Customs and Festivals in Spanish-Speaking Countries
Writing about festivals and customs celebrated in Spain or Latin America, such as Semana Santa, el Día de los Muertos or Las Fallas, covers describing when and how they are celebrated, comparing them with a celebration from another culture, and giving an opinion on why traditions matter.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the bullets and decide which need the general present tense (how a festival is usually celebrated) and which need the preterite (what your family did on a specific occasion).
- Plan factual detail before writing: the name of the festival, the country or region, the date or season, and one specific custom (comida especial, disfraces, procesiones).
- Build the description using the impersonal se construction, common for customs (se celebra, se decoran las calles, se disfraza la gente) alongside the present tense.
- Build the comparison bullet using a comparative or contrast connective (a diferencia de..., mientras que en el Reino Unido...) rather than describing the two festivals in two unconnected sentences.
- Build the personal/past bullet in the preterite with a subordinate clause (el año pasado, celebramos... con mi familia, que preparó un plato tradicional).
- Add an opinion justified with porque on why traditions matter, and check it is a full sentence, not just a bare adjective.
- Check accents on festival vocabulary (Día de los Muertos, la tradición, la celebración) and check gender agreement on adjectives describing customs (colorido, colorida; típico, típica).
Worked example
Write a short paragraph in Spanish for an international culture magazine. Mention: a festival celebrated in a Spanish-speaking country; how people celebrate it; a tradition your own family has.
- PLAN the facts: choose one real festival (el Día de los Muertos en México), its date (a principios de noviembre), and two customs (altares, flores de cempasúchil).
- PLAN the comparison: your own family tradition and a connective to link it to the Mexican festival (en cambio).
- BUILD the description using se plus the present tense for range: En México, se celebra el Día de los Muertos a principios de noviembre; las familias construyen altares con fotos, comida y flores para recordar a sus seres queridos.
- BUILD the comparison with a connective: En cambio, en mi familia celebramos la Navidad decorando la casa y cocinando juntos, aunque no hay altares como en México.
- BUILD a closing opinion with justification: Creo que estas tradiciones son importantes porque nos conectan con nuestra cultura y con las generaciones anteriores.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Give the correct se construction for 'fireworks are set off' (lanzar).Show answer
Answer: se lanzan fuegos artificiales - the impersonal/passive se agrees with the plural subject fuegos artificiales, so the verb is lanzan, not lanza.
Q2Fill the gap with the correct preterite: El año pasado, mi familia y yo ___ (preparar) una comida especial para Nochevieja.Show answer
Answer: preparamos - regular -ar preterite, nosotros form: preparé, preparaste, preparó, preparamos, prepararon.
Q3Correct the error: 'Las calles son decorado con flores durante la fiesta.'Show answer
Answer: Las calles están decoradas con flores durante la fiesta - decoradas must agree with the feminine plural calles, and estar, not ser, is used for this resulting state.
Q4Translate into Spanish: 'People dress up in colourful costumes during the festival.'Show answer
Answer: La gente se disfraza con trajes coloridos durante la fiesta.
Q5Translate into English: 'A diferencia de la Navidad en mi país, el Día de los Muertos celebra la vida de los que ya no están.'Show answer
Answer: Unlike Christmas in my country, the Day of the Dead celebrates the life of those who are no longer here.
Q6Give the Spanish for 'a religious procession' and 'fancy dress/costume'.Show answer
Answer: una procesión religiosa and un disfraz.
Q7Which connective introduces a contrast between two festivals: mientras que or además?Show answer
Answer: mientras que (whereas) introduces a contrast; además (moreover) would add a similar point instead.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Write about festivals and customs in Spanish. Answer all four bullet points in Spanish. Write approximately 40 words in Spanish. - a festival celebrated in a Spanish-speaking country - how people celebrate it - a tradition your own family has - your opinion on why festivals are important
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Write for a culture magazine about a festival and your own traditions. You must mention: - describe a festival or celebration from a Spanish-speaking country, including when and how it is celebrated - compare it to a celebration in your own culture - describe how your family celebrated a special occasion recently - give your opinion on whether it is important to preserve traditional customs today
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Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
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See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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