By Carved pumpkins, dark evenings, and horror movies — it’s officially Halloween!
For many people, Halloween is just another excuse to dress up and have a good time but for others, it’s avoided at all costs for religious reasons.
Inspired by the ancient Celtic festival ‘Samhain’, Halloween dates back 2,000 years ago. The Celts mostly lived across Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern France where they lit bonfires and dressed up in costumes to ward off ghosts.
The Irish brought the wonderful Halloween traditions with them when migrating to the United States back in the 1800s. And today it’s widely celebrated in the US and in the West.
We spoke to some Muslim girls and here’s what they have to say.
Halloween costumes
“Halloween makeup is very cool, especially now with TikTok and all the talented makeup artists who transform themselves into any character they like.” Zenab Ahmed, a medical student from London, UK, says.
“It’s the best time for creative people to go out and express themselves and just explore their wildest ideas because I feel like Halloween gives you that liberty.”
Although she’s the life of the party, Zenab says she doesn’t have any FOMO when it comes to Halloween — the festival itself is just a bit too mainstream and frivolous for her. She’d love to dress up as a character one day though.
Halloween makeup
Muna Jama, social media influencer and makeup artist from Cardiff, Wales says: “I get my inspiration basically from everything and my surroundings, including other social media platforms like Pinterest.”
“My obsession over the horror genre, its stories and films, plays a big factor when it comes to my Halloween makeup looks.”
Muna has been doing makeup since 2017 and comes from an artistic background: “What also inspires me is all the creative makeup artists who show their makeup looks and skills…I wanted to be a part of that world, too.”
an Autumn festivity
Miriam Alkhayat, a research psychologist in London, UK, says she’s going to be spending Halloween in Turkey, and she might grab a Krispy Kreme pumpkin doughnut while she’s there.
“As a Muslim, it’s seen as a sin to be celebrating Halloween because its origin is related to evil spirits and satanic worship,” says Miriam, who doesn’t agree with the origins of the festival.
“However, its current status in modern-day society has nothing to do with its roots, and I personally just relate Halloween with the autumn season and find it fun to buy items such as pumpkin-scented candles, or making soup out of the remains of my carved pumpkin.
“Celebrating Halloween doesn’t pull me away from my religion and neither does it affect my connection with God. It’s all about your intentions at the end of the day.”
Some Muslim girls grew up celebrating Halloween and some didn’t.
Whether it’s being creative or feeling a sense of community, everyone has learned to make the best of it.