Halloween is my favorite time of year because it is a spooky season. The weather is a little cooler, leaves are turning to a rainbow of colors, and pumpkin ale begins to fill the shelves in the store—well, in the United States, that is.
At the beginning of October, a few stores began to put out decorations and Halloween costumes.
But most yards or courtyards are not visible to those walking or driving by, so you do not see these decorations on houses. Sometimes you can spot a jack-o-lantern on a window or a wreath on the door, but it is rare.
October 31st is very quiet.
I have to say, it is a little depressing. We realized we missed the fall color and decorations of gourds and pumpkins. You can still buy pumpkins but they are for eating, not jack-o-lanterns or pie.
Here in Portugal, we are celebrating a different holiday tradition.
Pão Por Deus and All Saints Day (Dia de Os Santos)
But the next morning, things get a little more lively. At about 9 am, children are out with their bags collecting their goodies for Pão Por Deus which translates to “bread for God.”
This custom began after the earthquake of 1755. There was a great flood in the city of Lisbon (that was mostly destroyed by fire). Food was scarce because of the disaster, so children would go into the streets and beg for bread. Thus, a tradition was born.
Pão Por Deus is a sweet bread baked with fruit, nuts, and a little star anise. Many people still make it and hand it out to the children as treats. There were some for sale in our local cafe and we took some home to snack on. They are very tasty!
A National Holiday
Here in Portugal, people celebrate All Saints Day as a national holiday and a bank holiday. Many people observe the holiday with Mass and other church services. Many have family gatherings for meals and celebrations.
Some Halloween traditions have begun to creep in slowly. Last year, when I asked the local store clerk what I should give out to the kids, he handed me a bag of candy. This year though, we bought the cakes.
All Souls Day
The following day, November 2nd, All Souls Day is celebrated. This is the more significant of the two days and also a public holiday. Families spend the day decorating the graves of family members. They leave fresh flower arrangements as well as lit candles as a way to honor the dearly departed. Sometimes toys are left for children. Sometimes families have picnics at the gravesites of loved ones spending their day in remembrance.
We walked down to our village cemetery to see the graves. They were beautiful.
Cemeteries here are different than those in the United States. Great marble casings cover the graves and memorials are placed on top or are built-in. More than one family member is buried on each site.
There were also small mausoleums dedicated to certain families. Inside, some had placed pictures and flowers by the caskets.
It gave me pause to think of all the abandoned gravesites I have visited over the years. Taking a day to honor our ancestors is not something we normally do, but I think we should.
The fall holidays are different since we moved to Portugal but still fun. I miss the gaudy costumes and decorations of Halloween, but Christmas is coming and I cannot wait to see the light displays!
Our next holiday is São Martinho Day which is an interesting story. Read about our first experience with this holiday here: Chestnuts and São Martinho Day.
Make sure you check out our Podcast episode on the fall holidays! You can listen on Apple, Spotify, Prime, Pocket Casts and YouTube.
Shelley is a full time traveler, blogger and podcaster currently living in Portugal with her wife, 2 dogs and a cat. She is a former history teacher originally from Winston-Salem, NC but wanted to see what life was like abroad. Now she travels all over Portugal and Europe writing about what she sees and does and tells you all kinds of fun stories on the podcast at Wandering Works for Us.