As another fall holiday season fast approaches, we look forward to the big Thanksgiving dinner and opening of gifts Christmas morning. But prior to those festive activities come the candy-eating, pumpkin-carving, and cavity-filled holiday of Halloween. What would Halloween be without the costumes?
Wearing costumes for Halloween is a tradition in which few participants know the origin. About 2,000 years ago, the Celts who lived in what we know as Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on Nov. 1. This day was the end of summer and the beginning of winter—the time of year they commonly associated with death. Celts believed that the worlds of the dead and the living were open to each other on the night before the New Year.
On the night of Oct. 31, they believed ghost of the dead returned to Earth, and celebrated Samhain. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
When immigrants arrived in America around the year 1846, they brought with them the Irish and English tradition and helped popularize it. Americans dressed up in costumes that were usually scary and went house to house asking for food or money--tradition we now refer to as trick-or-treat.
In the beginning, most costumes worn were goblins, monsters or witches. But as time has moved forward, it is now more common for people to dress up as people in the community, like fire fighters, police or nurses, or a lot of times people in the media.
Although you'll always see Draculas and Frankensteins as costumes, this year there are a lot of new things to portray. Star Trek is one of the hotter costumes this ‘09 season. This has a lot to do with the success of JJ Abrams' "Star Trek," which was released in May. Other costumes predicted to be seen are Transformers, characters from Saw VI, and even President Obama.
Could 2009 be a Halloween without another Michael Jackson tribute? According to Michael Jackson costumes are going to be big this Halloween. Jackson's album "Thriller," is the bestselling album of all time, with 45 million worldwide sales powered by seven Top 10 U.S. singles and eight Grammy Awards. By using the song as well as the historic music video for ideas, it can be a great way to pay tribute and also a way to create an amazing costume.
Purchasing costumes for adults can be expensive, but there are ways to be creative. Using things around the house and putting together old clothes and a bit of make up can go a long way. Being creative with your costume can pay off and save you money. t&c;
