(Desi Recipes for Halloween, Indian Halloween Dishes)
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Halloween is a yearly celebration observed on Oct 31st by many Western countries. It is not part of our Indian culture or tradition. However in the recent years, American culture is influencing our Indian practices. More and more people are traveling each year to western countries for their studies or job and are getting well versed with international concepts. As a result, its becoming a fashion to celebrate all western festivals. The intention behind these celebrations is merely having fun with friends and wear some funny costumes. It has got nothing to do with their religious practices and tradition. Companies and Bollywood stars in India are organizing Halloween parties. Some of the leading newspapers like 'Times of India' are promoting by posting Halloween special Pumpkin recipes.
For those who are not familiar, let me give a short introduction about this festival. Halloween is also known as All Hallows Eve or All Saints Eve. It is the night before 'All Saints Day'. In many parts of the world, Roman Catholic Christians attend church service on this day to pray for the dead and light candles in their graves. In the western world, the spirits of the dead are believed to roam around the villages. To prevent them from entering the houses, people lit lanterns and put food on their doorsteps. They believed this will soothe the spirits anger and keep them out of the house.
Today Halloween is more commercialized with super markets filled with pumpkins, black and orange candies, cup cakes, costumes etc. Other typical Halloween activities include dressing up in different costumes and attending costume competitions or parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, making spooky treats and kids trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. So although the festival is claimed to have christian origin, modern celebration is just "holiday fun". It has got nothing to do with religion and in fact many Christians feel convicted and do not participate in the activities.
Well, enough of history and stories. Lets get to the point now. If you are looking for Indian style recipes for your Halloween party, you have come to the right place. Halloween recipes can include any dish that can be made to look repelling, spooky, creepy and fun. Since pumpkins and apples are in season, many dishes are prepared using these ingredients. Here is a list of some typical western Halloween dishes that can be prepared in India as well as some Indianized recipes.
Halloween Recipes From Western World
Indian (Desi) Halloween Menu Ideas
Jack-O-Lantern made by my 5 yr old