🎃 Do Spanish celebrate Halloween?

If you’re asking yourself ‘do Spanish celebrate Halloween?’ the answer is yes… but in a very different way from the US or UK. In fact, Halloween was not traditionally celebrated in Spain. 👻 It is a modern, imported holiday that only became popular in the last few decades thanks to films, TV and social media.

The real Spanish tradition at this time of year is All Saints’ Day (Día de Todos los Santos) on 1st November 🕯️🌹, when families remember their loved ones, visit cemeteries and enjoy traditional sweets. Let’s explore how Spain mixes the new celebration of Halloween with the deep-rooted customs of All Saints’ Day.

👻 What do the Spanish do for Halloween?

On 31st October, Halloween in Spain is mostly about fun and costumes 🎭. Children dress up at school 🧙, carve pumpkins 🎃 and in some cities go trick or treating. Families might watch horror movies 🍿 or tell scary stories 👀 at home, while teenagers and adults head to themed parties in nightclubs and bars. 🕺💃

👉 Useful vocabulary

🎭 disfraz = costume

🧛 vampiro = vampire

🎃 calabaza = pumpkin

📖 cuento de miedo = scary story

🕷️ Why is Halloween so big in Spain?

Halloween only became popular in Spain in recent decades. Younger generations love it because it’s creative, playful and different from traditional Spanish festivals. 🎉

Another important reason: the next day, 1st November, All Saints’ Day, is a national holiday 🗓️. With no school or work, people can party late into the night without worrying about the morning. 🌙✨

🍬 Do they trick or treat in Spain?

Yes, but not everywhere. In big cities 🏙️ and suburban neighbourhoods, children knock on doors 🚪 asking for sweets 🍭 with the phrase 'truco o trato'. In smaller towns 🏘️, the tradition is less common, but schools and private parties often organise games with candy.

👉 Mini-dialogue

👦 ¿Truco o trato?
👩 ¡Toma un caramelo! Feliz Halloween.

Translation: Trick or treat? / Here, have a sweet! Happy Halloween.

👉 Useful vocabulary

🍬 caramelo = sweet / candy

🏠 casa = house

👦 niño = child

🕯️ What does Halloween celebrate in Spanish?

In Spanish, Halloween is usually called la Noche de Halloween or la víspera de Todos los Santos. 🦇 For most Spaniards, it is simply a night of costumes, sweets and scary fun 🎭🍬👻.

But the next day has much deeper meaning: All Saints’ Day (Día de Todos los Santos) 🕯️🌹, when families across Spain honour their loved ones who have passed away.

👉 Useful phrases

😨 tener miedo = to be afraid

👻 dar miedo = to scare

😱 ¡qué susto! = what a fright!

📅 Do Spanish celebrate Halloween in October?

Yes, Halloween in Spain is celebrated on 31st October 🎃, but the real focus comes the following day: 1st November, All Saints’ Day. 🕯️🌹

This is a public holiday across Spain 🗓️. Schools 🏫, offices 🏢 and most businesses 🛍️ close, and families dedicate the day to remembrance and togetherness. 🤍

🪦 Visiting cemeteries: Families go to cemeteries to clean and decorate graves with fresh flowers 🌹, especially chrysanthemums 🌼.

🕯️ Lighting candles and praying: Many light candles and spend time praying or reflecting.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family gatherings: Families often share a meal together.

🍮 Enjoying traditional sweets: Bakeries prepare huesos de santo and buñuelos de viento.

👉 Useful vocabulary

🪦 cementerio = cemetery

🌹 flores = flowers

🌼 crisantemo = chrysanthemum

🕯️ vela = candle

🙏 rezar = to pray

🤍 recordar = to remember

🪦 Halloween in Spain traditions

What makes Spain unique is the contrast of traditions ⚖️. On 31st October, people enjoy a modern Halloween full of costumes 🎭, sweets 🍬 and scary parties 👻. On 1st November, the whole country honours loved ones 🕯️🌹, filling cemeteries with flowers and sharing seasonal food.

🌹 Regional celebrations for All Saints’ Day

All Saints’ Day is celebrated across Spain, but each region has its own special touches:

🌰 Catalonia – La Castañada: Families eat roasted chestnuts (castañas), sweet potatoes (boniatos) and panellets (almond marzipan cakes).

🔥 Galicia – Magosto: With Celtic roots, this festival includes bonfires, roasted chestnuts, wine 🍷 and storytelling.

🌸 Andalusia: Cemeteries are full of flowers, and in some towns people prepare pastries like pestiños or borrachuelos.

🏰 Madrid & Castile: The most typical sweets are huesos de santo and buñuelos de viento.

👉 Useful vocabulary

🍬 huesos de santo = marzipan sweets

🍩 buñuelos de viento = fried dough balls

🌰 castaña = chestnut

🍠 boniato = sweet potato

🍪 panellets = almond marzipan cakes

🧛 Do Spanish celebrate Halloween for adults?

Absolutely! 🎭 Adults enjoy Halloween as much as children. In big cities like Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia, Halloween night is one of the busiest of the year for clubs 🕺, bars 🍹 and restaurants 🍴. Costume shops sell out of masks 🎭, wigs 👩‍🎤 and makeup 💄, and parties go on until dawn 🌙.

👉 Mini-dialogue

🧑 ¿Qué disfraz vas a llevar este año?
👩 Creo que me voy a disfrazar de bruja. ¿Y tú?
🧑 Yo de zombi, claro.

Translation: What costume are you wearing this year? / I think I’ll dress as a witch. And you? / Me, as a zombie, of course.

💀 Day of the Dead Spain vs Mexico

It’s easy to confuse Spain’s All Saints’ Day 🕯️ with Mexico’s Day of the Dead 💀🌼, but they are very different.

🎨 In Mexico, the celebration is colourful and joyful, with altars, skulls 💀 and offerings 🍎🍞 to welcome the spirits.

🌹 In Spain, it is solemn and quiet, centred on cemeteries 🪦, flowers 🌸 and sweets 🍮.

Both share the idea of remembering the dead, but the atmosphere is completely different.

🌟 Final thoughts

So, do Spanish celebrate Halloween? 🎃 Yes — but it is a modern, imported celebration. The true tradition is All Saints’ Day, when families across Spain visit cemeteries 🪦, decorate graves with flowers 🌹, light candles 🕯️ and enjoy seasonal sweets 🍮 like huesos de santo, buñuelos de viento, castañas and panellets.

Together, these two days show how Spain balances modern influences with centuries-old customs ⚖️.

📝 Test yourself!

Put your Spanish Halloween and All Saints’ Day vocabulary to the test! 🎃🕯️🌹🍬

Would you prefer to enjoy the Halloween parties 🎉 or the family traditions of All Saints’ Day 🕯️ in Spain?