Hotels in Abu Dhabi all set to celebrate Halloween in big way

Preferring to treat rather than be tricked, the Royal Meridien is giving away prizes for the best and the worst Halloween costumes as well as the best and worst karaoke singers.

The prizes for both winners and losers are vouchers for the hotel’s outlets. The venue for the party is PJ O’Reilly pub, from 8pm onwards. Similar celebrations will also take place at Hilton Hotel. According to Halloween party organisers here, those who’d dress up really horribly will be awarded. At Hemingway café-bar, where the party will take place, there will also be a special set menu for the night. The celebrations here will start from 7pm.

Sheraton Hotel is organising Halloween parties at two of their outlets this autumn. A dance competition and a prize for the best costume will be the main attractions at Zenith, while at the Tavern Pub, there will be live entertainment from Syzygy band. Both the night club and the pub will be “horribly” decorated, with staff members lurking in the corners in spooky costumes and scary make-up.

Although no person below 18 years will be allowed at any of these hotel parties, the tradition of Halloween is mostly celebrated by children dressing up in other-worldly costumes and going door-to-door to collect sweets.

Halloween is a shortened term for All-Hallow-Eve, which is the night before the All Hallow’s Day, originally a pagan celebration, which later on was incorporated in Christianity by Pope Gregory III.

Known as a US holiday, Halloween actually originated among the Celts in France and the British Isles.

In the 19^th century, when they started to immigrate to America, the British brought with them versions of the Halloween traditions. Jack-o’-lantern, the holiday’s most famous symbol, which is a pumpkin carved into a scary or comical face with a lighted candle inside, is also associated with the North American celebrations, since the pumpkin originates from the New Continent.