Happy Halloween!

Since coming to India we have been immersed in many Hindu holidays and celebrations each more elaborate and colorful than the next. As October rolled around, we decided it was our turn to introduce the neighborhood children to the greatest of American folk traditions – Halloween! Pat's father graciously sent us a box of party decorations, balloons and face paint, which arrived just in the nick of time! A few weeks before we made piñatas with the children which we then stuffed full of candy, pens and toys. We found pumpkins for carving - which was a huge hit - and apples for dipping in carmel.

I then agonized over what sort of costumes to make for the boys, since supplies were limited and I knew the other children would have simple costumes, if any. In a flash of inspiration I decided at the last minute that Evan could be a stoplight - since I had balloons and little else, and Evan's current favorite game is "Red Light, Green Light. Since Eli is so mobile and probably would have tried to eat anything I could think of putting on him, I transformed a box into a wrapped gift. Eli was delighted to sit in his box and play, and I was happy because it also kept him out of trouble. All in all I was pleased with my last minute ideas.

As the children arrived we set them to work making spiders for the giant web that Pat made outside. Then we brought out the face paint and the girls went crazy with delight! After much discussion, they all decided to be princesses - but different princesses, of course. While the girls applied their make-up, the boys of the group, who were all a bit older, got a lesson in how to carve pumpkins. Evan was content to paint with watercolors and Eli, happy as always, rode in the carrier. The whole apartment was buzzing with excitement and laughter. Everyone was having a great time, perhaps most especially Pat and me. After a long week of bad weather, poor health and homesickness it was a joy to introduce Halloween to these very special children. They wanted to know what Halloween was, why we celebrated it, and how it was different in the US. We happily shared the traditions of costumes, trick or treating, mischief making and even the once important religious significance of the day. Since festivals are of such paramount importance here in India many insisted on shaking our hand and saying "Happy Halloween" when they arrived. It was as always, very endearing.

After pumpkins had been carved and lit, faces had been painted, and carmel apples eaten it was pinata time! Since there would obviously be no trick or treating, pinatas seemed to be a logical alternative to collecting lots of candy. We strung our homemade pinatas on the roof of Sudha's house and all the children, including Evan, got to take a swing at it. The last "child" also being the oldest at 19, smashed it open to great fanfare and commotion. While the children descended on the fallen booty with screams of delight, Evan stood back innocently concerned, asking "What happened to that balloon?"

I have always loved Halloween - what's not to love about dressing up, free candy and spooky decorations? This year, however, was not only very fun, but also very special. I finally felt like I could teach the children something interesting and fun about American culture, and in return the children reminded me of why my experience in India is so meaningful.