Celebrate the Castanyada, with BusPlana

What is the Castanyada?    

The Castanyada is a popular festivity in Catalonia that has been celebrated for decades, with the chestnut as a symbol of unity between family and friends. Although the official day of the festivity is the 1st of November, on All Saints' Day, it is usually celebrated the day before, on the 31st of October. 

On the evening of the 31st of October, many villages hold popular dinners in which families and friends get together to dine and celebrate, with music and dancing, accompanied by good roasted chestnuts and sweet wine.    

With BusPlana, you can travel to any town of your choice to enjoy this special festivity, like Cambrils, Valls, Vila-seca, Tarragona or Salou. You can check schedules of our regular lines at www.empresaplana.cat.    

What are the traditional foods?    

On this day, the traditional foods are roasted chestnuts over an open fire, sweet potatoes, candied fruit and panellets, traditional small cakes made mainly of marzipan (a paste made of almonds and sugar). All of this is usually accompanied by sweet wine or Muscatel. 

Nowadays, this day can be celebrated in many ways, but, what stands out from this special week are the gatherings with our loved ones, sharing joyful moments, full of fun activities and food! 

Many families have a tradition of getting together, the days before, to make the popular panellets, homemade. Panellets are delicious little sweets that you can find in various forms and garnishes, each one better than the last. They are very easy to cook and, although we can find many recipes to make them, the traditional procedure consists of only 6 ingredients: raw ground almonds, sugar, egg whites, egg yolk, lemon zest and pine nuts.    

Did you know that the best pine nut panellets in Catalonia are made in Barcelona? In 2022 a competition was organised for the Route of the Best Artisan Pine Nut Panellets in Catalonia and the winner was the Oriol Carrió bakery, located in the Gracia district of Barcelona. BusPlana takes you to Barcelona from Tarragona, Salou, Cambrils or La Pineda, so you can enjoy a wonderful day in the city and taste the best panellets.    

What are the origins of the Castanyada?    

Its origins date back to the end of the 18th century, when funeral feasts related to pagan cults were held, which were characterised by their food. At these celebrations, a large buffet was held, where chestnuts and panellets took the main stage, but where you could also find white wine, Muscatel, candied fruit, and sweet potatoes.    

Roasting chestnuts over the bonfire was considered an act of connection with departed souls. During this tradition, while roasting them, many people prayed the three parts of the rosary. Additionally, as a tribute to the deceased, church bells were rung by hand throughout the night, which required great stamina and therefore had to be accompanied by a hearty meal. 

Who are the ‘castanyeres’?    

The ‘castanyeres’ are an emblematic figure of this festive day. They were often large women, with humble origins, who dressed in old clothes. They were characterised by their long, wide skirts, black woolen aprons and a scarf tied around their heads or necks in the form of a hood. The ‘castanyeres’ could be found in street stalls in various parts of the towns, roasting and selling very good, hot chestnuts; often located in busy streets, as you had to pass through them to get to the cemetery.    

Nowadays, it is children and teenagers who have taken up the tradition. It is quite common, the first or second week before this festive day, to find the students of the fourth year Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) students or members of an association at stalls with their iconic bonfires and paellas, roasting chestnuts on the spot and selling them in newspaper cones. At some stalls you can also find freshly roasted sweet potatoes. The students set up their stalls to raise money for the cost of their end-of-year trip.    

The celebration is also a significant part of many schools. Each school celebrates the day with different activities, including crafting paper cones, painting collective murals, decorating the school with drawings and dancing to popular songs, such as "La Castanyera" by Dàmaris Gelabert. Additionally, many pupils dress up as ‘castanyeres’ and, most importantly, enjoy chestnuts together.  

Family activities    

If you want to immerse yourself in the spirit of the Castanyada, we recommend you do the following activities:    

In the town of Salou, for the youngest members of the family, you will find a workshop dedicated to the castanyada and another one dedicated to the American holiday, Halloween. The first workshop will take place on the October 25th, where children will be able to make super fun cardboard bats. The other activity is on October 26th, focusing on the castanyada, where they will learn how to make cardboard cones where chestnuts are eaten. All three workshops are organised by Club Xic'S and will be hosted at Espai d’Infància. If you're interested in these activities, you'll have to book your place!    

Additionally, on October 31st, with the assistance of Xic'S, the Panellet Festival will be held! In this event we will enjoy a morning full of activities and children's games. There will be dancing songs of Club Xic'S with their mascots, Rocky, Confetina and the pirate Dragut. There will also be a brunch and a workshop to make panellets. The activity will take place in Plaça del Carrilet from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm.    

BusPlana takes you to Salou with its regular lines, from Reus, Tarragona, Cambrils, La Pineda, Vila-seca, Barcelona or Barcelona Airport. You can check schedules that best suit your plan at www.empresaplana.cat.    

In Tarragona, free family activities will be held on the morning of the 29th of October in Parc de la Ciutat - Quinta de Sant Rafael. The activities are organised by La Guingueta, and you have to dress up as ‘castanyeres’ to celebrate this special day, where both children and their families are sure to have a lot of fun together!    

From BusPlana, we put at your disposal the schedules of the regular lines, which you can consult on our website so that you can travel, without worries, to Tarragona, from Salou, Vila-seca, La Pineda, Cambrils or Valls.    

Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy a day or, rather, a week as special as the Castanyada. You can use the regular BusPlana lines to get around without any worries. Check schedules on the website www.empresaplana.cat. You can also book transfers from Barcelona airport on the website www.busplana.com.