One of the most increasingly-observed festival
in Spanish lands has to do with the straightforward anglosaxonization of former
religious traditions. Thus, the highly respected All Saints’ Day has been
biased towards the western party of All Hallows’ Eve, where children and
not-so-young people hang around from house to house trick-or-treating, wearing
(not very) creepy costumes and having fun playing frights or collecting a huge
amount of calories and sugar.
The celebration has gone far here, since
Halloween is followed by several age groups one way or another. From the very
little children going not beyond their own neighbourhood, even block,
frequently acompanied or distantly watched by their protective parents, to the adolescent
parties including lots of make up and overwhelmingly low necklines.
Horror sells well. Everybody loves it,
especially when, as if it were a Disney animated film, you can enjoy yourself
in different levels of macabreness, from the very innocent disguises of small
children to the creepy creatures sourrounding adult fun. People love fear,
especially the youngsters, because it pops up their adrenaline when they really
need new thrills. If you can also wear fancy dresses, sometimes to look like a
whore, better still. 
Nobody is going to condemn you for that, particularly in a
night where everything is allowed, either tributing Mary Shelley’s
Fankenstein’s monster or imitating Count Dracula’s vampiress daughter.
Notwithstanding the proximity of the sacred feast, this night is here to give
free rein to terrific excesses; something similar to the Carnival spirit,
swapping flesh vices for overhorrifying. Dawn will bring peace to souls and to
the bodies of the wild participants. Continence will rule again on earth... and
under it.