Samaín is a watered-down version of Halloween. You can dress up in a costume, or not. You can carve a pumpkin, or not. You can have a big celebration for it, or not. It’s not a go-all-out event like it is in the States.
The kids only had class for the first two periods, and then they played games and ate chestnuts. Only about 20 had some type of costume — all related to death, zombies or monsters.
I helped Mingos and other teachers roast the castañas, or chestnuts. The trick is to have a strong, warm fire without flames so they don’t burn quickly but cook through. We had hundreds of chestnuts, brought by the kids, parents association and school. Before you cook them, you have to nick off a part of the nut with a knife otherwise they’ll explode when heated, like popcorn.
We used big barrels for our cooking pots, and filled the bottom with a layer of chestnuts. The religion teacher was the “salt queen,” we joked, because she did a little dance while she sprinkled (more than enough) salt on top. We stirred the nuts with a stick so they wouldn’t burn on one side. After they turned black, we used newspapers as oven mitts and poured them out into cardboard boxes. The kids made containers at home, which were usually milk cartons cut in half — one side for the whole nuts, the other for the shells.
I’ve never eaten a chestnut until yesterday. (No “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” in my childhood). They are delicious, and better when eaten right out of the “oven,” so they’re warm. They’re chewy, not crunchy, and have a deep, nutty, but almost sweet taste. Mingos told me he likes to eat ice cream with the nuts.
The kids loved seeing me help cook castañas and were chanting my name until I turned and waved hello. I smelled like campfire smoke all day, but it was a lot of fun to be a part of the process.
Mingus building the fire.
a raw chestnut.
the dancing salt queen
stirring the chestnuts.
all cooked!
a roasted chestnut, sans shell.
all the kiddos!
Alia Valentine in Vigo 