People dressed in costumes to celebrate Halloween during “Scary Weekend Event” at Boulevard, during Riyadh Season in Riyadh, October 28, 2022.
Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) celebrated the festival of Halloween alongside activities of the Riyadh Season 2022 between Thursday to Saturday, October 27 to 29.
Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority had planned the first and largest public celebration of Halloween ever, as it opened the spooky weekend with people wearing terrifying costumes, walking down Riyadh Boulevard, two days before the Americans’ Halloween celebrations.
The head of the General Authority for Entertainment, Advisor to the Saudi Royal Court, Turki Al-Sheikh, said through his Facebook account that “the atmosphere in the weekend is terrifying.”
Here are some of the tweets about Halloween celebrations in Saudi Arabia
هو انا الوحيده لي شايفه صور حلوين اوي 😍وحاسه انه رد فعل الناس اوفر ايه مشكله لما السعوديه تحتفل ب الهالوين يعني 🙄
مش شايفه عري ولا اصنام يعني ايه لاوفر ده #هالوين_الرياض pic.twitter.com/IsKdTldB3i
— مۭــٰٱ̍ڕڪــﯣۥ ּا̍ڸــڝــڠــﯧْۧــڕہ (@Unique_Y24) October 29, 2022
#Halloween2022 #halloweensaudiarabia
Shame on Aal e Saud pic.twitter.com/2FSfjbpYBc— Syed Hassan Reza (@shahryar530) October 31, 2022
أمريكي أسلم قبل 3 عقود: "سبحان الله، هذا المشهد يحصل في الرياض، عندما يشاهده إنسان مثلي تحول للإسلام منذ 31 عام، تركت خلفي كل تلك الأعياد الوثنية، يحزنني أن أرى إنسان وُلِد على الإسلام يحتفل بالوثنيات التي تركتها".#موسم_الرياض #هالوين_الرياض #السعودية #رؤية_2030 pic.twitter.com/7SO0CiGhoy
— أخبار العالم الإسلامي (@muslim2day) October 31, 2022
The manifestations of the Halloween celebration on the streets of Riyadh indicate the change taking place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which used to arrest anyone who thought of reviving this “Western occasion”.
It is reported that in 2018, Saudi police raided a Halloween party and arrested people, and ordered women who were dressed in strange clothes to “cover themselves”.
Public Halloween celebrations began in the Saudi capital for the first time in 2021.
Halloween celebrations in Saudi Arabia, caused widespread controversy on social networking sites after pictures and videos of people dressed in costumes for Halloween surfaced.
The “#Weekend_horror” and “costume of evil” topped Twitter with lightning speed.
Halloween has once again ignited controversy over what is halal or haram to join the West in celebrating non-Islamic events. Some have said that Saudi Arabia is following the latest trends and that it is harmful to enjoy Halloween or any other celebration.
People opined that a country that doesn’t allow Mawlid Nabiyy (Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday) celebrates Halloween on the roads, definitely requires a course correction. Similar criticism is being issued by Muslims around the world.
Halloween in Riyadh (Najd), Saudi Arabia
Beloved Prophet ﷺ had already said about Najd: “There will appear earthquakes and Fitnahs, and from there will come out the side of the head of Shaytan.” pic.twitter.com/4dv4xbNWgY— Serotonin (@Nomanbinjameel) October 29, 2022
Halloween celebration in Saudi Arabia.
Astagfirullah.💔🥺🤌🏽
May Allah save us from trapp of Da*jjal Ameen! pic.twitter.com/hd0eSDU8tV— Cool_Ustaaz ❁ (@Cool_Ustaz) October 30, 2022
#ليان_عبدالله
من متى احنا كمسلمين وأساس الإسلام ومنبعه سار عندنا #هالوين_الرياض؟!أسألكم بالله فيه احد محترم بيروح هالأماكن؟
قسم م يروح لها إلا واحد من،حط لا من عاداتنا ولا في عقيدتنا هالمسخره واللي حضرو هذا مكانكم الطبيعي ألقمي وانتي ساكته محترمه؟ قسم م تطبين هالمكان انتهى .. pic.twitter.com/9AaJOiqD1g— كادي بنت العسيري (@KADSOma9) October 29, 2022
Halloween is a holiday in America on October 31, 2022, when people celebrate by wearing costumes that mimic the heroes of horror films and superheroes.
The occasion is associated with the wearing of scary masks and clothes, and beings such as ghosts, witches, vampires, skeletons and black cats.
According to New York Times, the ‘frightening manifestations’ of the transformation that have taken place in the kingdom since the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, now heir to the throne and prime minister, began to rise to power in 2015 and began to get rid of social restrictions.
Prince Mohammed has also launched a campaign to develop entertainment options as a new economic sector away from oil.
Cinemas opened for the first time in decades, and a series of government-sponsored celebrations dominated the kingdom, most notably the Riyadh Season, an event that extends for months.
Besides the music festivals and sporting events that have begun to take place across the kingdom in recent years, Saudi Arabia is also promoting new attractions such as Al-Ula, an emerging arts centre in the north of the country.
It is also building a Walt Disney-style theme park called Qiddiya, and luxury Maldives-style resorts along the Red Sea, at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars.
Source: Siasat.com
