Bhoot chaturdashi or Indian Halloween

a cold, chilly autumn night
with a touch of chill, mist
in the hearts and in the air
little kids wide-eyed with fear.

“Eat fourteen different vegetable,
in the lunch and dinner don’t complain
Every naughty spirit they will disable,
Those are visiting tonight earth’s plain.”

Mommy said in a voice calm, serene
when she handed them their plate
stuffed with all sort of green
absolutely repulsive to their palate.

“Light fourteen pradeeps at doors,
right when the dusk turns to night
with those burning flames at doors
all naughty spirits will take a flight.”

Those childhood days are gone for sure
tiptoed out of life’s back door
yet their sweet memories linger
every year at memory’s front door.

We Bengalis celebrate our Halloween on the eve before Kalipuja (Dipawali).

Which will fall on fourth November this year. Mother Goddess Kali is the warrior goddess, and Black Magicians worship her to get magical powers, they worship her in Burning Ghats and ghosts are an inseparable part of cemetery and Burning Ghats. This concept of Bhut Chaturdashi must have come from there.

We used to stuff ourselves with fourteen types of vegetables this day. What a happy day for moms. In the evening we used to light fourteen pradeeps and place them at doors.

No trick or treat. I think mommies happy day would be the more appropriate term for this occasion.

Sharmishtha Basu
31.10.10