Halloween is pretty much ignored in the UAE. Makes sense. Only about 1-2 percent of the 8 million people here are Westerners. Emiratis, Indians, Pakistanis. Bangladeshis, Indonesians … October 31 is a non-event.

I, however, was caught up in the spirit of the “Hallowed Eve” … so I spent the whole day wearing the same outfit I modeled last year and in 2009.

I dressed up as an American.

No, no flag lapel pin or New York Yankees ball cap. Don’t have to be that specific to convey the U-S-of-A look.

I did the informal look, as opposed to the coat and tie. I went for blue jeans, white tennis shoes and a mostly white long-sleeved, button-down shirt.

That sounds like no costume at all, you say?

Over here, it is.

Most of the people on the street in Abu Dhabi are most certainly not wearing American/Western clothes. The Emiratis are almost entirely in kandouras (men) and abayas (women). Many of the other Arabs are in some form of their own national dress. The Indians often wear kurta pyjamas and saris. The Pakistanis tend to be in the shalwar kameez.

Somebody wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes and a long-sleeved shirt … sticks out in the crowd here. Not as much as, say, a guy in a gorilla suit would. But it’s certainly not what everyone else is wearing.

Thus, it is a costume, and it works for Halloween.

Of course, it was no particular effort for me. Variations on that is all I’ve got in my closet.

In theory, then, every day of the year is Halloween, for me. In terms of dressing up in what appears to be an odd, distinctive and uncomfortable outfit.

Didn’t ask anyone for candy, though.