Losing our roots: The cringe normalisation of Halloween

Over the past decade, a strange cultural appropriation has swept across the country—loud, flashy, social-media driven, and sadly, deeply disconnected from our civilizational memory. Every year, as October approaches, schools, colleges, malls, cafés, and youth groups in urban pockets gear up for Halloween celebrations. Youngsters paint their faces white, wear devil horns, and dress up as zombies, vampires, witches, skeletons, and ghosts—without even remotely knowing what Halloween is or why it is celebrated in the West.

This blind imitation of Western culture continues to peak, reflecting a growing cultural emptiness, a loss of civilizational confidence, and an increasing disconnect from our own sacred traditions.

What Exactly Is Halloween?

Halloween traces its origins to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in), celebrated in Ireland and Scotland nearly 2,000–2,500 years ago. The festival marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter—a dark, harsh season. Celts believed that on this night, the boundary between the living and the dead became thin, allowing spirits to return to the earth. People lit bonfires and wore scary costumes to ward off harmful spirits.

Around the 8th century, the Christian Church replaced Samhain with All Saints’ Day (1st November), a day to honor saints, and All Souls’ Day (2nd November), a day to remember the departed.

The night before All Saints’ Day came to be known as All Hallows’ Eve, later shortened to Halloween. Thus, Halloween is essentially a blend of Celtic pagan rituals and Christian practices.

Rise of Halloween “Cringe Culture”

What makes the current wave of Halloween promotions in educational institutions particularly cringe-worthy is not the costumes themselves, but the unquestioned glorification of a festival that has no connection with our culture, spirituality, or values.

Why Is This Cringe?

Most young people celebrating Halloween imitate it blindly, without any knowledge or understanding of the rituals or their origins. It is surprising to see educational institutions encouraging mimicry over mindfulness. Dressing up as ghosts with painted bloodstains may be entertaining, but celebrating foreign symbolism while ignoring our own deeply meaningful traditions reflects cultural insecurity.

Halloween today is largely pushed by global brands, café chains, malls, fashion stores, and OTT platforms that view it merely as a commercial opportunity.

Modern Halloween is highly commercial, fun-oriented, and almost completely disconnected from its ancient roots. Popular activities now include trick-or-treating, costume parties, pumpkin carving, haunted houses, pranks, scary decorations, and horror themes. Halloween today is a $10–12 billion industry in the US, driven by marketing, movies, and pop culture—and this influence is spreading rapidly across Bharat.

Why It Has No Relevance in Bharat

Halloween has no roots in Bharatiya culture. It represents fear, ghosts, and death in ways that do not align with Bharatiya philosophy and thought. Its rise here is driven mainly by commercial influence—brands, Netflix, malls, and even schools.

How Bharatvāsis Pay Tribute to Ancestors

Bharat has its own deep, scientific, and spiritual traditions related to honoring ancestors:

• Pitru Paksha

• Mahalaya

• Amavasya Shraddha

• Karkidaka Vavu Bali

• Gaya Pind Daan

• Pitru Tharpanam

These practices revolve around gratitude, healing, lineage, and connection—not fear or costumes.

Forgotten Tradition: Pitru Devathas and Shraddha

In Bharat, ancestor reverence is a civilizational principle woven into daily life. Our ancestors are not “ghosts”; they are revered as Pitru Devathas—benevolent forces who guide our lives, carry blessings, and ensure dharmic continuity. Across regions, ancestor worship is diverse but unified in purpose.

Why Pitru Devathas Matter

1. Roots of identity

Our existence—our health, genes, tendencies, values, and heritage—comes from our ancestors.

2. Continuity of lineage

Bharatiya traditions view vamsha (lineage) as sacred. Remembering ancestors upholds this sacred chain.

3. Scientific logic behind rituals

Offering food, water, and prayers fosters emotional healing, gratitude, and psychological grounding.

4. Cultural responsibility

Civilizations thrive when they honor their forebears. Losing this connection weakens societal stability.

How Bharat Honors Ancestors

Rituals vary across regions but share core elements such as Tarpanam (offering water), Pindadanam (rice offering), feeding cows and crows, and serving prasadam to Brahmins while remembering ancestors.

Some regional practices include:

• Mahalaya Amavasya

• Karkidaka Vavu Bali (Kerala)

• Maheshwara Puja (Karnataka & Andhra)

• Amavasya Shraddha (North India)

• Gaya Shraddha (Bihar)

• Tila Tarpanam (Tamil Nadu)

• Pitru Tharpanam during Onam (Kerala)

Why Did We Drift Away?

Urbanization, the breakup of joint families, Western media influence, and lack of traditional knowledge in education have all contributed to the erosion of ancestral traditions. Many youth now view traditions as “old-fashioned,” while Western customs appear “cool.” Commercial forces further overwrite heritage.

Reclaiming Our Heritage

Why celebrate someone else’s heritage while forgetting our own? This is not about criticizing a foreign festival—it is about reclaiming our cultural memory through:

• Awareness programs in schools about Bharatiya observances

• Media content highlighting Pitru Devatha traditions

• Encouraging youth to document family history

• Making rituals simple and accessible for urban families

• Celebrating Amavasya and Pitru Paksha with understanding, not fear

A culture that remembers its ancestors survives.

A culture that forgets them fades away.

(The writer is an Expert, Creative Economy)