Autumn, the leaves of the trees fall, the days become shorter, chestnuts, panellets, pumpkins, and Halloween ghosts appear. In this post we want to explain to you the main differences between the two traditions and what kind of different activities can be done if you are lucky enough to live a university Halloween.
The Chestnut tradition
La Castañada it is celebrated the vigil of All Saints’ Day and, also, on the same day, November 1. Traditionally it was a meal that is dedicated to the dead people. Chestnuts ate in a familiar and serious environment.
At the same time, it was a tradition to say goodbye to the already ended summer, long days, warmth and vitality that characterizes it. It is the entrance to a new season, to a new fruit of autumn/winter and is a welcome to the cold that, every time, is more present and more imminent.
The chestnut women went through the towns and villages dressed in headscarves and long, thick skirts. They take advantage of the heat from the fire, which they used to roast the chestnuts and, at the same time, to warm up their hands from the cold.
Another of the great foods of these dates are panellets. A typical meal from the regions of Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. Panellets are a sweet meal, made from some basic foods such as almonds, sugar and eggs. On the outside of the panellets, it is covered with eggs that adhere to add complements such as pine nuts, almonds, and candied fruit among other complements that will make the panellets a perfect dessert for autumn celebrations.
Halloween
Halloween, or also known as the night of the dead and the night of the witches, is an english tradition, very famous in the United States, Canada and England, among other countries. Apart from this, it is also a tradition that has expanded to other countries such as Spain or Australia.
The original meaning is to scare the spirits, therefore, we already find a great difference between the celebration of All Saints, since the latter is celebrated to feel closer to the dead who are no longer with us.
The main characteristics of Halloween are pumpkins, they are emptied, cut in the shape of a face and lights are placed inside the pumpkin. The light that emerges from the inside, as tradition says, scares evil spirits and the devil.
Traditions to do during Halloween
Being among students, and even more, if there are international students, you can perform or think about different and varied activities that adapt to all kinds of traditions and tastes.
University Halloween can focus on sharing all ideas and, from here, defining varieties of traditions to share them and enjoy a great holiday together.
From Unihabit we want to contribute with different ideas so that everyone enjoys all possible traditions:
- Make panellets. To make them you will only need sugar, grated almonds and eggs. In a bowl, put the sugar with the almonds and mix everything well. Next, the eggs are added without beating and the dough is worked until it remains like a uniform dough. With this, we already have the base of the panellets, now it is a matter of adding the toppings we want: coconut, almonds, hazelnuts, among others. So that they are well glued, the panellets must be painted with eggs and then glue the covers we want.
- Empty a pumpkin. As an english-speaking tradition, it is one of the most massive and world-famous traditions. You can take advantage from this autumn season to know more about this tradition. You will need a pumpkin, a good knife, a ladle or similar to a very solid spoon to empty the pumpkin and a marker to draw the parts of the pumpkin that you will cut.
- Toast chestnuts. You can meet by groups, buy chestnuts and toast them all together while enjoying a good evening. At the same time, you can also share scary stories if you dare.
- Make a costume party. A costume party, a dinner or an encounter that the topic is to go with scary costumes. Each person or every two or three people can bring a typical dish from a different country and live, in this way, a most entertaining and fun university Halloween.
