Pumpkins, black cats, skeletons, white ghosts are all part of the latest Google doodle which marks the festival of Halloween.
When you first see the doodle, it shows a haunted mansion with the number 13 and a white skeleton hanging near the door. And you might think that the arrangement of the pumpkins is such that it forms an abstract doodle. But don't be deceived. The doodle is rather interactive and you have to play around to discover the spooky elements.
Opening each one of the doors reveals a scary creature. The blue one-eyed Octopus forms the 'G', two googling eyes form the 'Os', a white ghost is the other 'G', the hanging skeleton is the 'L' and the 'E' is represented by an evil smile. The doodle is accompanied by spooky sounds throughout.
There are also few other interesting tidbits added to make this doodle more lively. There is a black crow on the top of the mansion that crows when clicked. On clicking the dustbin placed in front of the mansion, one can see a black cat peep out and meow. There is also a spider, which acts as a toggle switch for the lights inside jack-o'-lanterns placed in front of the mansion.
Halloween or 'All Hallows Eve' is celebrated in many countries on October 31. The festival is thought to have been influenced by All Saints' Day marked as November 1 and All Souls Day falling on November 2. Halloween came to America only during the 19th century after the mass Scottish and Irish immigration.
Though pumpkins are considered to be synonymous with Halloween, traditionally people in living in Ireland and Scotland used to engrave Turnips. Immigrants to America started to use pumpkins as they were bigger, softer and thus easier to crave than turnips.
As pumpkins continue to be great favourite when it comes to Halloween decorations, it is apples that are most savoured. This festival comes at the time of the yearly apple harvest, so plenty of apple dishes make it to Halloween party menu with candy/ toffee apple and caramel apple being the most popular ones.
Some of the common halloween activities include trick or treating by children dressed in their favourite costumes, costume parties, pumpkin carving contests and even playing pranks. Keeping up with the spooky theme, people usually dress up as supernatural figures such as vampires, monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, or devils. Have you picked out your Halloween costume yet?
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