Teach Spanish Months of the Year: October in Spanish

Octubre, or October in Spanish, is the 10th month of the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the sixth month of the year to have 31 days. 

The name October comes from the Latin word “ôctō” which means “eight” because it was the eighth month before January and February were added to the calendar. With time, “ôctō” evolved to October in English and octubre in Spanish.

October is the month where the weather changes because the seasons are more marked and are full of activities, events, and celebrations proper for the last months of the year. Do you want to learn more about October in Spanish? This article is for you! 

The Weather of October in Spanish

Even when the change of season “officially” happens during September, it isn’t until October that the changes in the weather can be felt. There are two marked seasons that take place during October, depending on the hemisphere you are in. 

La Primavera

La primavera (spring) is the season that follows the cold and gloomy winter months and gives way to those anxiously awaited warm and sunny days. Spring is the season that begins during October in the Southern Hemisphere.

If you visit South America during this time of the year, here are some spring related words to use when discussing October in Spanish:

El Otoño

El otoño (fall or autumn) is that season of cool and comfortable weather that takes place after summer. Even though fall has cool weather, it is not as cold as winter. For that reason, el otoño is a comfortable season, full of outdoor activities to do before winter arrives. 

October is the month where fall is more prominent in the Northern hemisphere.

If you want to talk about fall in Spanish, here is a small vocabulary to help you with that task:

Events and Activities During October in Spanish

October is a busy month all around the world. There isn’t a day without a celebration or event to observe! But there are some celebrations that are more important in Latin America and Spain than in other places. These celebrations are the ones this article will focus on, so when you talk about October in Spanish, you can talk about them with no problem!

Día del Niño

Known in English as Children’s Day, El Día del Niño or Día del Niño y de la Niña is celebrated in Guatemala and El Salvador on October 1st, but there are several different dates to commemorate this event all around the world.

Children’s Day is celebrated annually since 1925, and its purpose is to bring attention to the difficulties that childhood faces all around the world, like hunger, violence, poverty, and education. In recent years, more and more efforts are made to help children grow in safe environments, full of opportunities and life, but there is still a long way to go. 

El Día del Niño is a day to not only celebrate children for who they are, but also to bring awareness to different experiences with violence, abuse, and discrimination that children have experienced all around the world, and to do better for them. 

If you ever are around this date in Guatemala or El Salvador, here are some words to talk about this celebration that occurs in October in Spanish. 

Día de la Raza

Known as Columbus Day in the United States, el Día de la Raza is celebrated annually on October 12th (or close to this date, like in the United States) to commemorate the “discovery” of America by Christopher Columbus and to celebrate the cultural identity of those born from the mix of indigenous people and European immigrants. It also celebrates the Hispanoamerican culture. 

This commemoration has been around since the first half of the XX century in an unofficial way, but later it was made an official holiday in a lot of American countries. 

In later years, this celebration has slowly changed from “celebrating” the discovery of America to celebrate the different cultural identities through all the continent, including those of the Indigenous communities, which have been slowly reclaiming the day to bring attention to environmental, cultural, and racial issues that they still fight to this day. 

Here is a small vocabulary to talk about this day during October in Spanish:

Día de la Reforma

Known as Reformation Day in English, this celebration commemorates the day Martin Luther, a german monk, nailed his Ninety-five theses—a religious paper that stated Luther’s position against the abuses practiced within the Church when selling indulgences— and is considered the day that “Protestantism” was born. 

Reformation Day is observed by several Christian branches, like Lutherans and Calvinists, and is recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. In some countries, like Chile, it is officially recognized as a holiday. 

If you ever want to talk about El Día de la Reforma in Spanish, this little list of words is for you:

Halloween

Known unofficially as Noche de Brujas in Spanish, Halloween is not an official celebration in Latin America, but it has become more popular in the territory thanks to the different media that come from North America, like movies and television series. 

In some places in Latin America, Halloween is considered a “diabolical” celebration, but this point of view has changed slowly with time. The night of October 31st is mostly used to get together with friends and go to parties or celebrations, some of those with Halloween themes. In some places, kids go treat or tricking but it is more uncommon than in the United States and Canada. 

Some Latin American people like to dress up on that day and go to get-togethers to have a good time with family and friends, others don’t celebrate the day at all and use the time to prepare to celebrate el Día de Muertos or El Día de Todos los Santos on November 1st.

If you want to talk about this event in Spanish, here is some vocabulary words:

Activities to Do During October 

October is a busy month, isn’t it? There are so many things to do while learning about October in Spanish, but this article will provide you with a small list of activities that you can do alone or with your friends and family to learn more events during October in Spanish! 

1. Quebrar una piñata por el Día del Niño

Breaking a piñata is a really common activity in Guatemala and El Salvador when celebrating El Día del Niño. 

Doing this with your kids will be easy and entertaining and is a good exercise for a cold October day. 

Here is how you do it:

1. Llena tu piñata de tus dulces favoritos.
Fill your piñata with your favorite candy.

2. Escoge un palo de escoba que sea duro y firme para que sea tu “palo para quebrar la piñata”.
Choose a broomstick that is hard and firm to be your “stick to break the piñata.

3. Cuelga la piñata de un lazo en un lugar amplio y desocupado. Puedes colocar un candado para que sostenga el gancho de la piñata y esta se mueva de un lado a otro. 
Hang your piñata from a rope in a large and free space. You can use a padlock to hang the piñata from the rope to be able to move your piñata from side to side.

4. Escoge a los participantes del más pequeño al más grande.
Choose the participants from the youngest to the oldest. 

5. ¡Puedes darles vuelta para que sea más divertido! 
You can spin them around to make it more fun!

6. Cada participante puede darle de uno a cinco golpes a la piñata.
Each participant can hit the piñata from one to five times.

7. La meta es sacar los dulces lo más rápido posible.
The goal is to get the candies out as fast as possible.

8. Y una vez los dulces estén fuera, ¡quien agarre más gana!
And once the candies are out, whoever got more wins!

Just be careful to not hit anybody with the wood stick and to be careful when diving for the candies. If you want to do your own piñata instead of buying one, you can check this video.

2. Learn some Refranes of October in Spanish

Los refranes (phrases) are a popular way to gain popular knowledge and there is some wisdom in these refranes about October, so why not try to learn them? 

1. Octubre lluvioso, año copioso.
Rainy October, copious year.

2. Si en octubre sientes frío, a tus animales da abrigo.
If you feel cold in October, give your animals shelter. 

3. En octubre, el hogar de leña cubre.
In October, fill your home with firewood.

4. El labrador para octubre, sus deudas cubre.
The farmer for October, his debts covered.

5. Cuando Octubre truena, viento lleva.
When October thunders, wind carries. 

3. Take part in an activity to bring awareness to Breast Cancer 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, or Mes de la Conciencia del Cáncer de Mama, and several organizations make activities like races, concerts, and auctions to help raise awareness about this hard condition. 

You can take part in these activities from home, sharing information to prevent Breast Cancer, donating to your favorite charity, and using the pink bow to show your solidarity. And if you want to participate in activities out of your house, you can join groups in your city for races, trekking, sellings, charities, and engaging in conversations with survivors. 

Don’t wait until October to Practice Your Spanish! 

The decision to learn and speak Spanish is one of the best decisions you can make in your life! Learning another language can help you to expand your horizons and learn more from other cultures and meet new people. What are you waiting for? Sign up for a 1-on-1 free Spanish class with a native Spanish-speaking teacher and become part of this community of more than 24,000 monthly students. You won’t regret it! 

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Carmen Rizzo

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

I’m a native Spanish speaker from Guatemala with a B.A. in Psychology. I have a passion for teaching Sunday school in my spare time and for learning and sharing valuable information. I'm a cat lover who gets excited over cartoons, anime, and video games. I dabble in digital illustration and animation. I'm inspired by sharing my culture, traditions, food, and beliefs with others, while learning about theirs in return.

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