'Halloween or Navratri?': Internet divided over viral video of 2 dancers doing garba in 'The Nun' costumes

For people in the West, Halloween is just around the corner. Meanwhile, in India, people are busy celebrating Navratri and Durga Puja. The festival is celebrated on a grand scale in the country with several visually-pleasing garba nights and elaborate pandals. However, a video that has taken the internet by storm, showed two dancers mixing the two occasions. They were seen doing garba while cosplaying as ‘Valak’ from the horror movie “The Nun”.

In the now-viral video that has been shared by numerous people especially on X (formerly Twitter), the two dancers were seen dressed in “The Nun” costumes while busy doing garba during Navratri festivities. They danced with several other people who were dressed in traditional attire. While doing the Gujarati dance in the unusual outfit, they also caught the attention of the masses, some of whom were seen recording their antics.

The video swiftly garnered traction online and prompted a plethora of reactions from social media users. While some were amused by their act, others were quite offended and slammed them for ruining tradition.

“Exploring the intersectionality between Garba and Halloween,” a user wrote.

Another user commented, “This is terrible I have no words. Just what sort of nonsense is this?? Garba is religious ceremony done to honour the Goddess Maa Durga. As such doing something like this is blasphemy! Don't play with our religion! Maa Durga is full of life, this is horrible!”