Well, it's started. This is the one night of the year I wish I lived at the end of a 5km track in the campo! We will be up and down answering the door like a couple of jack-in-a-boxes until about 11pm now.

Do you get many trick or treaters where you live? We actually made our permanent move to Spain on this date (5 years ago today) and it took us by surprise because we hadn't realised it was so popular here. We hadn't got any sweets in so offered the kids who called some small change instead, and they looked really disappointed and asked for caramelos instead - bet that wouldn't have happened with British kids! We didn't make that mistake again.

They import the american rubbish as much as we do (and yes I know Halloween originated in the UK).

Thankfully we dont have the kids at the door here, so no problem, did have in UK though

I was just curious, do the children over there not follow "trick or treat" etiquette? If a house's porch light is not on, children are not supposed to go to that house because the people who live there are not participating in Halloween.

Halloween originated centuries ago and not in the UK, it is a corruption of all saints day and is well celebrated by the Catholics. Trick or treat I do not remember until the eighties in the Uk but maybe that is my bad memory.

Graham

1. Over 80% of Spaniards live in flats
2. I'm not sure even the houses have porch lights

Luckily there are not any trick and treaters near me. I'm also surprised how commerical it has become in Spain although this is very recent, just like it is in the UK

When I was a kid I'd be getting the guy ready for fireworks night, we didnt celebrate haloween at all

Interesting article in Wiki which seems to indicate it's actually originally a celtic festival , and originated in either Scotland or Ireland. Wherever it started, we can agree it wasn't in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

I think the November 1 events in Spanish speaking countries are more of interest - just my opinion.

Yep, they'll be gowing to the cemetries with a duster and broom tomorrow morning!

Agree with you. Today the town has been full of people carrying bunches of flowers and flower arrangements. Our cemetery is on the outskirts of the town and it is great to see whole families walking there to clean the plaques and put their flower displays in place.

No trick or treaters yet. Have the sweets but no-one seems to be bothering this year. It is always hit and miss here.

rosemary

I don't either.

Very few knocked on my door this evening, so I'm presuming it's because my boys are now grown up and the local kids tend to knock on the doors of houses where they already know the residents.

Looks like I'm going to have to finish off the Chupa Chups!

It goes way back as long ago as I can remember in the N.E. and well before that I believe and was often known as guising.
Sometimes a group of them came in the house, an area of floor would be cleared and they'd put on a brief but very lively show of some sort.

No-one has ever kept the Halloween tradition where I have lived in Spain. More popular with the young teenagers is el día de las castañas tomorrow. They all go into the campo to drink and roast chestnuts. We used to see them passing by at the end of the garden, some even had shopping trolleys with food etc. you could see all the small fires out in the hills (a bit worrying!) I think this custom is spanish wide, certainly around cádiz and Extremadura.

Sometimes I feel that the land of Geordies, Mackems and Smoggies ie the North-East, is the last genuine part of England. Always good to hear your recollections of the place.

My Dad was visiting some years ago and we were saying how it was a sign of the times when parents go out trick or treating with their kids, admitedley they don't come to front door but you can see them at the end of the drive keeping watch.

When we were younger we went out on our own I said, he laughed and said "No son you just didn't see me"