Halloween and India

Date

Celebrated on 31st October, Halloween was a pagan festival which believes that the doors
between the dead and the living ones open up during this time of the year.
Despite being widely known through media, Halloween failed to make a place in the Indian
hearts.


Origins of Halloween
Around 2000 years ago, Celts used to celebrate their new year on 1st November. Mostly in Northern France and United Kingdom region, this day was marked as the last day of summer and harvest and the beginning of the dark cold winter.


But, then who were Celts?
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Celts were the first Aryans who came from India to settle in Europe.
Anciently, Celts originated from Central Europe. Over the next few years, they migrated to different parts of the continent. Celts believed in Animism, which means they believe in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe.


Is Halloween relevant in the Indian context?
Indians have always lived in religiously mixed communities. Since Halloween is themed around ghosts, it is recognized as bodeful by many.


But, here’s the catch!
In the past couple of years, Indians also started celebrating Halloween. plenty of media houses started publishing stories around it.Mainly because of western influence, Halloween is celebrated by the upper and upper-middle-class Indians.