Image by Andy Giraud from Pixabay
To help get you in the mood for fantasmas (ghosts) and brujas (witches), let’s look at some Spanish vocabulary for Halloween and El Día de los Muertos.
El Día de Muertos
Even though it’s more related to an ancient pre-Columbian religious tradition created to commemorate the deaths of ancestors, Mexico has its own version of Halloween. It’s called Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) and it’s a three-day celebration when people, gathering with their families, build their own very creative altares (altars), write funny calaveras (skull-poems) and offer agua (water), sal (salt) and pan de muerto (bread of the dead) to encourage a visit by the alma (soul) of their difuntos (departed) seres queridos (loved ones).
Things that go bump in the night
Are you going to disfrazar (dress up, disguise yourself) as anything this year? Kids aren’t the only ones who wear disfraces (costumes). Some of the classics to dress as are una momia (a mummy), un hombre lobo (a werewolf), un zombi (a zombie), un monstruo (a monster), un diablo (a devil), or un vampiro (a vampire). But not everyone wants to dress as something tenebroso (scary). You could also be un espantapájaros (a scarecrow), un hechicero (a sorcerer), un hada (a fairy), una princesa (a princess), or un personaje (a character) from a popular movie. Some people get very creativa (creative) and dress as something from hechos actuales (current events) or cultura popular (pop culture). Or with imaginación (imagination), the list goes on, and a lot of the time you have to adivinar (guess) at the meaning of a costume.
- ¿De qué te vas a disfrazar este Halloween/en Noche de Brujas?
What are you dressing as this Halloween? - ¡Tu disfraz es genial! / ¡Tu disfraz se ve genial!
Your costume looks great! - ¡Tu disfraz es muy original/creativo!
Your costume is very creative! - ¡Tu disfraz da miedo! / ¡Tu disfraz asusta!
Your costume is scary!
Para los niños (For kids)
Kids in the US go trick-or-treating. They walk around their neighborhood and tocan las puertas (knock on doors). When someone answers, they hold up their bolsas (bags) and ask for golosinas (candy). If the person doesn’t give the kids candy, they risk the trick. Since no one needs to give kids any more ideas about fechorías (mischief) we’ll leave that to your imagination. Más vale prevenir que lamentar (better safe than sorry or, as it literally means in Spanish, better prevent than regret it). Make sure you have enough candy.
- El niño/La niña lleva una bolsa llena de dulces/caramelos/golosinas.
The boy/girl is holding a bag full of candy. - ¿Cuál es tu dulce/caramelo preferido /golosina preferida?
What’s your favorite candy? - Me encanta el chocolate.
I love chocolate. - Te hice una broma. / Te asusté.
I played a trick on you.
Para los adultos (For adults)
Halloween isn’t just for kids. Adults also like to get dressed up. Do you wear your disfraz (costume) to work? Or maybe you go to a fiesta (party) where everyone is dressed up. Even if you don’t go to any parties, you probably get a calabaza (pumpkin) for a jack-o-lantern. You’ll carve a rostro (face) into it, and put a vela (candle) inside so the face glows.
- Vamos a una fiesta de disfraces.
We’re going to a costume party. - Vamos a comprar una calabaza este fin de semana. / Compremos una calabaza este fin de semana.
Let’s buy a pumpkin this weekend.
Tengo miedo (I’m scared)
Halloween is a great time of year to watch películas de terror (horror movies) or maybe visit a casa embrujada (haunted house). It’s fun to gritar (scream), as long as the pesadillas (nightmares) aren’t too bad. Now that the summer is long over and la noche (the night) is longer, it’s the perfect time to visit espeluznantes (spooky/eerie) places for some good Halloween fun. Walk through el bosque (the woods) in the oscuridad (dark), take a shortcut through el cementerio (the graveyard), visit that casa abandonada (abandoned house) where you know there are probably no fantasmas (ghosts). But you hear sonidos extraños (strange noises) and see things move con el rabillo del ojo (out of the corner of your eye), so you really never can be sure…
- ¡Este lugar es escalofriante/tenebroso!
This place is spooky! - Vamos a ver una película de terror. / Veamos una película de terror.
Let’s watch a horror film. - Anoche tuve una pesadilla.
I had a nightmare last night. - Tengo la piel de gallina. / Se me puso la piel de gallina.
I have goosebumps! - ¡Oí un ruido extraño!
I hear a strange noise! - ¿Crees en fantasmas?
Do you believe in ghosts? - Vamos a caminar por el bosque en la noche/la oscuridad. / Caminemos por el bosque en la noche/la oscuridad.
Let’s walk through the woods in the dark.
Whatever you do for Halloween, stay safe, and ¡diviértete! (have fun!)
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