Orange Polka Dot

Halloween in España?

Halloween window display of a children's toy shop in Sant Cugat. 

Halloween is traditionally not celebrated in Spain. So, I was really surprised when I found Halloween supplies in grocery stores and Halloween-themed window displays in shops. 

 
Halloween section of Carrefour. 

My Catalan friends told me some people like the idea of Halloween as a fun and different type of party. Stores are stocking supplies to entice people to buy and celebrate this non-traditional holiday. I even found carving pumpkins at several grocery stores. Jack-o-lantern style stickers are placed on the pumpkins. I guess to give shoppers the idea of using the pumpkins as decorations and not for eating. Carving instructions are also posted on many pumpkins. 

Halloween party at Fish & Chips. Barcelona's only chippy. 

We celebrated Halloween with some friends, also from California, at Fish & Chips' annual Halloween party. The Birtish shop owners organized Halloween games. The kids hunted for bones and bobbed for apples. We even trick-o-treated on La Rambla del Raval. The children visited eight different restaurants, which upon arriving threw out candy to the children. A little mix between trick-o-treating, parade-style throwing of candy and pinata-style fighting for candy on the ground. 

Turns out there was a Halloween party in our neighborhood. While driving home from our own Halloween celebrations, I saw an older man dressed in long robes with heavy chains linking his hands. The sight took me by surprise as dressing in costume on October 31st is rare. My first thought was that this gentleman was making some hallowed eve pilgrimage to the religious hermitage and monastery not far from our home. 

Carving pumpkins displayed with the popular seasonal mushrooms at a produce market.

Catalan Festival: La Castanyada

Photo: Achromatic via WikiCommons.  

My children will be celebrating La Castanyada at school this week. I am not sure what to expect or if I am supposed to contribute to the celebration. Sometimes the benefit of not understanding the language (they go to a Catalan school) is getting a participatory break here and there. If I focus really hard for the first 20 minutes of a school meeting in Catalan, I can comprehend a few phrases. Then I can peacefully smile, daydream and enjoy the sounds and rhythm of an unfamiliar language for the next hour and 40 minutes. But most of the time, it can be frustrating. Because some customs are so, well, custom, that people assume everyone knows what is expected of them and I show up empty-handed. Or worse, my child shows up empty-handed and feels left out of the group.  

Last week, I went to the local flower shop at a nearby roundabout and saw a stand dressed with the Catalan flag colors and pumpkins. Ever curious, I dragged the kids over to check it out. 

Two older men were roasting chestnuts/ "castanyes", sweet potatoes/"moniatos" and quince/"membrillo." While waiting for my goodies, I spied a bottle that I have seen around in shops and restaurants. 

Once again curious, I had to ask, "que es esto?" Ahhhh, the old men laughed, "moscatel." And of course my streetside La Castanyada celebration would not be completed without a swig of moscatel, or maybe three. 

 
Note: This is the wrong way to drink from a porron!

What I didn't know at the time, was that the items we brought and my swigs are the traditional foods enjoyed during La Castanyada. No wonder so many cars were pulling over to the stand to buy roasted chestnuts wrapped in "paperines". That or they were laughing at the gringa drinking out of the "porron" the wrong way. I should have poured the moscatel into my mouth without touching my mouth. Next time... 

So what is La Castanyada exactly?

Celebrated on All Saints day (Tots Sants in Catalan), November 1st, families gather to eat meals of roasted chestnuts, sweet potatoes and quince and drink Moscatel with special tiny desserts called "panellets." 

Historically, La Castanyada, similar to other culture's All Saints day celebrations the day was a feast in honor of saints and dead ancestors. People traditionally ate such high energy foods as chestnuts during this night so that they would have the energy to stay awake through the vigil. Over time, La Castanyada morphed into a more seasonal celebration of autumn. People do still visit grave sites of their loved ones. From what I can tell it seems that celebrating the season of autumn and harvest is the main focus of La Castanyada nowadays. 

Celebrate La Castanyada in Barcelona:

Kids in Barcelona offers a run-down of La Castanyada events in Barcelona. Information is provided in English.  

Learn More About La Castanyada:

• Watch this video in Catalan that describes La Castanyada and shows chidren collecting castanyes.
• Educational site about La Castanyada with lots of links for children.
• Informative site about La Castanyada.
• Watch a children's story about La Castanyada (read in Catalan with pictures). 

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Lovely Libros: En Teo I Les Tradicions Catalanes

En Teo I Les Tradicions Catalanes was one of the first three children's books that I purchased in Barcelona. Nearly every weekend brings a holiday, celebration of a saint day or community gathering. 

This book covers fourteen celebrations that are important to Catalan tradition. Although the book is written in Catalan, it is a great help for our family to better understand local traditions and customs. Thank goodness for children's picture books! 

Every two page spread of En Teo I Les Tradiciones Catalanes shows Teo and his amigos ("amics" in Catalan) celebrating a major Catalan holiday. At the end of the book, there is a more detailed description of each holiday and its origens. I can think of some that aren't covered in this book, such as La Calçotada. But at least you will be prepared for the main holidays. This book is also good for trip planning to Catalunya! The best way to experience a culture is to celebrate with the locals! 

By the way, Teo is a popular children's book character in Spain with books in Castellano and Catalan by Violeta Denou and published by Timun Mas.

Fourteen Major Catalan Holidays

• La Catanyada
• El Tió 
• Sant Esteve
• El Dia de Reis
• Sant Antoni
• Dijous Gras
• Carnaval
• Pasqua
• Sant Jordi
• Sant Ponc
• Sant Joan
• El Dia del Carme
• Les Festes Majors 
• La Diada

I am still a bit confused by some of the holidays, such as El Tió (see the picture next to La Castanyada above). Not sure really what the kids are doing with a stick and a log with a painted face? First, I need to get through La Castanyada...

Starting about a week ago, preparations began for celebrating La Castanyada. This week I will be writing about La Castanyada, special food traditions for La Castanyada and how the kids and I kicked off the festivities. 

Grocery Series: Your Grocery List in Catalan

 
 

Reisenthel Collapsible Market Basket

If you consider yourself any type of foodie and you are visiting Barcelona, you probably already have La Boqueria mapped. Or maybe you are staying in a short term apartment during your Barcelona holiday and need to go to the supermarket for some basics. 

And then you discover that everything is in Catalan... uh oh. Sure, people also speak Castellano here, but most in-store advertising or produce name tags are in Catalan. And no doubt you'll get the better apple from the fruit stand if you can say "poma" instead of "manzana." 

So, here are some basic grocery list items in Catalan. 

water aigua
milk llet
bread pa
cheese formatge
butter mantega
beef la carn de bovi
pork proc
cured ham pernil 
chicken pollastre 
lamb xai
fish peix
veal vedella 
ous eggs
enciam lettuce
xampinyons       mushrooms
pastanagues      carrots
remolatxa beet
ceba onion
carbassó zucchini
cogombre  cucumber
rabanitos radish
alberginia eggplant
meló melon
carbassa pumpkin
tomaquet tomato
pebrot verd     green pepper
pebrot vermell    red pepper
patata potato
llimona lemon
préssec peach
pruna plum
raim grape
pera pear
poma apple
mandarina mandarin orange
platan banana
alvocat avocado

Photo: My favorite market tote, the Reisenthel Collapsible Market Basket, except mine is in orange. 

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Lovely Libros: ¿De Qué Color Es La Cebra?

Bet you are thinking that this book similar to something you have seen in my Lovely Libros series. You are correct. ¿De Qué Color Es La Cebra? is part of a series by author/illustrator Teresa Novoa who also wrote, ¿Cómo es el Cocodrilo?. 

Once again Teresa Novoa delivers a simple book aimed at pre-readers (or any child learning Spanish). 

The pobre zebra doesn't know what color he is and your children can help him. Meet a ladybug, dragonfly, frog and many more animals that to help decide what color is the zebra. 

"Is the zebra orange like the fish?"

"¿Naranja como el pez?"

"Noooo," your children with reply. 

And you will all smile when the zebra finally finds his animal color match. 

¿De Qué Color Es La Cebra? helps children (and the parent readers too!) learn animals and the colors commonly associated with them in Spanish. 

Grocery Series: Rabbit

Rabbit and Prawns with Chocolate, by Nuria at Spanish Recipes

Continuing on the autumnal theme, a popular Catalan dish during this season is "conejo" or rabbit. Its subtle earthy flavor, often cooked in casseroles with heavier sauces pairs perfectly with cooler temperatures and seasonal produce of fall. 

Thank you to my favorite source for Catalan cooking, the foodie blog Spanish Recipes by Nuria (and a name doesn't get more Catalan than Nuria by the way), for sending me some rabbit recipes. 

• Rabbit with Rosemary
• Rabbit and Prawns with Chocolate
• Rabbit and Noodles Casserole
• Rabbit and Snails with Romesco (a very typical and popular dish)

Well, so I hear... I have yet to try rabbit, but I am sure it won't be long based on the temptation provided by Nuria's recipes. At least, if I can erase my first rabbit encounter at a meat vendor in the Sagrada Familia mercat in Barcelona. 

I was not aware of the popularity of rabbit in Catalan cooking and was quite surprised to see entire rabbits for sale in the food markets and grocery stores. 

 

This first pictures is how you will encounter conejo in the typical food market stalls that sell meat and poultry. Below is how conejo is packaged at the larger grocery stores. I suppose all meat looks unappetizing raw. I am more accustomed to seeing chicken or beef. Seems like I am living in the right part of the world for some culinary adventure!

 

And I will leave you with a more appetizing rabbit-related picture from Spanish Recipes...  ¡Bon Profit! (Bon appetit in Catalan.)

Rabbit with Rosemary by Nuria of Spanish Recipes

Lovely Libros: Autumn

Photo by Micha L. Rieser via commons.wikimedia.org. 

Like my native California, autumn seems to arrive slowly in Catalunya. Mornings are chilly; afternoons warm with sunny blue skies. Trees still have green leaves, at least where we live. Perhaps a few road trips in different parts of Catalunya will provide some fall colors? 

At home, we are reading books to welcome autumn and talk about the seasonal changes. Of course, my children having grown up in Florida, California and Catalunya have not experienced many of these traditional changes. Yet they still enjoy learning about leaves changing color and other autumnal rites of passage. 

 

Rotraut Susanne Berner's, Autumn installment of her four part season's series is the most read fall book in our house. Well, "most looked at fall book" would be more accurate as this is a wordless large format book. Although there are no words, several story lines transpire throughout the pages if you pay close attention. Each scene is so detailed you can spend hours creating the stories behind the pictures. Children will enjoy quiet time examining each scene and finding the magic of fall. 

  

I adore this book because of the quaint European perspective of the town and villagers. I especially love the stalls and small shops selling nuts, pumpkins, fish and other fall delights and of course, the babywearing mama and families carrying beautiful paper lanterns. 

Autumn by Gerda Muller is a board book that beautifully describes autumn without using a single word. Muller's sweet drawings are sure to inspire the telling of your own autumn stories. 

 

What kind of seasonal book list would this be without a Tasha Tudor book? A lovely, gentle story of Sylvie Ann's journey to make a jack-o-lantern, or as the book's namesake, Pumpkin Moonshine. 

 

Part of a seasonal series by Steven Schnur, Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic presents a fall-related riddle or poem for each letter of the alphabet. The answer to the riddle appears in the form of an acrostic puzzle. Leslie Evans' linoleum block prints and vibrant are absolutely stunning. 

Part of the Let's Read and Find Out Science series by HaperCollins, Why Do Leaves Change Color? will teach your children about photosynthesis and the changes of fall in a child-appropriate manner. And at least it will help us parents answer a few of the never-ending "why" questions preschoolers are so good at asking! You will even find some project ideas to keep the little ones busy (another tactic to avoid the "whys"). 
 

¡Tiempo de calabazas! is also available in English as It's Time for Pumpkins!. Your children will follow along as children start preparing for Halloween in Spring. Why so early? Well, of course that is when you need to plant the pumpkin seed. Teach your children about gardening and the journey a seed makes from sprout to jack-o-lantern. 

Grocery Series: Lockers

Along with locked, pay to open grocery carts, you will notice sets of lockers and hanging chains upon entering a Spanish grocery store. 

Many shoppers walk to the grocery store with rolling market bags ("carros de la compra") and other items collected as they hop from bakery to butcher to market. The PlayMarket brand pictured seems to be the most sophisticated with adjustable handles, compact folding, double swivel wheels and hip colors. Rolser and Reisenthel are other popular brands. All three brands take a fashion-forward angle in marketing their carros.  

 

Shoppers can secure their belongings in the lockers while they shop. The hanging chains have locks on the bottom end and are used to lock the carro. 

Or in this case spotted in Sant Cugat city centre, they can lock up their pooch. 

Barcelona Find: Festa al Cel

Photo: Santi Cogolludo, El Mundo 

In Barcelona it often seems that as one festival ends, another one begins. And so it goes, Mercè recently ended and Festa al Cel begins on Saturday, October 3, 2009. The Festa al Cel or Air Show of Barcelona runs until the 4th. 

 

Photo: Red Bull Air Races

Red Bull Air Races: Festa al Cel hosts the season finale of the Red Bull Air Races. Watch the high speed planes navigate their way through huge markers in the ocean. 

• Heats: Saturday, October 3rd @ 2 PM
• Finals: Sunday, October 4th @ 5 PM

Various Aeronautic Displays: 

• Saturday, October 3rd from 1 to 7 PM
• Sunday, October 4th from 1 to 7 PM

Other Activities: Test a flight simulator, check out the cockpit of the Concorde or learn technical secrets of airplanes at Moll de la Marina from 11 AM to 7 PM. This part of the show celebrates the 90th anniversary of the first flight from Barcelona to Toulouse, France.  

• Circus on Saturday and Sunday (3 & 4 October 2009) at 5 PM outside the Moll de la Marina. The circus show is put on by La Grainerie de Toulouse and la Central de Circ de la APCC de Barcelona. The artist will perform acrobatics, trapeze and trampoline acts.  

Information on Festa al Cel:

Map of Festa al Cel

Beaches with Public Viewing Areas: Playa de la Nova Icària, Playa Del Bogatell and Playa La Mar Bella

Festa al Cel Program (Catalan/Castellano)

Grocery Series: Nueces de California

Spotted these Nueces de California and became a little homesick while standing in the nut aisle of Carrefour. I am sure the other shoppers in the aisle thought I was a bit nutty for taking pictures of a bag of walnuts. 

I knew that California exported pistachios, almonds and walnuts, but was still surprised to find walnuts sold in Spain and marketed as "from California." 

It looks like nuts may have more successfully entered the Spanish market than say, vino de California. The only California wine I have ever found in Spain is Ravenswood. 

Addicted to research, I had to google "california walnut exports imports Spain" and find some data. The numbers are a little old, but according to the World Walnut Situation and Outlook's 2004 paper put out by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Spain is a leading export destination for in-shell USA walnuts. Germany and Italy also top the list. In 2003, Spain imported $27 million in-shell walnuts and $9.6 million shelled walnuts from the USA.