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You are here: Home Moving to Country Facts Dia de Todos los Santos

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01/11/2011Dia de Todos los Santos

Dia de Todos los Santos Honouring All Saints Day on 1 November in Spain means a day of cemeteries, flowers and food as explained by Sandra Piddock.

Dia de Todos los Santos, or All Saints Day, 1st November, is very important in Spanish culture. At one time celebrated in May, tradition has it that it was moved to November to offset the paganism attached to Halloween.

It’s a public holiday, so banks and shops will be closed.

If Todos Santos falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many Spaniards practice another tradition, that of ‘Haciendo Puerte,’ literally ‘taking a bridge.’ They’ll take the Monday or Friday off as well, to give themselves a four-day-weekend. This also happens during Semana Santa, (Easter) when the Wednesday before Maundy Thursday and the Tuesday after Easter Monday are added to the festival.

This year, Todos Santos falls on Saturday, so there’ll be some disappointed locals in a village near you!

As well as a day to remember the saints who were martyrs to their faith  – in itself, a vital component of Catholicism – Todos Santos is a day when the Spanish remember all their dead.

Like the Jewish Sabbath, every Spaniard will ensure that the day is completely free of unnecessary chores so that it can be celebrated to the full. There will be a Mass, which is often held in the local cemetery. There are also silent processions to the hallowed ground.

Incidentally, if you’ve noticed that there are lots more cemeteries in Spain than in your home country, that’s because Catholics don’t go in for cremation. Everyone is buried, and the cemeteries are well tended.

It’s customary to take ‘offrendas,’ or offerings of flowers, to the cemetery. Todos Santos is the busiest day of the year for Spanish florists. However, unlike in England on Valentine’s Day and Mothering Sunday, you won’t see the price of flowers shoot southwards.

As you can see, Todos Santos involves a lot of time spent at the cemetery, so traffic is likely to be unusually heavy in the vicinity of your local burial place.

As a mark of respect to your neighbours, drive slowly near the cemeteries. It’s also a nice gesture to give priority to cars turning into cemeteries, and if you’re walking past, try not to laugh out loud or make a noise to disturb those visiting departed loved ones.

All this may seem pointless to our more secular sensibilities, but remember you’re the guest in a country who revere their dead generally, and especially on Todos Santos.

You’re in Spain, so you’d expect food to play a major part in the day, and you’d be right.

‘La Castanada’ is traditional, particularly in Catalonia. This involves roasting – and pigging out – on chestnuts (las castanadas) and sweet potatoes (los boniatos). These are followed by panelletes, small almond cakes. The food is inspired by traditional funeral feasts in ancient Spain, and may also be enjoyed on the eve of Todos Santos. Huesos de Santo, (saint’s bones) little marzipan cakes, also form part of La Castanada.

If you can, see a performance of Don Juan Tenorio. The play about the legendary Spanish lover is always performed on Todos Santos. The final scene is set in a cemetery, where Don Juan begs the forgiveness of his deceased fiance.

As always, the Spanish throw themselves wholeheartedly into their fiestas, so, as well as a time of reflection and prayer, Todos Santos is a day of celebration for the lives of the departed.

Enjoy it, wherever you are in Spain.

The writer, Sandra Piddock, is originally from the UK. She moved from Cornwall to Costa Blanca in May 2008, but says it feels like home already. She maintains a website in her spare time.

Photo credits: Pamela Heywood and jlmaral

We invite you to contribute to this article by sending related photos or videos. You can either send them to photos@expatica.com or add them to our newly-created flickr group at http://www.flickr.com/people/expatica/. All contributed material will be credited accordingly.


2 reactions to this article

kfoem mkjir posted: 2010-11-01 16:53:11

beautiful, amazingg.

billy bob smith posted: 2010-11-01 17:07:44

wonderful wonderful article intersting thrilling past of mexico i felt passion in every word and line truly masterful

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2 reactions to this article

kfoem mkjir posted: 2010-11-01 16:53:11

beautiful, amazingg.

billy bob smith posted: 2010-11-01 17:07:44

wonderful wonderful article intersting thrilling past of mexico i felt passion in every word and line truly masterful

Add a comment

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