I know this is a day late, but I didn't get a chance to get online yesterday and it's too important to ignore! Not only is Halloween my favorite holiday, it is also Samhain, the Wiccan new year and the Festival of the Dead. This is not as morbid as it sounds. It is merely a day to remember and honor loved ones who have passed away, and communicate with them, if you believe that is possible. Death is a part of life, and it is a new beginning rather than an ending. In the life cycle (birth, death, and rebirth), death is the gateway to the next life. This is all Wiccan belief, mind you. I don't seek to convince or convert anyone.

Believe it or not, they do celebrate Halloween here, although not in the same way that we do in the United States. It's called Dia de los Santos and it is a religious holiday that is observed on November 1, which is why we had the day off from class today. Haven't I always said that school should be cancelled on Halloween? After all, it's the most anticipated holiday in a kid's life.

Last night I went out with some friends to a karaoke bar called Sinatra's, which was definitely something new for me. I didn't sing, but I promised Jenni and Dana that I might next time, if we find a song I like and if they do a duet or a trio with me. But it was fun to listen, and it seems like everyone in Spain can sing really well for some reason. Around midnight, I got a call from Lola, who I met at an intercambio night last week. (Every Wednesday, a bar called Erasmus hosts an event where they help pair intercambios together...kind of like speed-dating, but with foreigners looking to learn languages from each other.) My friends and I met up with Lola and went to O'Haras, which I like because they play American music that makes me feel nostalgic. There were quite a few people in costumes there, although the tradition of trick-or-treating does not exist here. They were giving out parts of costumes with every drink, so I bought a soda and was given a pair of devil horns. We stayed until around 2:30, when they started giving stuff out for free to get rid of what was left, so I ended up with a cape and a shiny red wig too. Not bad, except for the drunk guy who sidled up to me and said cheerfully "Quites tu ropa!" and I just smiled at him because it was almost two in the morning and I didn't realize what he had said until after I walked away. Once it sunk in, I was outraged, but I'm sure he doesn't even remember doing that now. You gotta take the drunks with a grain of salt.

I had a fun Halloween, but I missed the trick-or-treaters in their costumes. I used to love handing out candy to the kids. I myself went trick-or-treating every year until I was 14, because I looked like I was 10 and could get away with it. Maybe next year, I can go to Mexico for the Dia de los Muertos.

Happy Samhain!