Halloween Costume Finder Ideas

The History of Halloween and Halloween Costumes

There are different accounts for the origin of Halloween. Today, Halloween is a chance for kids and adults alike to dress up in interesting costumes and go trick or treating. History.com tells us that the origins of Halloween date back 2000 years ago to the Celts who lived in modern day Ireland, Britian and northern France. The Celts had a festival called Samhain which they celebrated on October 31st, the day before they celebrated the new year, November 1st.

The Celts believed that on the evening before the new year, the realm of the living and the dead became blurred. Samhain was celebrated as a symbolic event when the Celts believed that ghosts of the dead returned to earth. During the celebration the Celts wore costumes, and like the druids of the time, tried to predict each others future.

Fast forward 800 years and the witness the spread of Christianity. Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st as All Saints day, a day to commemorate the lives of saints. The holiday or celebration was also referred to as All-hallows or All-Hallowmas. The night before All-Hallowmas became know as All-hallows Eve, and eventually know as Halloween. Even during these times, people would celebrate the dead by wearing costumes.

Trick our treating, originally know as "souling began in the 9th century. During that time, and more appropriately on November 2nd, All Souls Day, beggars would go from house to house begging for "soul cakes". The more soul cakes the received the more prayers they would promise for the dead relatives of the donors.

Halloween Costumes: according to Wikipedia

Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in America in the early 1900s, as often for adults as for children. The first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in stores in the 1950s when trick-or-treating became a fixture throughout the United States.

What sets Halloween costumes apart from costumes for other celebrations or days of dressing up is that they are often designed to imitate supernatural and scary beings. Popular monsters of legend or fiction are regular themes for Halloween costumes, as are pop culture figures like presidents, or film, television, and cartoon characters. Another popular trend is for women (and in some cases, men) to use Halloween as an excuse to wear particularly revealing costumes, showing off more skin than would be socially acceptable otherwise.