Halloween, Murcian-style: Tosantos and the Night of the Souls.
" Tosantos " (All Saints') and the " Noche de las Ánimas " (Night of the Souls) represent the authentic "Murcian-style Halloween", a local tradition from the huerta (the fertile agricultural plains or orchard region) and villages of Murcia that long predates the popularization of the Anglo-Saxon holiday. According to the official chronicler of Murcia, Antonio Botías, this ancient celebration had a more gothic, mysterious character, deeply rooted in the life of the huerta . "Trick-or-treating," Murcian-style: "Souls" pumpkins ( Calabazas de ánimas ): Long before today’s commercial decorations, people would hollow out pumpkins (elongated or "pilgrim" varieties), carving eerie faces and grins into them with a pocketknife. A candle was placed inside, and they were set along paths, by doorways, or on embankments (as seen in different villages in Murcia as Beniaján, Algezares, or El Raal) to frighten the local residents. The h...
