Happy Samaín, Magosto e Noite de Meigas!
In Galiza -like almost everywhere- is impossible to escape Halloween. Ain't like is a bad thing, but the problem with it's imposing popularity is it does tend to destroy ancient local festivities due to it's profit.
Luckily, our traditions stayed strong (and got stronger lately!) for in Galiza we all know and celebrate in some way our own heritage, alongside some fun little Halloween like-in-the-movies activities here and there.
I think it can go without explanation, because the name barely changed from its origins as Samhain. A Celtic celebration marking the end of the harvest period and the transition to winter. A transition from light to a darker time. And this didn't change much for our actual Galizan Samaín.
We celebrate this period and "pagan" beliefs, which inevitably got mixed-up with the catholic ones (we live next to Spain, at the end of the day). So, like our A Compaña got popular as "A Santa" Compaña because if this situation, we celebrate the Día de todos los Santos, or Día de Fieles Difuntos too (the gloomy Spanish version of what y'all prob will recognise more as the colourful Mexican Día de Muertos) when people go visit their beloved ones and clean their forever resting places.
However, more likely Día de Muertos and less like Día de Difuntos, we Galizans celebrate Samaín with happiness and fun more than with sadness and gravity as the main focus. With culture, family and utterly respectful and endless love for our deceased, of course. But also for the living.
So! I want to share some traditions. Galiza is very rich in this matter, so they'll change and have some regional variations. I'm going to talk about how I celebrate it personally:
• Mixing with Magosto, fire is an important element during these times of transition. Jack o'lanterns (alongside "scary" costumes and behaviours) were a thing in Galiza way before Halloween arrived. To carve masks (calacús) and lights out of pumpkins and turnips at the village to both guide and scare away good and bad spirits, for in this time of the year our worlds narrow so much they all can get closer to the living reality they once inhabited. Fire is also used to roast chestnuts in bonfires (traditionally made of rowan or yew sticks) for Magosto.
This mixes with the Zonchos tradition.
• A homemade necklace made out of chestnuts, which works as a talisman of protection against the ill-willing spirits, made especially for kids and young girls in old times to wear, they will wear them mostly on November 1st while visiting the cemetery.
• Another tradition I love is to make offers to our deceased in little altars. Usually little treats they loved in life. For example, my offer this Samaín for my father or as we say, o finado; is a soda, dried fruits/sunflower seeds and some cigarettes.
I believe this offer was originally called Lough or Lug? but a name for it is something long time lost in Galiza. It simply is an offer for them to enjoy and take once a year, when they can reach it. And of course a demonstration of love and that we don't forget about them!
• Kinda by the hand of the offer, we also won't tidy up after dinner nor turn the lights completely off. Plates remain on the table, some candles on, chairs in a welcoming position and leftovers will be left alone through the night for two reasons:
-> It is a scene for our beloved ones to use and enjoy this night even when we, the living, left for a sleep (those with family or friends in the graveyard have to get up early to go there and clean all together)
-> At the same time, it also is a way to maintain the Bad Spirits away from our homes, because otherwise they'll see there's no one up inside (neither alive or dead) and will come in.
All of this of course is also mixed with our many folklore creatures such as Meigas, Trasgos, Fadas... As a kid, you'll be told endlessly to not open the door to no one this time of the year, for it could be a bad spirit or a mean creature! If you open the door to find a trasgo, it is believed you'll have a year full of bad luck.
Oh but if it's unha fada Who knocks, (a fairie) everyone in that house will be blessed. Also Samaín is the only time of the year fadas can get married to humans.
A Galizan trasgo and a Galizan fada.
• Not an actual tradition per se, but once again way before Halloween kids in A Coruña used to take their jack-o'-lanterns to dark paths on the countryside, wait there and scare anyone passing by; running around filling the air with screams and laughter.
• Humor. Spain will tell you we Galizans are sad people, but we joke constantly with our very own sense of humour. Almost like the nature of our retranca galega, we love our jokes a bit dark and the time to honour our deceased ain't an exception, for we know they'd get it and laugh as well.
“Good husband, Good father, Bad electrician” written in Spanish, tho.
And to close the post in a sweet way:
A classic dessert for this Samaín, Chulas de calacú / cabaza (Pumpkin Chulas)
On a traditional Sargadelos crockery of course!
Another delicious way I recommend to make the Chulas (less traditional but either way chef's kiss) is with a cinnamon-ish whipped cream filling
Hope y'all had a great harvest this year and helped all who couldn't.
