Trick or Treat - Anyone?

Whenever I feel I may not be brave, I think of that night that comes once every year. The night when I bravely stand them.  I am talking of the night when my house is visited by the strangest creatures. The ghost and the goblins, the ninjas, the wizards and witches, the zombies and the fairy princesses holding hands with each other (yes the fairy princess and the zombie holding hands) as if it is all normal. I face them not only with no fear, but a hint of smile, welcome them to the threshold of my house, and comment on their cuteness in spite of the ferocity of their looks. It always ends with me offering something more precious (to them) then my soul (even to those vampires), a bowl full of chocolates.

Trick or Treat they yell. Though I want to see the tricks these mini ghosts are capable of performing, but the look on their faces make me offer the sweet treats I am holding and they are always so kind to spare my soul intact and even thank me for the chocolate. Secretly I am tempted to play a few tricks of my own on them, but the look on those painted faces (when getting the candy) is so precious that I have to suppress that urge. (The thought how other parents may treat me next morning at the school bus stop is a strong reason as well)

Halloween Night, the night to disguise and the night to trick or treat. The night to invoke in you whatever you fancy.

Halloween, a festival I didn’t even know exited, while growing up in India. But we had our fair share of trick or treating as kids on Lohri (a festival celebrated in most of north India in January). We will go our version of trick or treating in the day collecting goodies from the homes in the neighborhood, and have songs ready for those kind generous neighbors who treat you well. And some not so friendly songs full of satire for those who don’t want to share with little kids dressed as peasants. Sunder –mundariye HO!…tera kaun vichara HO!…. The song went on with claps and foot thumping with someone starting to dance at the tune and others joining. The cold winter day filled with warmth of fun and festivity. And then the collection from the day taken to the center of community for a huge bonfire, the woods to burn and the peanuts and the rewri (a hard candy made with molasses and sesame seeds) to be offered to fire before savoring the taste. Also the dressed up “Emperor Deer” Dance a specialty of a small city of Udhampur (and neighboring villages) in J&K, the state where I spent all my school years.

I miss those moments and those days, but Halloween brings it all back, changed to a new format. “Sunder Mundriye” is “Trick or Treat” now. Emperor Deer and his followers (mostly antelopes, with occasional other animals) morphed into more creative beings. But the spirit is same. The feel is same. The festivity is same. The fun is same. The thread is same that runs through the beads making the beautiful necklace. The Necklace that connects us all through the countries and continents.

Trick or Treat was a few weeks ago, Sunder Mundariye is a few weeks away and I am sitting in the middle, contemplating how my childhood is woven with the childhood of my kids, though in different times, different nations, following different traditions, celebrating different festivals still feeling the same.

The hand that runs the thread through the beads, smiles from heaven and asserts, “This is my Trick and this also is your Treat.”