Halloween

It is Halloween, and what comes to your mind? Some of us might think of ghosts costumes, spooky pumpkins, scary masks, the trick or treat. All this wasn’t in the picture of Indian culture. In the past couple of years, the trend of celebrating Halloween has really caught up in India. With costumes and theme-based parties, Halloween adapting to Indian markets.

Many of us not know what Halloween is or how or why it is celebrated.  It all came into existence 2000 years ago in the European region where a group of people existed known as Celts. They celebrated October 31 as the end of their harvest season in form of a festival called ‘Soin’. That night also marked the beginning of their new year. This time of the year they believed that ghosts of the dead walked the earth and celebrated the Afterlife. As the influence of the Catholic Church increased in Europe they marked November 1 as ‘All Saints’ day which was known as Hallowmas means holy or saintly i.e. mass of the saints and October 31 was all Hallowes eve which is now morphed into Halloween.

This culture migrated to America by Irish migrants who traveled to America during the 1840s when Ireland suffered a Potato famine. They brought their cultures and holiday costumes, playing tricks on neighbors which is now ‘trick or treat’.

In India, due to increased exposure especially to American pop culture, films, sitcoms and cartoons, and web series, most of us know how to celebrate Halloween. This is one festival where religious context takes a back seat, and we all are at our spooky and creative best. Even most schools these days organize Halloween carnivals, just to give children a feel of the entire extravaganza. Restaurants, cafes are all up for this Halloween theme parties to attract youngsters.

There are many who criticize how enthusiastically the younger generation has taken to celebrating Halloween. Don’t we have enough Indian festivals to celebrate, they ask. Why must we make so much fuss over a Western festival? What does one stand to gain from celebrating it anyways?

Yes, we have plenty of desi festivals, especially around this time of the year, to celebrate. But none of them involves dressing up as spooky creatures. Which is why kids just love Halloween? And why just kids, a lot of adults love celebrating it too because who wants to give up on an excuse to show off their creativity?

Our parents never understood the kind of influence Ross’ Spud-nik costume or Jim Halpert’s 3-Hole-Punch Jim in Halloween special episodes of Friends and The Office, had on us.

Or what was such a big deal about movies like Halloween or Urban Legend or Scream or Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow? But since we have that context, it is impossible for us to refuse those starry-eyed requests of dressing up for Halloween from our kids.

The essence of any festival is how it brings us closer and spreads smiles across our faces, children and adults alike. We know very little about Halloween, agreed. But in life so full of stress why resist a chance to dress up and pretend to be a zombie or a magician or a ghost or even a ballerina or a cowboy? There is more to festivals than just religion, customs, and rituals. They come laden with infectious joy and the urge to celebrate. To eat on delicious food and up our dressing or styling game or those door to door candies collection instead of a trick.

Happy Halloween.

One life. Live Boundless.