La Castanyada or Halloween?

This is a common question among Catalans these days. Do your family celebrate the traditional custom, La Castanyada or recent years Halloween?

La Castanyada is a festivity where people get together and eat roasted chestnuts, sweet potato and panellets (small pastries made of marzipan, almonds and pine nuts) accompanied with Moscatell (a sweet dessert wine). Most schools do different activities during the day, such as roasting chestnuts, singing songs about “La Castanyera” (The Chestnut woman), traditional dances and workshops. Some even mix it up with dressing up in Halloween costumes, which will end with Trick or Treating this afternoon. A nice blend of local and imported tradition:)

So why choose one when you can take bits and pieces of everything? Either way, just make sure to have fun!