It is the 31st of October and the much awaited Halloween is here. With its origin in an ancient Celtic festival also called Samhain (pronounced sau-an), it is a secular celebration which marks the end of the ‘lighter half,’ and beginning of the ‘darker half,’ of the year.

Also known as the Celtic year, it is a celebration which involves the colors black and orange. Black depicts the darkness of the light while orange denotes the color of fire, as it appears in the jack-o’- lantern.

It was a common belief amongst ancient Celts that, on the day of the Samhain, the passage between life and death was easily accessible to all kinds of spirits whether good or bad. On this day the ancestors were honored and the evil spirits warded off. And so these weird costumes and masks came to be worn, with the purpose of looking evil to ward off evil.

Halloween also includes ghost tours, telling scary stories, visiting haunted places, scaring people and watching horror movies. Children enjoy trick or treating. It is a customary celebration in which children go door to door asking for treats which is usually candy or money. They ask the question “trick or treat?” which is more of a playful threat.

Bonfires are also a very integral part of the festivities. As it is time to store food supplies for winter, people slaughter livestock. The bones are then thrown in the bonfire. The fire of all the houses is doused off and their hearth is lit afresh from the bonfire.

There are games for people of all ages. Forms of divination, a traditional game is played between future spouses. In yet other game, unmarried women, sit in a dark room gazing into a mirror, on a Halloween night, waiting to see the face of their future husband. However the appearance of a skull indicates that the girl will die unwed.

Narrating ghost stories and viewing horror films is another fixture of Halloween parties. The release of horror films is also timed during Halloween to encash the spirit of the atmosphere. Television serials and programmes based on Halloween are specially aired for the children

Haunted entertainment venues are an added attraction. Venues specially designed to thrill and scare patrons is a booming business at this time. United States draws around 400,000 patrons with a business of around $300- 500 million every year. Sophisticated hayrides, corn mazes and haunted houses with highly technical special effects good enough to beat any Hollywood film are a part of this flourishing industry.

Although there are mixed opinions about Halloween throughout the world it is the time for merrymaking and fun.

So Happy Halloween!