How Indians celebrated Halloween

Is Halloween even a foreign festival for Indians anymore?

Transcript

00:00How did this foreign festival called Halloween become so popular in India?

00:11Lagta hai yahaan par bhi kisi vamp ki koi chaal hai.

00:16No.

00:17It's just that pop culture is transcending borders and becoming more accessible, especially

00:21at the touch of a screen.

00:23Halloween's origin goes back thousands of years.

00:25It is traced back to the Celtic peoples who believed that the dead visit their homes on

00:29this day.

00:30So, they wore costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits.

00:34The Celts belonged to the region that is present-day Ireland, UK and Northern France.

00:39But gradually, their religious festival became more cultural with people adding elements

00:44like trick-or-treat to it.

00:46Children dress up in their favourite costumes and go around neighbourhoods asking for treats.

00:51Halloween's depiction in pop culture, especially in American films and series, brought it to

00:56the homes of people who could afford TVs and understand English.

00:59This year, I decided to really get into the spirit of Halloween.

01:02That's why its celebration in India is sometimes viewed as kind of elitist because it is something

01:07that the privileged can easily afford to understand.

01:10Like Halloween would hardly be an alien concept for those who grew up watching sitcoms like

01:14Friends.

01:15Now, widely popular shows like Modern Family, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Stranger Things are

01:19also building up curiosity around the festival.

01:22Naturally, Halloween grew more popular amongst young, privileged Indians.

01:52This year, a friend of these star kids threw a Halloween party.

02:13The Halloween fad wasn't just limited to these celebrity kids though.

02:17Kareena Kaif also dressed up as Harley Quinn.

02:20And creators and comedians had their own takes on the festival.

02:43Even some schools in India had started throwing Halloween parties.

02:46It is celebrated around the same time as Diwali.

02:49And it might be interesting to note that while Indians are embracing Halloween, Americans

02:53are embracing Diwali.