I like Halloween, I really do. I still think it´s a shame that a lot of people are losing our own tradition from these days, though. You see, in Spain on November 1st we celebrate "El Dia de Todos los Santos" or "El Dia de los Difuntos" (All Saints Day or The Day of our Dead).
It´s a day which has traditionally been reserved to celebrate and honor our ancestors, visit their graves and lay flowers on them....generally, a day of quiet contemplation and reflection, remembering those who have passed. Sadly, year by year, there are more people here who forget this holiday in favor of Halloween. Silly when you think about it--the day we actually get the holiday on (it´s a National Holiday, in fact) is on November 1st, not October 31st.
This year I haven´t been able to visit my family´s graves. I can never visit all of them, of course--since I have relative buried both in Valencia and in Tarragona, and both places are quite apart--but I usually visit at least one of the cemeteries. This year, we didn´t go to Tarragona--my relatives from Tarragona came over to spend the long weekend. I thought I wouldn´t really mind not going, but somehow....I really missed it. I missed visiting the graves and wandering through the graveyard. Don´t get me wrong, I´m not a creepy person--but who can deny that a cemetery isn´t a peaceful place?
I still dedicated a while today to reflecting upon and remembering everyone.....especially my grandfather, who passed away before this summer (may he rest in peace).....but I really felt like I should be over there, cleaning the gravestones and laying flowers and maybe breaking some off from the bouquet and putting them on some of the really old graves that people don´t seem to visit. Just to show that someone remembers, even though I haven´t met or heard of them before.
My cousin said "It doesn´t have to be November 1st for you to visit their tombstones." But it does. because we´re so far away from the rest of the family that we don´t get to travel to visit whenever we want to--and graveyards have very strict opening times. In our small town, it only opens two days a week: wednesdays and sundays, for 3 hours each. They might be able to pop on down.....but we can´t. It always opens on the 1st of November, no matter what day of the week it is. We can visit.
Besides, it´s called "Dia de los Difuntos". It´s a day dedicated specifically to the dead. If that isn´t reason enough to pay them a visit, then what is?
Next year I´m definitely going, even if I have to take a train for 3 and a half hours. I´ve realized that I somewhat need to find that peace there to be at peace with myself. Some things are truly ingrained, I believe. My parents taught me this tradition, and I will honor it--and teach it to my children, and to my students. There are some things which should not be lost to the flow of time.
