Wednesday 31st October 2018 – Day 31 of Blogtober

Happy Halloween!

This one has gone up slightly later – purely because I can’t talk about what we did until it happened!

It’s the last day of Blogtober – which means, we made it! I managed to power through and post 31 posts, one for every day of October. Strangely, I’m a little proud of myself. I made it!

If you haven’t seen them all yet, then you’ve got a little bit of catching up to do! Or, if you’ve only clicked to the ones that are interest or relevant to you – then I hope they helped!

I’ve worked out that I’ve spent over 60 hours creating posts for blogtober. Sixty. That doesn’t include photos, editing and actually doing some activities. It’s why I accept the odd sponsored post and have some small ads to the right of the page – it keeps the site running. The rest, I do all voluntarily. We spend lots of time (and money!) trying out different restaurants and activities – the ones we don’t think are worth it never even make it to the page. Then there’s the collating information.

Sometimes, it takes hours translating government information or advertising information. It’s all because I enjoy it and hope it gives you a better idea of spending your time in Spain. I hope that if you do like them, you’ll share the posts when you see them. The more the merrier. 

I have been asked a lot this month about why I blog. Is it my job? Is it my hobby? Why did it begin?

It’s a hobby. I like doing it. I don’t think it will ever be my job and I certainly don’t make money. I turn down money for sponsored posts. Instead, I accept gifts for product reviews or advertisement. But, I don’t send rates. My job is teaching and I love that I love my job and my hobby. I love that they’re separate.

---

 

Anyway, Halloween this year falls on a Wednesday, which means All Saint’s Day, the National Holiday, falls on a Thursday. Instead of going in to work on Friday, I have that off too! Yay for long weekends. 

We’re welcomed by another pink sky to start the morning. The sunrise never fails to amaze me

Today, I have a few younger children to teach, so we’ve got up to a few Halloween Crafts. The kids absolutely love Halloween, they get so excited. As part of the tradition, we all dress up. I have dressed up as a Witch with a Pumpkin on my dress. It’s one I bought a few years ago for a dress up day at Tesco.

I really wanted to spend Halloween at Mundomar at their exclusive Halloween Show and Dinner, but I finished work long after it started which was a shame. I imagine the show was great, plus the Halloween themed food sounded lovely, especially the pumpkin soup.

Kids were out very late, especially around Villajoyosa, they were celebrating and playing together on the local park and sharing out their sweets from truco o trato – which was very, well… sweet!

It’s amazing how you’re able to wear your Halloween costume and for it to be seen. Normally, you have an amazing costume but it’s hidden by gloves, scarves, coats and hats. But here, the costume is stand alone – it’s so much more effective.

We took Rio for a walk along the beach in the evening. It’s so calming to be able to walk along the promenade and hear the bustle from the restaurants, bars and nightclubs travelling through the sound waves. Mixing with the crashing of the waves, it’s a strange but complimenting contrast.

Rio dressed up as a little devil this year, purely because there weren’t any costumes left in Pets at Home when I went back. Instead, he’s wearing an ‘it’s definitely too small for him’ devil cape. He looks cute either way. Plus, it was only 1,50€ from Dealz!

It’s a lot cooler now at night, which means the jumpers and the boots are well and truly out. It’s a welcomed change being able to cuddle up with a blanket on the sofa at night instead of sitting in a puddle of sweat. Autumn is officially well underway.

Our carved pumpkins are lit and the smell of pumpkin fills the air. The sweet but spicy aroma pairs perfectly with our pumpkin loaf bread. It’s Halloween movie night complete with popcorn. Tonight, it’s Coco.

It’s nice to know that now is the start of a long weekend. Relaxation mode is truly on. Or not, because I’ll spend my time creating blog posts. Either way, it’s a nice change.

How to Celebrate Halloween in Spain

Halloween is a festival reserved for the children. Usually, when the 31st October arrives, it’s a day to continue your daily life and focus on putting the children in the spotlight – even more so than usual.

If you’re here for Halloween, activities will be with young children in mind. Theme parks will focus their activities on the smaller children, with a few bits and pieces aimed at the older ones. Children are to be seen and heard in Spain. They really are welcomed. Halloween is no different.

I like that here trick or treat is reserved for people the children know. Young children go out to their relatives and friends’ houses to trick or treat. There aren’t children knocking the doors of strangers or disturbing those that don’t wish to be a part of it.

Whatever you do this Halloween, please be mindful of others. Please only knock the doors of those who are participating. For some people, this can be an incredibly uncomfortable night, filled with fear and dread. There is no need to knock on the doors of people you don’t know, or interrupt those who have their lights switched off.

What I like about this area at Halloween is the elder children don’t get involved with trick or treat. They dress up and go to parties at their own houses, spending time with kids their own age, usually having sleepovers watching Halloween movies in their ‘casitas‘. They aren’t adding fear to people who aren’t participating.

In England, I was never surprised to wander the streets on November 1st and find broken egg shells, whereas here, it just doesn’t happen. In fact, it’s so rare, that in 2011 it made the news that a group of teenagers had thrown eggs. It wasn’t long before the Civil Guards arrived and sanctioned the teens. There isn’t any messing. Egg throwing isn’t tolerated.

I’m not sure if this extends to the rest of Spain, or just in this area. The sad thing about social media and the global spread is that it’s not just the good that goes global and manipulates the worldwide behaviours, but it’s the bad too.

Instead of Halloween, All Saints’ Day is more the day to be celebrated which includes all ages. Contrasting to Halloween, it is far more traditional and celebrated across the entire country. It is a time to honour the deceased, similar to Dia de Muertos.

People will go to the local cemeteries with magnificent bundles of flowers and dress up the tombs. They will celebrate life and just simply enjoy being. After, most will head out to a restaurant for dinner with the entire family then head to somebody’s house for the after gatherings. It includes plenty of food, wine and the emphasis of spending time with family. It’s beautiful, but a quiet day.

I hope you have a great Halloween!

Hasta luego,