What is Halloween? An Indian Perspective by Justice Katju
Halloween Traditions: Ghosts, Vampires, and Trick-or-Treating
Diwali vs. Halloween: Justice Katju’s Comparison of the Two Festivals
Justice Markandey Katju shares his humorous and critical take on Halloween, an American festival celebrated every 31st October. From spooky decorations to the 'trick-or-treat' ritual, discover why Justice Katju finds Halloween an intriguing 'training ground' for kids and how it compares to Diwali in India. Read on for a unique cross-cultural perspective!
Halloween
By Justice Markandey Katju
Americans have a strange festival called Halloween, which is celebrated on 31st October every year.
A couple of years back I was in Fremont, California.
On 31st October I went for a walk in the evening and saw houses with ghosts, vampires, skeletons, witches, spider nets, pumpkins with lights inside, and other kinds of weird, spooky, eerie, bizarre and wacky things.
Children come to your house on Halloween day and say “ trick or treat “, which means you have to give them some sweets, candy, cake etc, or they will play some nasty trick on you.
It is a system of extortion, and no wonder the Mafia has sprouted in America. Halloween is excellent childhood training !
This year Halloween in America and Diwali in India fell on the same day i.e. 31st October.
I was in India this 31st October, so I did not get a dose of Halloween, but I got a dose of Diwali. The whole night there were exploding crackers ( despite a Supreme Court order against bursting crackers ) and I could hardly get any sleep. I would prefer Halloween over Diwali, because at least it does not disturb one's sleep !
(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of।ndia. These are his personal views)
