La Castañada

The Castañada is a popular festival held throughout Catalonia on the day before All Saints Day and on the day itself, and consists of a meal based on roasted chestnuts, moniatos and panellets, accompanied by the sweet moscatel wine.

The origins of the festival of the Castañada date back to the 18th century being derived from funeral meals. Nowadays it is held amongst families or friends, more like a party devoid of ritual references to the dead. Traditionally chestnuts are eaten roasted on the fire, moniatos baked in the oven and panellets, sweets made using dough with sugar, egg yolk and almond in addition to other various ingredients.

The figure of the chestnut gatherer is very typical during the Castañada. It is represented by an old lady dressed in simple clothing comprised of a coat and a headscarf who is placed in front of a chestnut roaster. They can be found on the streets of villages and cities selling roasted chestnuts in newspaper wrappings.