Snips and snails and puppy dog tails? Sugar and spice and everything nice? Pfft. Witches and ghouls and murky blood pools is more like it.
Yup, ‘tis the season to be ghastly again, what with Halloween round the corner. And the good denizens of Bangalore seem to be all set to receive it with open arms this year as well. Halloween has come a long way in the city and is being celebrated more diversely than ever, with costume parties and exotic dinners. Trick-or-treating is a Halloween given, according to Sneha Subramaniam (17), a student. She says “My friends and I started trick-or-treating in the apartment about five years ago, and it was super exciting for us because it was so out of the ordinary — dressing up crazily and knocking for candy! We still go trick-or-treating, and look forward to Halloween every year”.
Procuring candy isn’t the only option here anymore, for those who want to embrace Halloween but don’t quite know how. The many party hubs in Bangalore are on the bandwagon with costume parties, dinners and kooky cocktails. Monkey Bar’s upcoming Halloween fiesta promises all this and more.
Chef Manu Chandra, partner chef of Monkey Bar says: “Halloween is essentially a fun night, you dress up, have fun and go a little wild. At parties, you can base food around stuff that is seemingly creepy.” And what are his favourites? “Well, it’s not as much as about the food, as it is about playing with stuff to fit into the theme. I tend to steer clear of the savoury front here, and lean towards the desserts, because you can go crazy with the presentation. We had finger cookies once — finger-shaped cookies with almonds on top to look like nails. They looked incredibly creepy, and tasted great too!” So that’s the way the cookie crumbles!
If you are wondering why Halloween is such a big deal here, Manav Gami (20), a student, believes it is another element of the pop culture juggernaut.
He says “We tend to be quite heavily inspired by Western culture, like the EDM wave, and Valentine’s Day. Halloween is a western tradition and now it is on its way to becoming tradition here as well. It’s a day of just having fun and letting go.”
There certainly is a marked difference in the response to Halloween before and now. Says Sneha, “Five years ago, when we went trick or treating, many people didn’t know the concept. We had some hilarious responses, with some people giving us vegetables, a box of Mysore pak, and a lady even asking us if we accept cash! Over the years, it has become a bigger deal, and even the younger kids go trick-or-treating. Now, grandparents stock up on candy and delightedly greet us”.
Halloween’s journey in Bangalore has been quite a fascinating one, and with it creeping up on us, the city is abuzz with the spirit of spook.
