La Castanyada: bells before chestnuts
Catalonia's chestnut feast may have started as a snack for bell-ringers working through the night.
A living tradition with no proof behind it.
The legend says
Not pumpkins. Bells for the dead. That, the story goes, is how Catalonia's own Halloween night began.
Pumpkins are moving in now. But here, this night is La Castanyada.
Picture a village on the eve of All Saints. The ringers climb the tower, and toll for the dead until dawn.
Hour after hour, bell after bell. So, the story goes, neighbours joined them, with chestnuts and wine to keep them going.
Their late-night snack spread, and became a night at the table.
This is the story as it is told. We tell it as a story. Below is what the record holds.
The record shows
11 facts, each checked against a source we opened. Tap a source to read the line that carries it.
- 01
The story goes that the Castanyada began with the bell-ringers of All Saints' night (a tradition, not a settled origin)
13cat
L'origen de la Castanyada no és gaire clar, tot i que es relaciona amb l'antiga tradició de tocar les campanes
2VilaWeb
Una interpretació popular el relaciona amb l'antiga tradició de tocar les campanes la nit de Tots Sants
- 02
The bells rang for the dead through the night, until dawn
3Barcelona Metropolitan
bell ringers would stay up all night ringing bells in commemoration of the dead until sunrise.
4betevé
les campanes de totes les esglésies tocaven a difunts durant la nit
5en.wikipedia, "Castanyada"
into the early morning
- 03
The ringers ate chestnuts, with wine, to keep going
2VilaWeb
es menjaven un grapat de castanyes
2VilaWeb
que feien passar avall amb un traguinyol de vi
13cat
Els campaners, després de repicar les campanes, feien un ressopó on les castanyes tenien un paper protagonista.
4betevé
La tradició era menjar castanyes torrades, panellets, fruita seca i beure moscatell mentre es resava el rosari
6en.wikipedia
for sustenance
- 04
Neighbours joined them, and the snack spread
13cat
Veïns i veïnes es van anar afegint a una tradició que es va estendre i consolidar
6en.wikipedia
Friends and relatives would help with this task, and everyone would eat these foods for sustenance.
2VilaWeb
molta gent disposada a compartir aquest ressopó
- 05
La Castanyada is held on the eve of All Saints, the evening of 31 October, as a meal
13cat
durant la nit de la vigília de Tots Sants
7ca.wikipedia, "Castanyada"
el vespre del 31 d'octubre
7ca.wikipedia, "Castanyada"
Consisteix en un àpat
- 06
Pumpkins and Halloween are gaining ground in Barcelona
8barcelona.cat, Chestnuts and Halloween
Halloween is indeed gaining popularity among children
- 07
It falls on Halloween's night, and it is Catalonia's own
9theworld.org
the American holiday Halloween, which falls on the same day.
10catalannews
These two newcomers represent the Catalan 'castanyada' and the modern iteration of All Hallows Eve
- 08
Today it means roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes
3Barcelona Metropolitan
Freshly-roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes
11ca.wikipedia
es mengen castanyes, panellets, moniatos i fruita confitada
- 09
Panellets are small almond cakes
12barcelona.cat, Panellets
Panallets are small, usually round, cakes, made with a mixture of sugar, egg yolk, and almond.
5en.wikipedia, "Castanyada"
special almond balls covered in pine nuts
- 10
The pine-nut kind is the most typical
12barcelona.cat, Panellets
the most typical are the almond and pine nut varieties.
13en.wikipedia, "Panellets"
The most popular are the panellets covered with pine nuts
- 11
The drink is sweet moscatell
11ca.wikipedia
La beguda típica de la Castanyada és el moscatell.
3Barcelona Metropolitan
washed down with moscatell or other sweet wine
Timeline
- 31 OctoberThe eve of All SaintsLa Castanyada is held on the evening of 31 October, the same night as Halloween.
- TodayChestnuts and panelletsRoasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes, almond panellets and sweet moscatell; Halloween is gaining popularity among children.
Left out on purpose
What we chose not to say in the video, and why. If a comment says "you forgot…", the answer is probably here.
The sources say neighbours joined the ringers and everyone ate, and the wine is only "wine". The line says "neighbours joined them, with chestnuts and wine"; "sweet" stays on today's moscatell only.
The sources support only "gaining popularity", so the line says "moving in".
Only Barcelona Metropolitan calls it that, and catalannews sets the two against each other. The line says "Catalonia's own Halloween night", which is the date, not a name.
3cat and VilaWeb both say the origin is unclear, and ca.wikipedia gives a rival one (old funeral meals). "The story goes" stays on the twist.
Only one source (Anglophone Direct) says it, so the line says "Hour after hour, bell after bell" instead.
It would be another number.
Not checked to the standard of the rest, and not needed.
It could not be opened, so nothing here rests on it.
Read the video's transcript
Leo Not pumpkins. Bells for the dead. That, the story goes, is how Catalonia's own Halloween night began.
Sara Pumpkins are moving in now. But here, this night is La Castanyada.
Leo Picture a village on the eve of All Saints. The ringers climb the tower, and toll for the dead until dawn.
Sara Hour after hour, bell after bell. So, the story goes, neighbours joined them, with chestnuts and wine to keep them going.
Leo Their late-night snack spread, and became a night at the table.
Sara Today that means chestnuts and sweet potatoes off the fire, little almond panellets, and a sip of sweet moscatell.
Leo Keep your pumpkin. Here, the chestnuts remember the bells.
Sara Stories first, facts follow. Follow Dornix.
Sources
- 3cat
- VilaWeb
- Barcelona Metropolitan
- betevé
- en.wikipedia, "Castanyada"
- en.wikipedia
- ca.wikipedia, "Castanyada"
- barcelona.cat, Chestnuts and Halloween
- theworld.org
- catalannews
- ca.wikipedia
- barcelona.cat, Panellets
- en.wikipedia, "Panellets"
Found a mistake? Send us your source. If it holds, we correct this page and note the change here.