How to Talk About Halloween in Spanish

Introduction

Halloween has become increasingly popular throughout the Spanish-speaking world, blending with traditional celebrations like Día de los Muertos in Mexico. Whether you’re planning to celebrate with Spanish-speaking friends, travel to a Latin American country during the season, or simply want to expand your vocabulary, learning how to discuss Halloween in Spanish opens up exciting cultural conversations and helps you connect more authentically with native speakers.

Essential Halloween Vocabulary in Spanish

The foundation of discussing any topic in a foreign language starts with core vocabulary. Halloween itself is typically called Halloween in Spanish, though you might also hear Noche de Brujas (Night of Witches) or Día de las Brujas in some regions. Let’s explore the essential words you’ll need to navigate conversations about this spooky celebration.

Basic Halloween Terms

The most common Halloween-related word you’ll encounter is calabaza, which means pumpkin. When referring to a carved pumpkin specifically, Spanish speakers often say calabaza tallada or use the English borrowing jack-o’-lantern. Here’s a practical example:
Me gusta decorar mi casa con calabazas talladas cada octubre.
(I like to decorate my house with carved pumpkins every October.)

Disfraz is the word for costume, and it’s one of the most versatile terms you’ll use. The verb disfrazarse means to dress up or disguise oneself. You might say:
Los niños se disfrazan de personajes terroríficos para Halloween.
(The children dress up as scary characters for Halloween.)

Dulces means candy or sweets, and this word is essential for the beloved tradition of trick-or-treating. Speaking of which, truco o trato is the direct translation of trick or treat, though in some countries you might hear variations like dulce o truco or simply pedir dulces (to ask for candy).

Spooky Characters and Creatures

No Halloween conversation would be complete without mentioning the creatures that haunt the night. Bruja means witch, while fantasma refers to a ghost. If you want to talk about a goblin or ghoul, you’d use duende or espíritu maligno. A vampire is vampiro, remarkably similar to English, and a zombie is zombi or muerto viviente (living dead).

The word monstruo covers monster, while esqueleto means skeleton. If you’re discussing werewolves, the Spanish term is hombre lobo (literally wolf man). Here’s how you might use these in context:
Mi hijo quiere disfrazarse de vampiro este año, pero el año pasado fue un esqueleto.
(My son wants to dress up as a vampire this year, but last year he was a skeleton.)

Common Halloween Phrases and Expressions

Beyond individual words, knowing complete phrases helps you sound more natural and confident. Let’s explore expressions you’ll actually hear and use during Halloween celebrations.

Greeting and Celebration Phrases

While Feliz Halloween (Happy Halloween) is commonly understood, especially in regions where the holiday is celebrated, you might also say Que tengas un Halloween espeluznante (Have a spooky Halloween). The word espeluznante means spine-chilling or hair-raising and perfectly captures the spirit of the season.

When you’re out trick-or-treating or attending parties, you might hear Qué miedo (How scary) or Qué terror (What terror). If something is really frightening, Spanish speakers might say Me da escalofríos (It gives me the chills) or Es horripilante (It’s horrifying).

Activity-Related Expressions

Decorar la casa means to decorate the house, and during Halloween season, you might say:
Vamos a decorar la casa con telarañas falsas y luces naranjas.
(We’re going to decorate the house with fake spider webs and orange lights.)

The phrase hacer una fiesta de disfraces means to throw a costume party. If you’re inviting someone, you could say:
Estoy haciendo una fiesta de disfraces el treinta y uno de octubre. ¿Quieres venir?
(I’m throwing a costume party on October thirty-first. Do you want to come?)

When discussing the act of carving pumpkins, use tallar calabazas or esculpir calabazas. Both verbs work well in context:
Cada año, mi familia y yo tallamos calabazas juntos.
(Every year, my family and I carve pumpkins together.)

Cultural Differences and Regional Variations

Understanding how Halloween is celebrated across different Spanish-speaking countries enriches your ability to communicate effectively about the holiday. The celebration varies significantly from Spain to Mexico to Argentina, and being aware of these differences makes you a more culturally sensitive speaker.

Halloween in Latin America

In Mexico, Halloween coexists with the traditional Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which occurs on November first and second. While Halloween has gained popularity, particularly in urban areas and among younger generations, Día de los Muertos remains the more significant cultural celebration. During this time, families honor deceased loved ones with ofrendas (offerings) and visit cemeteries to clean and decorate graves.

Mexican Spanish has some unique vocabulary related to this season. Calavera refers to a skull, particularly the decorative sugar skulls used during Día de los Muertos. Pan de muerto is a special sweet bread prepared for the occasion. While these terms are specific to the Mexican celebration, they often appear in conversations about the broader October-November festive season.

In countries like Colombia and Peru, Halloween is increasingly celebrated, especially in cities, but traditional elements may include noche de velitas (night of little candles) in Colombia or regional harvest festivals. The word calabaza might also refer to different varieties of squash used in traditional cooking, adding another layer of meaning to the term.

Halloween in Spain

In Spain, Halloween is a relatively recent import and is most popular among children and young adults in urban areas. The Spanish also celebrate Todos los Santos (All Saints’ Day) on November first, a religious holiday with deep roots in Spanish culture. On this day, it’s traditional to visit cemeteries and bring flowers to the graves of family members.

Spanish teenagers often organize fiestas de terror (horror parties) or fiestas temáticas (themed parties) around Halloween. The word guay (cool) might be used to describe an impressive costume: Tu disfraz está muy guay (Your costume is really cool).

Describing Costumes and Decorations

Being able to describe what you or others are wearing, or how spaces are decorated, adds depth to your Halloween conversations in Spanish.

Costume Descriptions

When describing costumes, you’ll need adjectives and descriptive phrases. Terrorífico means terrifying, while espeluznante means creepy or spooky. If something is cute rather than scary, use lindo or adorable. For creative costumes, say original or creativo.

Here are useful sentence structures:
Lleva puesto un disfraz de bruja muy realista.
(She’s wearing a very realistic witch costume.)

Su disfraz de zombi es aterrador y muy detallado.
(His zombie costume is frightening and very detailed.)

The phrase llevar puesto means to be wearing, while vestirse de means to dress as. You might say:
Me voy a vestir de vampiro para la fiesta.
(I’m going to dress as a vampire for the party.)

Decoration Vocabulary

Telaraña means spider web, often used with falsa (fake) during Halloween: telarañas falsas. Araña is the word for spider. When talking about atmospheric elements, niebla artificial refers to artificial fog, and iluminación tenue means dim lighting.

Lápida means tombstone or gravestone, which you might see in yard decorations. Murciélago means bat, another common decorative element. The color orange is naranja, and black is negro, the signature colors of Halloween.

A complete description might sound like:
Hemos decorado el jardín con lápidas falsas, telarañas, y murciélagos colgantes.
(We’ve decorated the yard with fake tombstones, spider webs, and hanging bats.)

Halloween Activities and Traditions

Discussing what you do during Halloween requires action verbs and activity-related vocabulary.

Trick-or-Treating and Parties

The verb pedir means to ask for or request, so pedir dulces means to ask for candy or go trick-or-treating. In some regions, children might say the full phrase truco o trato, while in others they simply go door to door asking for dulces.

Tocar la puerta means to knock on the door, an essential part of trick-or-treating:
Los niños tocan la puerta y gritan truco o trato.
(The children knock on the door and shout trick or treat.)

For parties, useful verbs include bailar (to dance), comer (to eat), and jugar (to play). You might describe party activities:
En la fiesta, vamos a bailar, jugar juegos de miedo, y comer bocadillos temáticos.
(At the party, we’re going to dance, play scary games, and eat themed snacks.)

Storytelling and Entertainment

Contar historias de terror means to tell scary stories, a classic Halloween activity. Ver películas de miedo refers to watching horror movies. The word asustar means to frighten or scare, while sobresaltar means to startle.

You might say:
Me encanta contar historias de terror alrededor de una fogata.
(I love telling scary stories around a campfire.)

Vamos a ver películas de miedo toda la noche.
(We’re going to watch horror movies all night.)

Expressing Feelings and Reactions

Being able to express how you feel about Halloween elements makes conversations more engaging and personal.

Fear and Excitement

The verb tener miedo means to be afraid, constructed with the verb tener (to have) plus miedo (fear). You can say:
Tengo miedo de las casas embrujadas.
(I’m afraid of haunted houses.)

Dar miedo means to be scary or to frighten, using the verb dar (to give). The structure is:
Las películas de fantasmas me dan mucho miedo.
(Ghost movies scare me a lot.)

For excitement, use emocionar or entusiasmar. Me emociona means I’m excited about:
Me emociona muchísimo Halloween este año.
(I’m very excited about Halloween this year.)

Preferences and Opinions

Preferir means to prefer, and it’s useful for expressing choices:
Prefiero los disfraces graciosos a los terroríficos.
(I prefer funny costumes to scary ones.)

The expression me parece means it seems to me or I think, great for sharing opinions:
Me parece que Halloween es una celebración muy divertida.
(I think Halloween is a very fun celebration.)

Using gustar (to like) is essential. Remember the structure where the thing liked is the subject:
Me gustan las fiestas de Halloween porque puedo ser creativo con mi disfraz.
(I like Halloween parties because I can be creative with my costume.)

Practical Conversations and Dialogues

Putting vocabulary into realistic conversation contexts helps solidify your learning and prepares you for actual interactions.

Planning Halloween Activities

Imagine coordinating plans with Spanish-speaking friends. You might have this exchange:

Person A: ¿Qué planes tienes para Halloween?
(What plans do you have for Halloween?)

Person B: Voy a ir a una fiesta de disfraces. Me voy a vestir de bruja. ¿Y tú?
(I’m going to a costume party. I’m going to dress as a witch. And you?)

Person A: Yo voy a llevar a mis sobrinos a pedir dulces por el vecindario.
(I’m going to take my nieces and nephews trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.)

Discussing Decorations

When admiring or discussing decorations, you might hear:

Person A: Tu casa está increíblemente decorada. ¿Cuánto tiempo te tomó?
(Your house is incredibly decorated. How long did it take you?)

Person B: Gracias. Me tomó todo el fin de semana. Puse calabazas talladas, telarañas, y luces en todos lados.
(Thanks. It took me the whole weekend. I put carved pumpkins, spider webs, and lights everywhere.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

As you practice discussing Halloween in Spanish, being aware of common errors helps you communicate more accurately.

False Friends and Translation Traps

One frequent mistake is directly translating trick or treat word-for-word without considering regional usage. While truco o trato is understood in many places, some countries use different expressions entirely. Always consider your audience’s regional background.

Another common error involves the word costume. In Spanish, disfraz is correct for Halloween costumes, but traje means suit or formal outfit. Don’t confuse these terms, as saying you’re wearing a traje to a Halloween party would mean you’re wearing formal attire.

The plural forms can also trip up learners. Remember that calabaza becomes calabazas, and disfraz becomes disfraces. The -z to -ces plural transformation is important to remember for natural-sounding Spanish.

Gender Agreement

Spanish nouns have gender, and adjectives must agree. Disfraz is masculine, so you say un disfraz terrorífico (a terrifying costume), not una disfraz terrorífica. Similarly, calabaza is feminine, requiring una calabaza grande (a big pumpkin).

When describing costumes, maintain agreement throughout: una bruja malvada (an evil witch) uses feminine forms, while un vampiro aterrador (a terrifying vampire) uses masculine forms.

Expanding Your Halloween Spanish

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can deepen your vocabulary and cultural understanding.

Advanced Vocabulary

For more sophisticated discussions, consider learning words like sobrenatural (supernatural), paranormal (paranormal), or ultratumba (beyond the grave). These terms appear in conversations about ghost stories and supernatural themes.

Embrujar means to bewitch or cast a spell, while hechizar means to enchant. Maldición means curse, and encantamiento means spell or enchantment. These words enrich your ability to discuss supernatural themes:

La casa está embrujada desde hace siglos.
(The house has been haunted for centuries.)

Idiomatic Expressions

Spanish has colorful expressions related to fear and surprise. Tener el corazón en la boca (to have your heart in your mouth) describes intense fear. Ponerse la piel de gallina means to get goosebumps, literally to get chicken skin.

These expressions make your Spanish sound more native:
Esa historia me puso la piel de gallina.
(That story gave me goosebumps.)

Conclusion

Learning to talk about Halloween in Spanish opens doors to cultural exchange and meaningful conversations with Spanish speakers worldwide. From basic vocabulary like calabaza and disfraz to regional variations and idiomatic expressions, you now have the tools to discuss this celebration confidently. Remember that practice makes perfect, so seek opportunities to use these words and phrases with native speakers, whether at Halloween parties, in online exchanges, or during travels. The blend of traditional and modern celebrations across Spanish-speaking countries makes this topic endlessly fascinating, and your growing vocabulary will serve you well beyond just one holiday season.