Halloween: Drawing Inspiration from the Unknown!
There are few festivals around the world that draw as much awe and anticipation than Halloween, which is celebrated on the night of October 31st. What really makes it a real treat, is the inclusion of some of the most bizarre, and colourful activities that you can conceive of. It basically thrives on our curiosity towards the unknown and supernatural powers, which in recent times has got an impetus due to a commercialised take on the dark and the mysterious.
Celebrated with great aplomb and gaiety in several countries of the western world, and occasionally in parts of Australia, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival also known as Samhain. It is celebrated at the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture and at times even referred to as the “Celtic New Year”. The festival came into being to weed out the evil spirits and protect humanity from destruction, as there was a widely held belief among the ancient Gaels that on this eventful day, i.e. on October 31, the boundary between the dead and the alive disappeared. To pacify the evil forces, bonfires were arranged in which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. The wearing of colourful costumes and masks during the festival have a similar objective.
As it happens with every aspect of life, the festival has been witness to a number of changes in the way it is celebrated and perceived to fit itself with contemporary times. The festival as we see today in fact has been influenced to a large extent by the century of work from American filmmakers and graphic artists. Growing in stature from the time of its origin, its imagery today involves death, magic, or mythical monsters, apart from the more traditional ghosts, ghouls, witches, owls, crows, vultures. In fact, much of what we associate with Halloween today, can be associated with horror games like Dead Space for the PS3. America, in particular has been a trendsetter when in comes to giving a new dimension to celebrating the festival which in turn is inspired by such classic horror movies, containing fictional characters like Frankenstein’s monster and The Mummy.
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