New Delhi [India], Oct 29 : It is Halloween and what comes to your mind? Some might say ghost costumes, Frankenstein, Draculas, spooky Pumpkins and scary masks - all sorts of eerie things that were not in the picture in India until a few years ago.
However, with several hotels and restaurants introducing a celebration around the day, Halloween now has become commercialised in the Indian market.
According to Yashi Mishra, marketing and communication head at a five-star hotel in Lucknow, several hotels and eateries in the city are now cashing in on the trends around the festival.
"People in India still want to have a feel of the festival that people in other countries are talking about," said Yashi while giving a brief about the Halloween theme based party that has been organised by the hotel.
She added, "To enable people to have an experience of Halloween, many hotels organise theme-based parties."
Apart from dressing up in their scariest costume on the festival eve, there are people who are still unaware of the significance of the festival, which traces its origin to a festival celebrated by the Celts, who lived 2000 years ago, mostly in areas that are now parts of Ireland, United Kingdom and France.
"If you ask somebody here about why Halloween is celebrated or what it signifies, they may not know but almost everybody is aware of that the event is marked by dressing up in scary costumes such as ghosts, skeletons etc," added Yashi.
Nowadays with increased exposure to American pop culture, films, sitcoms, and cartoons, there is more awareness about Halloween.
"This has also improved the nightlife of people where stepping out of the house for them was only on Christmas Eve," says Vaishnavi, a representative for a hotel in Delhi, who organises a spooky Halloween party every year.
"Halloween for people meant dressing up in their spooky and creative horror character and stepping out to click pictures while partying. Moreover, I don't think they know about the festival or why is it celebrated, it's just that they want to follow the path what others outside India are treading," said Vaishnavi.
For Rongana Nath, a post-graduation student who eagerly waits for the festival every year feels that this "money-making holiday" is here to stay.
"It's enjoyable to see Halloween-themed candies and cakes, spooky pumpkins, witches' hat and broomsticks, and fake spiders webs in various stores which just shows how much the shops are playing with the trends," Nath said.
On the other hand, Anushka Chhabra, a hotel management student in Delhi says he disagrees with the fact the festival has become commercialised and points out that it is "still a tedious job to find appropriate Halloween decorations."
"Since the western festival of ghosts is not that commercialised, it is difficult in India to find the appropriate Halloween decorations and props," said Chhabra.