This year, October 31 wasn’t just Halloween – it was also Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Having both festivals coincide brought a rare opportunity for people who celebrate both, like myself, blending traditions of spookiness and warmth into one festive day.
Halloween and Diwali seem quite different on the surface: Halloween celebrates the spooky and eerie, honoring the thin veil between the living and the dead. Diwali, on the other hand, symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil. But I quickly realized both celebrations do share some common ground. Diwali’s stories, particularly the epic battle of good and evil in the Ramayana, could easily translate into Halloween themes such as heroes, demons, and moral challenges.
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most significant holidays in Hindu culture and is celebrated with vibrant displays of lamps, fireworks, and colorful decorations. This festival marks the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, drawing from stories in Hindu mythology, particularly the Ramayana. Families come together to clean, decorate their homes, and create intricate rangoli designs—bright and colorful patterns made from colored powders or flower petals, and oil lamps.
Celebrating both festivals on the same weekend brought a fun, meaningful twist. People carved pumpkins and set them next to their Diyas on their front porch, which created a warm, spooky glow. Trick-or-treating included handing out Indian sweets, like ladoos and kaju katlis, alongside the usual Halloween candy.Â
People’s days began with a morning prayer (Pooja), a time to invoke blessings and offer gratitude alongside lighting oil lamps (Diyas) to invite positivity and prosperity into their homes. After the pooja, families enjoyed an Indian feast, filled with traditional dishes like samosas, chole, biryani, and sweet treats such as laddoos and jalebis, prepared especially for Diwali. Homes were decorated with rangolis. Right alongside Halloween decorations like cobwebs, skeletons, and carved pumpkins that brought in the classic Halloween vibe.
Come nightfall, costumes were ready for trick-or-treating or Halloween parties, but perhaps with a twist. Costumes may have incorporated elements from Indian culture, with people dressed as characters from Indian films, bringing an Indian flair to Halloween’s typical lineup of ghouls, vampires, and zombies.
Celebrating both holidays together highlighted the unique ways different cultures mark the changing seasons and important transitions in life. Diwali, being the Hindu New Year, is all about fresh beginnings, hope, and prosperity. It’s a time to reflect on the past year, clean out old clutter, and make space for good fortune and light in the year ahead. People see it as a way to reset, let go of negativity, and set intentions for a brighter future with friends and family by their side.
Halloween, on the other hand, embraces the mysterious and supernatural as we shift into the colder, darker months. It’s a reminder of the unknown and a chance to connect with the past, honoring traditions that go back to ancient harvest festivals. Celebrating both Halloween and Diwali together gave people a unique way to reflect on these big shifts—welcoming light and positivity with Diwali while also playfully embracing the spooky mysteries of life with Halloween. This blend of renewal, reverence, and fun brought a powerful energy to the day, creating an appreciation for both the light and the dark that shape our lives.
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