The dead will walk on the streets and the sky will see witches flying on their broom!
Halloween- the deadliest, scariest, spookiest night of the year is here again! It’s that time of October when people gear up for an eerie celebration. Right from carving pumpkins to dressing up in ghostly costumes and playing trick on people, the festival is an age old super freaky tradition.
But why is Halloween or ‘All Hallows Eve’ always associated with weird/creepy stuff? Ever wondered why people dress up as wizards, witches, evil comic characters and gobble up lots of candy on Halloween?
The phenomenon is believed to have emerged from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain- a festival marking the onset of winter and end of harvest season. People traditionally dressed up in sinister outfits and lit bonfires to ward off evil. From that time on, Halloween is celebrated every year on October 31, a day before All Saint’s Day.
Predominantly a concept of the West – where it is one of the biggest festivals after Christmas – Halloween is slowly casting its spell on Indian audiences too.
This Halloween TimesCity brings you a cheat sheet, a complete inside guide into this festival of ghosts and the scary air around it.
History, Myths And Facts:
1) The Halloween tradition started in Ireland almost 2000 years ago.
2) The festival marks the end of summer season and welcomes winter.
3) Orange and Black are the colors of the festival where orange denotes tolerance and black is the color of death.
4) The fear of Halloween is called Samhainophobia.
5) The owl and scarecrow are popular Halloween images.
6) In order to avoid a witch sight at midnight, a popular tradition of Halloween states a person to wear his clothes inside out and walk backwards.
Pumpkin-o-logy!
A popular tale that best describes the connection between this round fruit and Halloween is the Irish folklore of Jack O’Lantern, a selfish drunk old man who was known for his infamous behavior. It is believed that he once fooled the Devil into climbing an apple tree and spread sharp crosses in the field to prevent the Devil from escaping. Finally, he gave the Devil his freedom in exchange for the promise that his (Jack O’Lantern’s) soul would never be taken to hell.
When Jack O’Lantern eventually died, he was neither accepted in hell nor in heaven. Rejected, he was forced to survive in darkness, until the Devil offered him a glowing ember to walk on his way. He placed this ember inside a carved turnip and traveled on the darkest paths.
He was popularly called ‘Jack of the Lantern’ and his carved turnip represents the pumpkin of Halloween.
Candy Craze
Ask a kid about the best part of the Halloween and pat comes the reply – the candy! Little wonder then that Halloween is also known as ‘Candy Day’. These sweet temptations form the very essence of this spirited affair.
As per the famous ‘trick-or-treat’ tradition, kids travel door-to-door hoping to get candies or in the event that they didn’t get any, play a mischievous trick on the owner of that particular house. A recent push has been towards a healthy form of candies where parents prefer low sugar options.
Bizarre Costumes
Imagine an Iron man wearing a lungi and shaking a leg on Thalaiva? Yes, this year the trend of Halloween is a fusion of Hollywood and Bollywood fashion statements.
Traditionally, the popular look of Halloween costume parties have always been of ghosts, vampires, angels, demons, Dracula and witches. But over the recent years, comic characters and super heroes have also made their way to the list of absurdity.
In fact, Goth and horror themes have always ruled the fashion charts when it comes to an ideal Halloween costume party. This time around you can try wacky combinations like
Rajinikanth in a Superman avatar or even an Indian cowboy in a dhoti.
Dark Side Party Props
Apart from costumes, props are also important add-ons in the modern celebration of this scary night. Party Hunterz, a Delhi-based party supply brand is stocked with spooky party props like stretchable spider webs, moustache themed pumpkin pails, vampire cape, fangs and spring eyeball glasses. Besides, you can also experiment with colored wigs, scary masks and goofy face paints for the creepy-yet-cool Halloween look.
Website: www.partyhunterz.com
Horror Platter
The essential part of any Halloween bash, the food of the festival has to be gruesome and gory (though yummy). Spine tingling and disgusting to look at works best for the guests who wait for a ghoulish surprise.
This year, Senses, a plush dining space in the Pullman Gurgaon is offering a delectable Brunch on Halloween. The deadly dishes on the menu are Halloween Dimsums, Pumpkin Rissoto, Mummy Meatloaf, Green Peas, Bacon Soup and a host of Halloween themed desserts.
Mumbai based, Escobar Fine Dining Lounge Bar has special shots of true blood for vampire lovers. Party lovers can also sip spine chilling cocktails like Zombie Punch, Devil’s Kiss, Screaming Green Monster and Witches Brew.
Those who love the darkness can celebrate the midnight hour in style with the sinister menu of Vicina – Café Bar that boasts of items like Bloody Vampire, The Brain Cocktail, Pumpkin Soupjack O Lantern Salad, Witchy Salad, Wicked Fingers, Dracula’s Pumpkin Risotto and Scary Cup Cakes.
For the grown-up goblins, the stylish F Lounge offers starters like Blood on the Rooftop, Pumpkin Nest with Garlic Mayo and Herb Crusted Pan Fried Chicken With Hollandaise Sauce.
Helluva Party!
What’s the point of celebrating a scare fest if you don’t get to party? And when it comes to a typical Halloween party, innovation and weirdness is what tempts the celebrators.
The ‘Halloween fright night’ in Mumbai’s Ave 29 promises an evening full of mischief, trick, treats, munchies and mayhem only for singles between 25 to 45 years of age. Another place in Mumbai, The Skky Restro Lounge & Bar innovates with an interesting menu along with an exciting opportunity for the patrons to make their own cocktail and win a special gift for the best attire.
Pune’s popular hang out joint, Cocoparra gets wild with its forest Halloween party. The DJs Deepranjan Ghosh and Vaibhav gear up to take the console by storm and play some scary tracks on the dance floor. Also catch a haunted movie at its special theatre.
Decked up in scary ambiance and ghostly accessories along with explosive music playing in the background, the day jam at Freeze lounge in capital offers the ultimate dammed experience. The stylish spot, B Bar is celebrating fashionably wicked good time with DJ Candice Redding and concoctions made from vodka.
For the little devils, Funky Monkeys Play Center brings the popular ‘Trick or Treat’ culture wherein the little ones can explore a host of games like meeting the funky monkeys mascot, feed the pumpkin game, treasure hunt, fancy dress contest and lot more.
Even ‘Halloween Hocus Pocus’ at Hyatt Regency Hotel in the capital unpacks an evening of spooky engagements, such as zombie piñata, skeleton encounter, pumpkin bowling and horror story session.
And if at all, you plan to stay at home and enjoy this spooky night on your couch, then we also bring you a round up of three flicks that will completely drench you in the ghostly spirit.
A word of caution: Watch it at your own expense. And if later in your dreams you may find a ghost caressing your hair or a witch casting a spell on you, don’t blame us!
Here is the list:
Sleepy Hollow:
Directed by Tim Burton, Sleepy Hollow is a classic 1999 American-German horror film. Starring Johnny Depp in the lead role, it’s a story of a controversial investigating officer whose latest assignment is to solve a murder mystery involving a headless horseman. Spooky enough!
Monster House
A 2006 animated film, Monster House is a flick that you can watch with your little ones. Directed by Gil Kenan, the story is based on the plot of three teenagers who discover that their neighbor’s house is a living scary monster.
Hellraiser
It’s a nail biting story of a cheated wife who is haunted by the zombie of her dead lover. The 1987 film is directed and written by Clive Barker.
So, whatever you plan to do, remember to keep it scary!
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