Trick or Treat ?

Shreya will be dressed as “count Dracula” and she is sure that her look will live up to the dubious reputation of her inspiration. “I got these really cool fangs from New Market and I don’t want to be dressed in those silly frilly shirts like those losers in Bollywood B-grade films,” says Kanoi.

Halloween or All Saints Day for the uninitiated, is a Celtic and Christian festival which is celebrated on October 31 every year. On this day,children dress up in fancy costumes and go trick-or -treating (asking for candies and sweets). Our perception of it,however,is mainly coloured by Hollywood B-grade films like Halloween,Scream,I Know What You Did Last Summer and Nightmare on Elm Street where screaming extras were sawed into pieces by deranged psychopaths. “We know about Halloween only through these movies and we have no idea about the religious implications of the festival,” says Ansh Sahai,a businesswoman from South Kolkata who is attending a Halloween party at a friend’s place.

Shohaib Khan,a stall owner at New Market,may have not see n these movies but Halloween is important for him nonetheless. “Youngsters seem to be quite taken in by this Halloween thing. They want stuff like fake eyeballs,fangs and decorative items. Most of the stuff we sell are Chinese items and they are very popular,” says Khan.

Meanwhile,nightclubs like Tantra and Big Ben have arranged for special parties to draw the yuppie crowd. “Quite a few of our regulars wanted such a party,” says Moushumi from The Park.

Sunetro Lahiri’s version of a Halloween part may be very Hollywoodish but he knows about the religious significance of the festival too. “I know that Halloween has Celtic origins but has now become a very secular festival. That is why it’s important to embrace festivals such as these. They are ways to bring people together,” says the Kolkata-based media professional.

Sahai agrees. “Moral guardians may accuse us of blindly copying Western culture but we see Halloween as just another reason to party. There are lots of activities involved and we are harmlessly spending our time putting together costumes and decorations. There is nothing wrong with such unadulterated fun is there?” she asks.