in Spain?
Yes — but it’s not exactly like in the U.S. 🇺🇸For many generations, Spaniards only celebrated All Saints’ Day (El Día de Todos los Santos) on November 1st. It’s a religious and family-oriented day when people visit cemeteries, bring flowers to loved ones, and share traditional sweets like huesos de santo (“saints’ bones”) or buñuelos de viento. 💐
Then came globalization, TV shows, and Hollywood movies.Little by little, Spanish children started dressing up as witches 🧙♀️, vampires 🧛♂️, and zombies 🧟 — walking from door to door saying “¡Truco o trato!” to ask for chuches (candies 🍬).
Today, Halloween in Spain is everywhere: in schools, bars, theme parks, and even small villages. It’s become a fun and spooky night, while the next day, Todos los Santos, remains for reflection and family. ❤️
🕯️ Origins: From Celtic soots to Modern Spain
Celebrating spirits isn’t new in Spain. In Galicia, northern Spain, there’s an ancient Celtic festival called Samaín, which existed long before American Halloween. People lit bonfires to keep away evil spirits and to welcome winter. 🔥
When Christianity spread, Samaín merged with All Saints’ Day, and many of its customs survived.That’s why Halloween in Spain feels both ancient and modern — a spooky night with a spiritual morning after.
💀 Halloween vs. All Saints’ Day in Spain
These two days go hand in hand:
October 31 – Halloween: costumes, parties, scary movies, and decorations. 🎭
November 1 – All Saints’ Day: families visit cemeteries, light candles, and eat traditional pastries together.
In cities like Seville or Madrid, people might go to a Halloween party at night and then have lunch with their families the next day, surrounded by flowers, candles, and warm memories. 🌸
Spain loves to mix joy and nostalgia — it’s perfectly natural that laughter and remembrance share the same weekend.
📍 Regional Halloween Celebrations
Each region adds its own flavor to the spooky season:
Galicia: celebrates Samaín with bonfires, parades, and “haunted-village” walks.
Catalonia: mixes Halloween with La Castanyada, where people eat roasted chestnuts (castañas) and sweet almond cookies called panellets. 🌰🍪
Madrid: nightclubs, schools, and theme parks like Parque Warner go all out with costumes and scary shows.
Andalusia (Seville, Málaga, Granada): families blend both holidays — kids say “¡Truco o trato!” while bakeries overflow with buñuelos de viento.
Canary Islands: neighborhoods host outdoor horror-movie marathons and street festivals.
🍩 Traditional Halloween & All Saints’ Day Food in Spain
No Spanish celebration is complete without food! 🍴When autumn arrives, bakeries across Spain fill their windows with traditional sweets that appear only once a year — right around Halloween and All Saints’ Day.
💀 Huesos de santo
Literally “saints’ bones,” these delicious marzipan rolls are filled with creamy egg-yolk filling. They’re soft, sweet, and beautifully symbolic — a classic in every Spanish home at this time of year.
🍩 Buñuelos de viento
Light and fluffy fried dough balls, often filled with whipped cream, custard, or chocolate. They’re one of the most popular treats you’ll find in bakeries from Madrid to Málaga.
🍪 Panellets
A Catalan favorite made with almond paste and covered in pine nuts. People traditionally prepare them at home with family for La Castanyada — a celebration that coincides with Halloween night.
🌰 Castañas asadas
Roasted chestnuts are sold by street vendors in paper cones, filling the streets with their smoky autumn scent. Walking with warm castañas in your hands is one of the most comforting Spanish fall traditions.
🍷 Moscatel wine
To finish, many families enjoy a small glass of sweet moscatel wine with their pastries — a toast to family, memory, and the change of season.
These treats aren’t scary — they’re heartwarming! Add a photo of each one and you’ll capture the delicious side of Halloween in Spain.
🧙♀️ Spanish Halloween Vocabulary (Spain)
Here’s your ultimate bilingual list to practice real Spanish from Spain:
🇪🇸 Spanish | 🇺🇸 English |
|---|---|
🎃 Calabaza de Halloween | Halloween pumpkin |
🕸️ Telaraña | Spider web |
🦇 Murciélago | Bat |
🧙♀️ Bruja | Witch |
🧟 Zombi | Zombie |
👻 Fantasma | Ghost |
💀 Calavera | Skull |
🧹 Escoba | Broom |
🧛♂️ Vampiro / Vampira | Vampire |
🤕 Momia | Mummy |
🐈⬛ Gato negro | Black cat |
🕯️ Cementerio | Cemetery |
👉 Cultural note: Spaniards don’t always say “Trick or treat.” They’ll use “Truco o trato,” but sometimes kids just ask directly: “¿Tienes caramelos?” (“Do you have candies?”). 😂
💬 Real Spanish Expressions for Halloween
If you want to sound like a real Spaniard when talking about scary things, try these expressions:
Expression | Meaning / Context |
|---|---|
😱 Dar un susto de muerte | To scare someone to death — very common in Spain. |
😱 ¡Qué susto! | What a scare! / You scared me! |
💩 Estoy cagado de miedo | I’m scared to death (very colloquial). |
☠️ Estoy muerto de miedo | I’m terrified / scared stiff. |
😨 Me da miedo | It scares me. |
🧟♂️ Me pone los pelos de punta | It gives me goosebumps. |
👻 Me da yuyu | It gives me the creeps. |
🎃 ¡Qué miedo! | How scary! |
🧛🏻♀️ Pasar miedo | To feel afraid (often used about movies). |
💀 Tener cara de muerto | To look pale or exhausted. |
👻 Estar hecho un fantasma | To disappear for a while (figuratively). |
💡 Example:
“Esa película me dio un susto de muerte, casi tiro las palomitas.”
(That movie scared me to death — I almost dropped my popcorn!)
🇪🇸 Halloween in Spain vs the U.S.
Spain 🇪🇸 | United States 🇺🇸 |
|---|---|
Halloween + All Saints’ Day mix | Only Halloween night |
Family & remembrance | Fun & horror focus |
Buñuelos, panellets, castañas | Candy bars & chocolate |
Fewer home decorations | Neighborhood contests for the scariest house |
Adults + kids celebrate | Mostly kids (but big parties too!) |
Both love the spooky season, but in Spain the atmosphere is warmer, more family-based, and full of delicious tradition.
🇲🇽 What about Mexico’s “Día de los Muertos”?
Many people confuse Spain’s All Saints’ Day (Día de Todos los Santos) with Mexico’s Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) — but they’re very different celebrations that reflect each country’s unique culture and history. 🌎
Both holidays share one beautiful goal: to remember and honor loved ones who have passed away. Yet, how each culture expresses that remembrance couldn’t be more distinct.
In Mexico, the Día de los Muertos (celebrated on November 1st and 2nd) is full of color, music, and symbolism. Families build altars (ofrendas) at home with candles, marigold flowers (cempasúchil), photos, and the favorite foods and drinks of the deceased. 💐💀People paint their faces like sugar skulls, visit cemeteries to picnic, sing, and tell stories — it’s a joyful, life-affirming celebration that transforms grief into gratitude. 🎶🕯️
In Spain, however, the atmosphere is more intimate and reflective. Families visit cemeteries quietly, place flowers on graves, and share traditional pastries like buñuelos de viento or huesos de santo while remembering their ancestors. There are no parades, face paint, or altars — just a calm moment of connection with family and memory. 🌸🕯️
Despite their differences, both traditions show how deeply the Spanish-speaking world values family, remembrance, and the belief that love never dies. ❤️So whether you’re lighting a candle in Spain or decorating an altar in Mexico, the message is the same: we remember those who came before us with joy and respect.
🎬 Halloween in Spanish Pop Culture
Spanish TV and films also embrace Halloween!You’ll find themed episodes in sitcoms like Los Serrano or Aída, and every October cinemas screen horror hits like REC or El Orfanato.
If you’re learning Spanish through movies, check our post Spanish Halloween Movies 🎬 for easy-to-follow films with European Spanish accents.
🧩 Halloween in Spain Quiz: Test your Spanish!
Ready to see what you’ve learned? Let’s find out! 👻
🧠 Learn Spanish through Halloween
Halloween is the perfect excuse to learn new vocabulary and cultural expressions while having fun:
🎭 Describe your costume in Spanish!
Soy un vampiro elegante con una capa negra.
✍️ Write a short spooky story using at least five Spanish words.
📺 Watch a Spanish scary movie with subtitles.
🎓 Take our Spanish level test and find your ideal class with Straight from Spain!
Al aire libre: se comen castañas 🌰, se canta alrededor del fuego 🔥 y se bebe vino 🍷.
❓ FAQ: Halloween in Spain
🗓️ Is there Halloween in Spain?
Yes! It’s on October 31st, followed by All Saints’ Day on November 1st.
🍬 Do Spanish kids go trick-or-treating?
In big cities — yes! Especially in Madrid and Barcelona, though it’s smaller than in the U.S.
🍩 What do Spaniards eat on Halloween?
Buñuelos de viento, huesos de santo, panellets and roasted chestnuts (castañas asadas).
💃 How do people celebrate Halloween in Spain?
With costumes, parties, regional festivals and of course… lots of food!
🎉 Ready to Celebrate Halloween… Spanish Style?
Now that you know how Halloween in Spain blends spooky fun with heartfelt tradition, why not experience it yourself — in Spanish?
✨ Learn real Spanish from Spain through culture, food & fun!Take our Spanish level test and start learning with native teachers at Straight from Spain Academy.
📣 Want to learn real Spanish you’ll actually use?
If you’ve enjoyed learning Spanish like this — practical, real and fun — imagine what you can learn in a class with us! 😍
🎁 Take our free level test and book a trial class to start your journey with Straight from Spain — an online Spanish academy that teaches the Spanish you’ll actually use in real life.
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