When diyas meet lanterns: Cultural fusion of Diwali and Halloween festivities

Cultural fusion successful celebrations

With the immense request and popularity of Indian nutrient and cuisines and the taste adaptation of ‘haldi doodh’ to turmeric latte, reimagining ‘chai tea,’ and the universality of ‘samosas,’ ‘jalebis’ and ‘gulab jamuns’ planetary Diwali celebrations lend to a colourful taste amalgamation and inclusion. The planetary sections astatine supermarkets, for instance, successful the US, person ever-expanding aisles dedicated to indigenous spices and delicacies from India. One is greeted with decorated aisles of Diwali goodies, rangoli colours, goddess Lakshmi paintings, diyas, Torans, marigold garlands, and Indian sweets astatine Indian supermarkets and market stores.

A locomotion down the aforesaid vicinity volition alternatively uncover galore spooky decorations and jack-o’lanterns carved from pumpkins acceptable for Halloween. Spooky skeletons, floral decorations, maize stalks, and costumes are conscionable immoderate of the elements of Halloween, arsenic against the colorful rangolis, diyas, and mithais versus packaged candies, chocolates, and cakes for the ‘trick-or-treat’ door-to-door Halloween ritual.

Ganesha idol astatine a supermarket store successful the US. (Photo: Swasti Pachauri)

Brands are capitalising connected this fusion too. This year, Mattel partnered with decorator Anita Dongre to make a Diwali Barbie, underscoring taste inclusion and the commercialisation of festivals arsenic a constituent of transportation crossed divers communities. But, what is taste fusion without meaningful similarities and differences? While the 2 festivals’ meanings and connotations differ, their solemnisation and respective interpretations evoke immoderate consciousness of similarity.

Autumn’s glow: Marigolds and chrysanthemums

Flowers service arsenic a seasonal span betwixt Diwali and Halloween. Yellow chrysanthemums and marigolds are quintessential and omnipresent during Diwali. This is the clip erstwhile marigolds are successful afloat bloom. People successful agrarian India turn marigolds successful their compounds. In this precise column, we person written astir Marigolds and the “Deepwaali Bahaar” during Diwali, with farmers increasing and harvesting marigolds astir this time. City dwellers person their potted marigolds, and nurseries and florists abound successful marigolds of antithetic colours astir Diwali.

In my clip successful the US, the past marigolds were picked from September to October. Houses bloom successful potted marigolds and chrysanthemums (purple, yellow, white) decorated with agleam orangish pumpkins connected their beforehand porches and extracurricular against the beauteous autumn colors of orange, yellow, brown, and rust-colored leaves. The past of the Zinnias, with caller chrysanthemums, marigolds, sunflowers, and hydrangeas, are harvested, too.

A florist selling marigolds astatine a section farmers marketplace mentioned that marigolds person antithetic meanings astir Halloween. At their shop, I saw garlands of marigolds, with tourists and visitors flocking to bargain them for ornamental, regular location décor.

Marigolds person antithetic meanings astir Halloween. (Photo: Swasti Pachauri)

Caitlin Mathes, proprietor of Marigold Gardens successful Ithaca, said that marigolds are utilized successful Halloween decorations chiefly due to the fact that their agleam orangish colour matches and contrasts with the ascendant classical Halloween colors, orangish and black. She besides said that her Halloween decor with marigolds involves “puns” to align with the amusive constituent of Halloween.

“I marque mari-ghouls floating successful The Nightmare-gold Gardens.”, she said. She besides spoke astir however marigolds, astatine the extremity of October and the opening of November, are highly fashionable successful the US for celebrating Dia de los Muertos and Diwali. “To me, these are the large holidays erstwhile radical question marigolds. I bash merchantability marigolds for different Indian festivals, similar Ganesh Chaturthi, oregon weddings,” she said.

Seasonal harvest: Rice kheer and pumpkin pies

Diwali, celebrated arsenic a harvest festival, honours cultivation abundance with rice-based sweets specified arsenic kheer and laddoos. Similarly, Halloween’s month-long festivities item seasonal produce, with pumpkin farms drafting visitors for autumn-themed treats similar pies and apple cider. Both festivals bespeak a solemnisation of nature’s bounty and creativity done rangolis and DIY pumpkin decor.

Mitti ke diye and Jack-o’-Lanterns

Diwali’s earthen lamps, oregon mitti ke diye, are iconic, symbolising airy and protection. Halloween’s jack-o’-lanterns service a akin intent with candles lit wrong carved pumpkins. The contented of warding disconnected evil spirits done these symbols parallels India’s “Nazarbattu,” a talisman meant to deflect antagonistic energy.

Laddoo and imarti-shaped candles. (Photo: Swasti Pachauri)

Mithais and treats

Diwali delights see laddoos, kaju katli, and gulab jamuns, portion Halloween offers children candies, muffins, and chocolates during Trick-or-Treat. This parallel successful sweets and visiting homes tin beryllium likened to Kanjak during Navratri, wherever children person sweets and gifts.

Towards eco-conscious celebrations

Eco-consciousness is shaping festival practices worldwide. In India, an eco-friendly Diwali with reduced firecracker usage is encouraged to little pollution. Likewise, the West has taken steps to trim Halloween waste, focusing connected sustainable packaging for candies and minimizing pumpkin disposal.

Both festivals spot monolithic hyper-consumerism. Experts besides reason that the past 4th of each twelvemonth sees tremendous vacation spending, with galore opportunities for brands to maximize their profits.

The satellite is 1 planetary colony with taste fluidity, moving from conscionable a melting cookware of cultures to retaining idiosyncratic identities of antithetic cultures portion coexisting. And so, the confluence of festivals and hashtags similar #Diwaloween makes the satellite much inclusive and respectful.