Fright Replaced By Fun: How Halloween Costumes Evolved
Author: Sofija Apansiewicz
What is all the fun about?
The first Halloween costume appeared more than 2000 years ago as a costume for a ritual known as the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated from the evening of October 31st to November 1st. People were convinced that at this time the boundary between the world of the living and the dead was blurred, which allowed mythical creatures and spirits to transfer into our world. Their presence could be felt through the trembling of the body and some “tricks” such as stealing things or being kidnapped by fairies. Some believed that the spirits were actually gods. That’s why they offered candy and other treats, while others wore disguises made from animal skins and heads to look like them and to avoid getting any harm from the unknown spirits. So, as you can see, wearing a costume on the night of October 31st hasn’t always been just about funny dress-ups and collecting sweets. It has been evolving for a long time from a survival necessity to what it is nowadays.
But how did the change happen?
In the 8th century CE the Roman Catholic Church moved All Saints’ Day from May 13th to November 1st. The evening and hours that followed after became a hallowed (or holy) eve, from which the word “Halloween” originated. Towards the end of the Middle Ages people started to pick up “souling”, which was the archetype of the present-day “Trick-or-treating”. On the night of October 31st, people (mostly children) would put on their costumes, go door-to-door and offer to pray for the residents’ deceased loved ones in exchange for money or food. As time passed, people started to pray not only for the dead but also for the fertility of marriages and other things, so the dress-ups changed from ragged beggar’s clothes to unusual costumes such as, for example, virgins. As the first wave of Irish and Scottish immigrants began arriving in the US in the 18th century,
What about now?
Nowadays, seeing someone wearing an ACTUAL scary costume is really rare. Costumes are not used for protection anymore, but rather for self-expression and showing uncommon creativity of today’s youth. Someone might buy a cosplay costume of their favourite character from a game or a movie to show their interests, while other people will spend days making a new piece of clothing just for one night. As we can see now, the name of the holiday isn’t the only thing that has changed about Halloween.Both the costumes and the cultural meaning of wearing them have changed entirely over time.
Page design: Amelia Puchalska
Bibliography
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https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/history-of-halloween-costumes
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