‘Stranger Things’ takes over in Karnataka: Even the ‘old man’ gets a makeover viral news

Last updated:06 January, 2026, 16:22 IST

Smoke machines dispersed fog into the crowd. The series’ sound effects echoed throughout the night, turning the familiar streets into something that felt like the “Upside Down.”

On New Year’s Eve in Belagavi, the air usually smells of fireworks, sweets and anticipation. But this year as the clock ticked toward midnight, something else caught the city’s attention – a familiar tradition taking on an entirely new face. Burning the effigy of the “Old Man”, a ritual that marks the end of the year for generations, has a direct resonance with global pop culture, due to the influence of the Netflix series Stranger Things.

In the camp area and in several neighborhoods across the city, young artists and organizers decided to reimagine the ritual. Instead of the usual old man image symbolizing the troubles of the past year, many groups chose a darker, more dramatic incarnation.

stranger things galore

From Vecna ​​to the shadowy Mind Flayer, Stranger Things’ monsters became the new symbols of everything people wanted to leave behind as they moved into 2026.

For decades, the “Old Man” tradition has been a simple yet powerful ritual in Belagavi. On the night of 31 December, communities come together to make large effigies, often made of bamboo, cloth and paper.

At midnight, these structures are set on fire, symbolizing the burning away of bitterness, loss and regrets of the past year. It’s both a farewell and a new beginning, wrapped up in one dramatic moment. This year that moment became cinematic.

mannequins with life

The mannequins were no longer just static figures on many of the roads in the camp area. They became full installations inspired by the terrifying world of Stranger Things. Red and black light cast long shadows.

Smoke machines dispersed fog into the crowd. The series’ sound effects echoed throughout the night, turning the familiar streets into something that felt like the “Upside Down.” When the effigies were finally burned, the flames didn’t just incinerate paper and wood – they also consumed monsters from a fictional world that came to represent real-life conflicts.

The creativity behind these displays was not accidental. Artists and local youth groups spent several weeks planning how to merge a Western pop-culture phenomenon with a deeply rooted local custom. For many of them, the challenge was to respect tradition while speaking the visual language of a new generation raised on streaming platforms and social media.

The result was a celebration that felt both old and new at the same time.

The Stranger Things-themed statues quickly became a crowd-puller. People from nearby villages reached Belagavi to see this spectacle. Smartphones were everywhere, capturing video of the glowing red sky, demonic figures and cheering crowds. For many visitors, it was not just a New Year’s ritual – it was a once-a-year cultural event that mixed folklore with fanfare.

Yet beneath the lights and special effects, the meaning of the ritual remained unchanged. In Belagavi, the “Old Man” has always stood for the burden of the past year. This time, the monsters from Stranger Things take that role. Vecna ​​and the Mind Flayer became metaphors for the difficulties of 2025 – from personal struggles to broader societal concerns. Burning them at midnight was a way of saying goodbye to fear and despair and welcoming hope for the coming year.

Culture meets the Netflix craze

What makes this shift particularly impressive is what it says about cultural change in small towns. Belagavi may be a tier-II city, but its celebrations show how deeply global digital culture is now seeping into local life. A tradition that was once shaped only by the folk imagination is now being redesigned through Netflix visuals, LED lights and cinematic soundtracks.

And yet, it doesn’t seem like the tradition is being changed. It feels like it’s being rewritten.

The elders watching the performance smiled seeing the enthusiasm of the young crowd. Children excitedly pointed to monsters they recognized from their screens. The teenagers discuss which character best symbolizes the “bad year”. In that mix of generations, one thing became clear – rituals survive not by remaining frozen, but by evolving.

As the last flames subsided and people wished each other a happy New Year, the roads of Belagavi returned to normal. But the memories of that night remain fresh – of a city that decided to welcome 2026 by burning not only an old man, but also a pop-culture monster.

In doing so, Belagavi proved that even the most entrenched traditions can find new life in unexpected places – sometimes in the shadow of a television show’s monster, glowing red in the midnight sky.