Saudi Arabia celebrates once-banned 'Halloween' with fervour; see pics

Saudi Arabia on Sunday celebrated the festival of Halloween with revelers donning scary costumes as they flocked to the event held in the capital city of Riyadh. The event was dubbed as the "Scary Weekend" and took place on Thursday and Friday on Riyadh's Boulevard as part of the ongoing Riyadh Season, according to local reports and the images that circulated on social media.

The Saudi Arabians surprised the world, attracting flak from the conservative communities, as they celebrated with much fervour the once-banned festival, Halloween. In 2018, Saudi police reportedly raided a Halloween party and arrested dozens of people who were dressed in spooky attires, as well as ordered women dressed up in "strange clothes" to “cover themselves”. Many now believe that times have changed. 

Several images circulating on Twitter now show Saudi Arabians going to the Riyadh Season being hosted in the Saudi capital celebrating the once-irked and controversial festival. The ‘Scary Weekend’ event that took place on Thursday and Friday became meme fodder online as images of Saudi Arabians in ghostly ensembles sparked curiosity, controversy, and laughter.

Visitors who showed up dressed in Halloween costumes given 'free entry' to event

The Boulevard was transformed into a venue-wide costume party, and the visitors who showed up dressed in Halloween costumes were given free entry to the event. The night was themed to showcasing terrifying disguises, and scary characters, and parading the creative but spooky designs and props.  The event also turned into an exciting one with fun, thrills, and excitement as people, who rarely celebrated Halloween, discussed the stories behind the scary dress-ups. 

“It’s a great celebration, honestly, and there’s a spirit of joy… in terms of haram or halal, I don’t know about it. We celebrate it just for the fun of it and nothing else. We don’t believe in anything,” a Saudi Arabian named Abdulrahman, who showcased a costume of the North American mythological creature Wendigo, told Arab news. 

A Saudi Arabian Khaled Alharbi, who was also spotted dressed in a terrifying Halloween costume, assured the reporters at the event that he was dressed up for fun. “Actions are based on intentions. I’m just here to have fun," he said, donning his spooky attire as he stood alongside his friends, dressed as a bloodied doctor, nurse, and consultant. He also had a two-year-old family member with him who was dressed as a witch and was seen casting spells on the event visitors.