Walls in Spain: All Saint's Day

Halloween is a big deal to the Wall family, but not a big deal in Spain. Instead, the big event in Spain is All Saint's Day, also known as the Day of the Dead, which is on November 1st. It is a bank holiday so we had the day off of work! It was ironic because we usually really enjoy Halloween night and it is always tough to get moving the next day. This year, we had a normal evening on October 31st, but were able to sleep in the next day. I wish we got November 1st off in the US and I bet a lot of other people wish the same!

We wanted to get out and about on our day off. We have done all of the touristy things we need to do in Barcelona so we had to get creative. I looked online for what was going on and the most popular thing was people visiting cemeteries. That is what the day is all about - visiting your loved ones who have died. So, we decided to go to a cemetery!

We chose Poblenou Cemetery since it the largest cemetery in Barcelona and it is in a neighborhood where we have not spent much time. And boy - was it impressive! The place was filled with people placing flowers and presents for their loved ones at the individual burial niches. The place is very efficient and there are ladders available for people to use to climb up to the higher levels. Most of the graves have glass windows on them that open and people put special keepsakes inside. You could gather a lot about the people based on what was placed behind the glass.

There was a religious service ongoing in the middle of the cemetery and the priest singing in Catalan added to the experience. In the back part of the site was a huge section of individual mausoleums and monuments, most of which were built in the 1800s. Each was unique and impressive. I am glad we went to the cemetery on All Saints Day as we got to experience real life and death of the people of Barcelona.