We are in November and we want to show you our fourth eTwinning in our project Add holidays to our calendar : All Saints'Day
All Saints' Day in Spain takes place on November 1st.
It is a very important national public holiday when people
from all over the country return to their town or village to lay flowers on the
graves of deceased relatives.
At this time of year, and especially on November the 1st, cemeteries
throughout Spain extend its visiting hours so that everyone can go to put
flowers on the graves and remind their dead relatives. Old members of the
family also usually clean the graves up and leave them shining as a tribute to
those who are gone. Roads around cemeteries will be crammed with traffic,
flower sellers line the streets and, in many places, additional public
transport services are organised. Although this might sound over-commercialised
and hectic it is actually, for most people, a day of high emotions. The
Eucharist, or Mass, will often be performed in the cemetery several times
during the day.
Special dishes associated with All Saints'Day
In common with many festivals throughout the country there
are a number of special dishes which are associated with All Saints’ Day. Chief
among these is the tradition of eating roasted chestnuts.
At
this time of the year you will also see in the shops huesos de santo (“the
saint’s bones) a traditional pastry which has marzipan, eggs and sugar syrup
and buñuelos de viento ( puffs of wind)
which are doughnuts liberally sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
