Hello! I want to share with you something exciting that I have recently learnt about - a festival called Halloween! At first, it seemed strange because we don’t really celebrate Halloween in India like we celebrate Diwali or Holi, but the more I explored it, the more I understood why it’s so fascinating to kids across the world. So, let’s dive into the spooky, fun-filled world of Halloween, and how it all began!
What is Halloween?
Halloween happens on the night of *October 31st* every year. When I first heard about it, I thought, “Why would people want to dress up as ghosts and witches?” But, it turns out that Halloween is much more than just dressing up.
In many countries like the *United States*, *Canada*, and parts of *Europe*, children dress in costumes, go door-to-door, and say “Trick or Treat!*” to collect candies. Imagine walking around with your friends and getting free candies from every house! Sounds like a dream, right?
People also decorate their homes with ‘pumpkins’ carved into faces, called ‘Jack-o’-lanterns’. Sometimes, they light candles inside them, which look super cool! But where did all of this come from?
The History of Halloween
The story of Halloween goes way, way back - about 2,000 years ago! It all started with a festival called *Samhain* (pronounced ‘Sow-in’) celebrated by the *Celts*, an ancient group of people from Ireland, the UK, and northern France. They believed that on the night of October 31st, the boundary between the living and the dead became blurry, and spirits could visit Earth. To protect themselves, people would light huge bonfires, wear costumes (mostly made of animal skins), and make offerings to the gods. This was like their New Year’s Eve, a time to reflect on the past and prepare for the coming winter.
When the 'Roman Empire' conquered the Celtic lands, some of these traditions mixed with Roman festivals. For example, they celebrated 'Pomona', the goddess of fruits, which might explain why apples became part of Halloween. You know those games where kids try to bite into apples floating in water? That comes from this old tradition!
Later, in the 8th century, Pope Gregory III made ‘November 1st’ '*All Saints*’ Day or “All Hallows’ Day,” to honour saints and martyrs. The night before that, October 31st, became known as “All Hallows’ Eve,” which over time, turned into ‘Halloween’.
Halloween in India?
Although Halloween isn't a big festival here in India, it’s slowly gaining popularity in some cities, especially in schools. Some schools organize costume parties, and you might even see Halloween-themed decorations in cafes and malls. But since we have our own spooky legends and festivals like ‘Bhoot Chaturdashi’ (where people light 14 lamps to honor ancestors), Halloween is yet to gain much popularity in our country.
I think it’s amazing how festivals can travel across the world and how we can learn about them while still enjoying our own traditions. Whether it’s dressing up for Halloween or lighting diyas for Diwali, the joy of celebrating together is the best part!
So, what do you think? Would you like to go trick-or-treating if you got the chance? I know I would! Maybe someday, we can add a little bit of Halloween fun to our festivals in India too.