November 1st is the most special autumnal date in Spain. On this date the Day of the Dead and Halloween are also celebrated. Find out what Valencians usually do on this date by reading the blog of Rincón del Tándem 😉
November 1st is a national holiday in Spain. According to Christian tradition, it is All Saints’ Day. So let’s see what are the typical Valencian customs and tradition for this special day.
To begin with, November 1st is All Saints’ Day. On this date, the Day of the Dead is also celebrated. Therefore, Spaniards use to visit the graves of their loved ones and to remember happy moments of the past.
On this day, Valencian cemeteries are crowded with people who usually decorate the graves with fresh or plastic flowers. Similarly to other countries, the most used flowers and symbol of the day of the dead is the chrysanthemum.
Undoubtedly, that is a nostalgic and, at the same time, sweet time when we remember people who passed away and we thank them for the shared moments …
After visiting to the cemeteries, many Valencians try to make the most of the day off to get together with their families at lunch time. In a typical Valencian family meal, you will find All Saints’ Day traditional sweets.
The most representative are the Huesos de Santo. That is, marzipan sweets sometimes filled with yolk cream. Its name is due to its white and elongated shape that makes them resemble bones. Although that sounds a bit creepy, its taste is a sweet explosion on the palate 😉
In addition to Huesos, we also find other delicacies of the Valencian pastry, such as buñuelos de viento, panellets and fogassa.
In terms of typical plans, many Spaniards uses to attend classical theatre plays. This habit is quite popular villages where shows of this type are held in the days closest to November 1st.
One of the most performed plays is Don Juan, due to the presence of ghosts and cemeteries in its plot.
Furthermore, Valencians also use to go for a hike in the mountains or the countryside. Many people usually organize a trip to enjoy the nature, taking a good walk with friends or practicing some sport.
Finally, it is worth mentioning more recent customs and celebrations that Spanish culture has adopted from other countries. We speak about Halloween, also known as the Night of the Witches.
Valencia has already made this celebration of Celtic origin part of its own culture and use to celebrate it on the night of October 31th.
If you feel like celebrating it in a big way, the city will provide you with several opportunities. Among them, the “Halloween Remember” at the Palau Alameda, a 90s and 2000s music revival, or the routes through the hidden, terrifying and mysterious Valencia, promoted by CaminArt. The Oceanogràfic also has prepared a very special event called “Sleeping with Sharks.”
In addition, to facilitate mobility in the city, the night metro and tram service will be reinforced and it will be possible to travel by Metro until 3 am.
We hope this blog has been useful for you to learn about the ancient traditions and current customs of November 1st.
We also encourage all our students of the Spanish course to celebrate this day in the way they like best.
Finally, our Spanish school El Rincón del Tándem invite you to spend a nice day of rest, full of sweet memories, ancient traditions and fun nights with friends.
Happy holiday!
