Whether you just moved to a Spanish speaking country or are just going for vacation there, celebrating your holidays can be quite different. Especially if you’re traveling with your kids. It’s definitely a great opportunity for them to improve their language skills, but still many questions can surface.
Do they celebrate this holiday in this country? How do they celebrate here? Are there different traditions? How can I make my kid enjoy it while away from home and all they know?
Probably one of the holidays you might find more confused on how to celebrate abroad is Halloween. Which is one of the coolest days for children. Of course, we don’t want to leave our traditions aside, because we want our kids to keep enjoying them.
But we also would like to immerse ourselves and our children in the way native Spanish speakers celebrate. Lucky for you, this is possible. Halloween is actually celebrated in many Hispanic countries!
So, here are some tips to celebrate Halloween in a Spanish speaking country. We’re sure this could make your and your children’s celebration in a new country more fun and easy-going.
Teach Your Kids Some Halloween Spanish Vocabulary
Communication is key. If you’re traveling abroad with kids, you’re probably the one that tries to speak with natives to get around. But you’re going to celebrate one of the kids’ favorite holidays there. So it not only would be great, but also necessary for them to know some words and phrases related to Halloween.
This way they can interact with any Spanish speaking child that they make friends with during the celebration. If they don’t know Halloween vocabulary, chances are they won’t have a lot of fun.
To help them, just look up some Spanish Halloween vocabulary. Then, help your kids learn it. Remember to not only teach them the words individually, but in sentences as well. So they know how to use them. Examples are always great for learning and understanding.
Repetition is also important for the knowledge to stick in their brains.
Tip: Halloween in Spanish is “Día de brujas”.
Research Halloween Traditions of the Country You’re In
Not all things change when you celebrate Halloween abroad. Many people still make sleepovers and watch scary movies with their friends. They go trick or treating. They play dress up. Nonetheless, you should look up which activities or traditions people do during Halloween in the country you’re visiting.
Because who knows? Maybe they do something a bit different. And trying to do the same things could get you closer to their culture and people. And hey, you and your children might learn something new and have tons of fun.
You can also ask natives how they celebrate Halloween.
For example: In Mexico, people celebrate Halloween like everybody else, on October 31st. After it, they commemorate the “Día de Muertos” (Day of the Death), specifically on November 1st and 2nd. People pay tribute to their loved ones that have passed away. Many even dress up and put on “catrina” (lady skeleton) makeup.
This is not the same as Halloween, but if you go to Mexico you could celebrate Halloween first. And then stay there a bit longer to now be a part of their own traditions. After all, they’re celebrated one right after the other. And though many Mexicans do go trick or treating on October 31st, there are many others who do that on November 1st and 2nd.
By the way, they don’t call it “trick or treating”, but “pedir calaverita”.
Something similar occurs in Ecuador, because October 31st is the “Día del Escudo Nacional” (Day of the National Emblem). But Ecuadorians also love Halloween. So they celebrate both and you could do the same.
In Peru, Halloween is on the same day as Peru’s “Día de la Canción Criolla” (Day of the Creole Song). This doesn’t mean people don’t celebrate both occasions.
In Galicia, Spain, they celebrate the “Samaín”, which comes from the Celtics, on November 1st. Though celebrations start on October 31st. The name comes from the Celtic word “Samhain”, which means “end of summer”. The dates and celebration mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.
It was believed that on the night of October 31st until November 1st, the spirits of dead people would come back to visit the world of the living. So, people would leave food for them. But they would also wear costumes and masks to scare any evil spirits. This is actually the origins of Halloween.
See? One tradition doesn’t have to cover or diminish another one. Maybe you could make your kids learn about that other celebration that also happens on the same day as Halloween. You’ll be raising culturally aware and empathetic kids.
Give Your Child the Gift of Spanish!
Read Some Hispanic Scary Legends
Legends are a very unique trait of each culture and people usually hear them since they’re kids. This is because the grandpas and grandmas tell these to their children and grandchildren and so the legends pass on from generation to generation.
You can look up some Spanish scary legends or folktales from the country you’re in (or any Hispanic country). Like “La Llorona” (The Legend of the Crying Woman) from Mexico, or “La Muelona” (The Woman of the Big Molar) from Colombia. And read them to your kids.
While you do it, try to act them out or make some sound effects to make the environment scarier.
Children will love it and will learn something from the culture of the new country they’re getting to know. Besides learning the language, of course.
Scary Sleepover
If in the country you’re in they don’t celebrate Halloween, you could organize a Spanish scary sleepover.
Make some spooky snacks; your children could help you. While you do those, only speak Spanish. If you or your kids aren’t fluent, then at least say some words in Spanish every now and then. Maybe mention the name of the foods and the ingredients in Spanish. This way, they’ll acquire more vocabulary.
Then, play some scary movies in Spanish for children and watch them all together. The movies can be dubbed or with Spanish subtitles if your kids are complete beginners. But it would be even better if they’re originally in Spanish.
Take Them to a Scary Place in the Country You’re In
Any country you travel or move to will have monuments, museums and iconic places you must visit. Do you know what other kinds of places some countries have that could be perfect for Halloween? Scary locations!
Now, we’re not telling you to follow any weird spooky myth or legend that kids tell each other and explore the unknown places of those tales. That could be dangerous. We’re telling you that you could research any places in the country you’re in that have a scary, Halloween theme.
Of course, make sure these are real places and open to the public. Especially make sure they’re for kids. So there’s no real danger. Like maybe there’s a castle and they tell scary stories during October.
Other real-life examples are: “El Callejón del Aguacate” in Mexico City. Or “El Parque Maldito Kids” in Cabezón de la Sal, Spain. And “Casona Dubois” in Quinta Normal, Chile. Maybe even Six Flags or KidZania during the Halloween season would be great!
Enroll Your Kids in TruFluency Kids for a Chilling Improvement in their Spanish
Enroll Your Kids in TruFluency Kids Spanish immersion program to learn more Spanish spooky vocabulary and traditions. Might sound crazy, but yes, that’s our last tip for you to celebrate Halloween with your kids.
We strongly believe our classes would be a great Halloween gift for children learning Spanish.
Why? Because we teach through fun activities, like dancing, singing, crafting, playing games, and much more. And, in all honesty, students learn more than Halloween vocabulary; we teach Spanish for any situation.
The best of all is that we based our lessons on our Bellieu Method, created with focus on speaking to achieve language fluency. So your kids can put into practice everything they learn. Oh, and we have amazing native teachers. How cool, huh!
No need to worry if you’re abroad, because our classes are completely online, and we have flexible schedules. Plus, if for any reason your kids miss a class, tell us and we’ll let them jump into another one for free.
See? We truly are a great option to celebrate Halloween even when you’re in a Spanish speaking country!
But don’t let us tell you, check our testimonials. Then, take a trial class and see for yourself. You’ll get chills at how much their Spanish skills will improve!
