I've tried to explain the importance of American holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving to my Spanish friends in the past, but they never really seem to get it. My repeated attempts at importing the spirit of Halloween have miserably failed (3 consecutive years of me being the only one to show up at a Halloween party in full costume) and a few Thanksgivings in a row have come and gone without being able to rally the troops for a day of giving thanks and stuffing face.But finally this year, I was able to convince some of my Spanish friends to come try multiple varieties of purees and a few big birds in the spirit of abundance. Being one of the only days of the year that us
Yankees are given the pleasure of enjoying not one, yet 2 days off + weekend (the equivalent of a Spanish "puente," or XL weekend, which seems to happen every other week in Spain) is a testament to the importance of this holiday.
This year, since it's been a difficult time for my family and therefore hard for me to be away, I gave muchas gracias for having my Spanish family with me to celebrate. Although many of the traditions may seem strange or funny to them, all I had to do was say the word "party" and I was immediately surrounded by the supportive cheer and undying love of my dearest friends. Despite having to fend off a few over-zealous pie perverts hoping to recreate their favorite scene from an American teen movie, the party was a success, followed by the traditional expanded belts and food comas that usually come with. Amen to that.
