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Halloween costume

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College students dressed up for Halloween.
Traditional Irish Halloween mask (a "rhymer" or a "vizor") from the early 20th century on display at the Museum of Country Life.
Children dressed up in Halloween costumes.
Traditional Halloween costumes of a witch and a skeleton's head
The TV series Batman was so popular, a fabric company issued patterns for children's costumes in 1966.

Halloween costumes are outfits worn on or around October 31, the day of Halloween. Halloween is a modern-day holiday originating in the Celtic pagan holiday of Samhain (in Christian times, the eve of All Saints Day). Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to copy the evil spirits or placate them.[1][2]

Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in the US in the early 1900s, as often for adults as for children. The first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in stores in the 1930s when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in 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. Costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils, or in more recent years such science fiction-inspired characters as aliens and superheroes. There are also costumes of pop culture figures like presidents, athletes, celebrities, 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 sexy or revealing costumes, showing off more skin than would be socially acceptable otherwise.

Halloween costume parties generally fall on, or around, 31 October, often falling on the Friday or Saturday prior to Halloween.

The most popular Halloween costumes for both kids and adults in 2009 were[3][4][5][6]:

See also

References

  1. ^ Campbell, John Gregorson (1900, 1902, 2005) The Gaelic Otherworld. Edited by Ronald Black. Birlinn Ltd. ISBN 1-84158-207-7 pp.559-62
  2. ^ Arnold, Bettina (2001-10-31). "Bettina Arnold – Halloween Lecture: Halloween Customs in the Celtic World". Halloween Inaugural Celebration. University of Wisconsin: Center for Celtic Studies. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  3. ^ http://www.woai.com/mostpopular/story/Ten-most-popular-Halloween-costumes/4k4HCVFp2kyv3pRfQCePow.cspx
  4. ^ http://www.abc15.com/content/living/holidays/story/Swine-flu-very-popular-in-the-Valley-for-Halloween/CAP4tU9olkGEGOABE50nwg.cspx
  5. ^ http://www.suffolknewsherald.com/news/2009/oct/21/jackson-swine-flu-top-costume-lists/
  6. ^ http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_13622647?source=most_viewed
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Halloween costumes.

Further reading

  • Phyllis Galembo, Dressed for Thrills: 100 Years of Halloween Costumes and Masquerade, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (2002). 128 pages. ISBN 0-8109-3291-1


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