What is Holywins and when is it celebrated?

Halloween has arrived but so has holywins, a less popular celebration but it is gaining followers and popularity year on year. What is it? It is an event that takes place on 31 October (and on some occasions also on 1 November) in churches and schools. The initiative was created in Paris in 2002, and reached Spain in 2009 thanks to the Diocese of Alcalá de Henares in Madrid.

The evening event exists to reinforce the Christian roots of All Saints' Day in response to the rising popularity of Halloween. With the motto 'holiness wins', many children (who make up the majority of the participants) choose to dress up as angels or various saints.

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Why is 1st November a public holiday in Spain?

Although Halloween originally meant the eve of All Saints' Day (All Hallows' eve) given that it is celebrated on 31 October, the day before 1 November, Halloween no longer has anything to do with Christianity. It is instead full of scary costumes, especially gloomy ones like zombies, monsters or demons.