<p>A decade ago, Halloween wasn’t exactly a day that most Bangaloreans marked off in their calenders. Today, though, the festival has morphed into a much-awaited event in the City — something fashionable, fun-filled and suitably creepy. <br /><br /></p>.<p>There’s a certain thrill in dressing up as a witch or vampire, carving out pumpkins and illuminating them with candles and of course, trick-or-treating. <br /><br />And surprisingly, it isn’t just the children who are indulging in the trappings of the occasion — adults too are having their fun on Halloween. <br /><br />As Elizabeth Bowden David,<br />a Bangalore-based entrepreneur, puts it — “You never really outgrow Halloween.”<br /><br />Since Elizabeth grew up celebrating the occasion every year, her family prefers to keep their Halloween traditional. <br /><br />“It’s one of our favourite holidays. This year, both my children will be dressing up — and my husband and I will throw on costumes as well. <br /><br />One of my sons is dressing like a vampire and the other will be a skeleton. And while my husband is going as Zorro, I’m going to wear a traditional Mexican dress. In fact, I even picked up a little witch’s costume for my Golden Retriever,” she says, excitedly.<br /><br />Their celebrations always begin at home, she adds and this year, they will be <br />continuing it at Habareno, a tex-mex restaurant run by the family. <br /><br />“The children go trick-or-treating door-to-door. The great thing about Halloween in Bangalore is that the next day — Karnataka Rajyotsava — is a holiday, so we can stay out a little late,” she states, adding that they will also be throwing a costume party at the restaurant with Halloween-themed candy-bags.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, many restaurants and clubs are capitalising on the popularity of Halloween and organising themed menus, dinners and parties. <br /><br />Maya, a radio jockey, attended a Toastmaster Halloween-themed get-together last year.<br /><br />She recalls, “Everyone put a lot of effort into dressing up. I went as a spider queen — and others came as ghosts and in similarly scary get-ups. We had spooky music, spooky speeches — mine was to pretend that I was speaking to a bunch of hypnotised listeners on the radio — and a few games as well.<br /><br /> For instance, there were impromptu skits — we had to pick a chit with a topic and then put up a little skit on it. Ours was based on the ‘Twilight’ saga.”<br /><br />She believes that Halloween is something that Bangaloreans look forward to every year. <br /><br />“There have always been people who celebrate it in the City — and of late, I think the popularity of the occasion is increasing. After all, who doesn’t like a thematic party?” she questions.<br /><br />Interestingly, a lot of Bangalore kids have picked up on the concept of trick-or-treating — that is, demanding a treat against the threat of pulling a prank on the<br /> owners of a house — which is why several people actually stock up on pieces of candy or other eatables on Halloween night. <br /><br />Aditya Badami, who lives in a gated colony on Sarjapur Road, admits that trick-or-treating has become a staple part of the holiday in his neighbourhood. “Every year, the kids in the colony dress up in something scary — I’ve mostly noticed a lot of witch costumes and the occasional Frankenstein.<br /><br /> Everyone makes sure that there’s some candy at home, in case they come calling. The funny thing is that often, the trick-or-treaters are accompanied by their parents,” he smiles.<br /></p>
<p>A decade ago, Halloween wasn’t exactly a day that most Bangaloreans marked off in their calenders. Today, though, the festival has morphed into a much-awaited event in the City — something fashionable, fun-filled and suitably creepy. <br /><br /></p>.<p>There’s a certain thrill in dressing up as a witch or vampire, carving out pumpkins and illuminating them with candles and of course, trick-or-treating. <br /><br />And surprisingly, it isn’t just the children who are indulging in the trappings of the occasion — adults too are having their fun on Halloween. <br /><br />As Elizabeth Bowden David,<br />a Bangalore-based entrepreneur, puts it — “You never really outgrow Halloween.”<br /><br />Since Elizabeth grew up celebrating the occasion every year, her family prefers to keep their Halloween traditional. <br /><br />“It’s one of our favourite holidays. This year, both my children will be dressing up — and my husband and I will throw on costumes as well. <br /><br />One of my sons is dressing like a vampire and the other will be a skeleton. And while my husband is going as Zorro, I’m going to wear a traditional Mexican dress. In fact, I even picked up a little witch’s costume for my Golden Retriever,” she says, excitedly.<br /><br />Their celebrations always begin at home, she adds and this year, they will be <br />continuing it at Habareno, a tex-mex restaurant run by the family. <br /><br />“The children go trick-or-treating door-to-door. The great thing about Halloween in Bangalore is that the next day — Karnataka Rajyotsava — is a holiday, so we can stay out a little late,” she states, adding that they will also be throwing a costume party at the restaurant with Halloween-themed candy-bags.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, many restaurants and clubs are capitalising on the popularity of Halloween and organising themed menus, dinners and parties. <br /><br />Maya, a radio jockey, attended a Toastmaster Halloween-themed get-together last year.<br /><br />She recalls, “Everyone put a lot of effort into dressing up. I went as a spider queen — and others came as ghosts and in similarly scary get-ups. We had spooky music, spooky speeches — mine was to pretend that I was speaking to a bunch of hypnotised listeners on the radio — and a few games as well.<br /><br /> For instance, there were impromptu skits — we had to pick a chit with a topic and then put up a little skit on it. Ours was based on the ‘Twilight’ saga.”<br /><br />She believes that Halloween is something that Bangaloreans look forward to every year. <br /><br />“There have always been people who celebrate it in the City — and of late, I think the popularity of the occasion is increasing. After all, who doesn’t like a thematic party?” she questions.<br /><br />Interestingly, a lot of Bangalore kids have picked up on the concept of trick-or-treating — that is, demanding a treat against the threat of pulling a prank on the<br /> owners of a house — which is why several people actually stock up on pieces of candy or other eatables on Halloween night. <br /><br />Aditya Badami, who lives in a gated colony on Sarjapur Road, admits that trick-or-treating has become a staple part of the holiday in his neighbourhood. “Every year, the kids in the colony dress up in something scary — I’ve mostly noticed a lot of witch costumes and the occasional Frankenstein.<br /><br /> Everyone makes sure that there’s some candy at home, in case they come calling. The funny thing is that often, the trick-or-treaters are accompanied by their parents,” he smiles.<br /></p>
