It’s just a few days until Halloween the festival of gore and spook that’s all the rage with Indian millennials. From school-going kids to young professionals everyone’s making plans for October 31. And though carved pumpkins may be a rare sight here, Halloween celebrations whether they’re house parties or events organised by restaurants and pubs are plenty.
Mahesh Babu and Namrata’s kids Gautham and Sitara seemed amazed with the huge pumpkins on display on a roadside during Halloween celebrations in US as they enjoy their vacation amidst all the festivity.
According to event curator Dr Sofiya Sujad, Halloween parties are getting more popular by the year. “I usually commit myself to one Halloween bash every year. Organising a lively Halloween do can be very demanding in terms of ideation and décor, so I like to devote myself to just one a year,” she says, adding, “I love playing with a variety of themes. This year, I am going to dress up as Daphne Blake from Scooby Doo it was my favourite cartoon growing up, and I’ve always found Daphne very pretty and sweet.” Halloween, once an ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain, has evolved over the centuries from a pagan ritual to a day of parties, costumes and candy made popular by the Americans. For Visala Kantamneni, who spent her childhood in the US, celebrating the festival is almost nostalgic. “My sister and I have been celebrating Halloween since we were kids. We have old pictures of ourselves dressed in costumes from the time we had just learnt how to walk. We were born in Kansas, and Halloween is a part of your childhood when you grow up in the US, so it’s more than just a holiday for me. Who doesn’t enjoy dressing up for a few hours without the fear of being judged? This year, I am going to a Harry Potter-themed party, and I’ll be dressing up as Luna Lovegood!” she says.
Home-baker Dikshitha K., who also grew up in the US, agrees that it’s fun being someone else for a night. “In the US, my sister and I would host Halloween parties for our friends and family. Now, after moving here, we continue to keep that spirit alive,” she says.
Harry Potter characters are definitely the most popular costume ideas among Halloween enthusiasts this year. And student Aamani Divi plans to dress up as Parvati Patil while she celebrates the occasion with her friends. She says, “Halloween means a lot to me because it gives you a chance to express your inner weirdness and quirkiness to your friends and the world.”
So who are you going to be this year?
