Halloween and Spanish Sweets
Justifiably proud of her handiwork
Halloween is over and it was one of the dates I was looking forward to the most. It was a fantastic opportunity to exchange cultures and traditions! During Halloween, I went trick or treating with a group of friends. It was an unforgettable and incredible experience!
Seeing that even though they are 17 years old, they still participate in the tradition was super nice! They invited me to a bonfire where we had to go dressed up, because it was special for Halloween. It was a complete American experience with food, sweets, music, and s’mores. My friends also taught me all kinds of games that I have never played before.
We also did pumpkin carving which was a lot of fun, and it is more difficult than I expected. It was a unique experience sharing those moments of laughter over unexpected pumpkins with my American family!
It was a unique experience sharing those moments of laughter over unexpected pumpkins with my American family!
When it was my turn to bring my culture to the United States, I got down to work and started preparing panellets a type of sweets that are eaten on November 1, the day that La Castanyada is celebrated. During La Castanyada, a Catalan tradition, people eat these sweets and chestnuts cooked over the fire.
My host mom and host sister helped me make the sweets which turned out wonderfully well! They loved being able to learn more about my culture, and they loved the panellets! It was funny, because they thought that by using very natural ingredients like vegetables in the recipe, they would not like the taste. But they were surprised and liked the sweets very much!
It’s been a wonderful time!
—Ona (Spain), hosted by the Kopp family (IN)
