Does Halloween make you think of scary witches and creepy ghosts? We don’t really celebrate Halloween in our country, although it has recently become more popular among the trendy families to let their kids go ‘trick or treating’. The kids love it as it gives them an opportunity to dress up.
Halloween is on the night of 31 October, the eve of All Saints' Day. It refers to the Celtic festival Samhain. The Celts celebrated this day because it was when those who looked after animals moved them into appropriate shelter to prepare for the long and cold winter ahead. Samhain also means ‘end of summer’ and the harvesting of crops also happened around this time. As you can imagine, there was much superstition connected with this time of change, including the belief in fairies and that the spirits of the dead wandered around looking for bodies to inhabit. As the living were terrified by being possessed by spirits, they dressed up in costumes and paraded around the streets …show more content…
It is believed that the first Halloween costumes were worn 1,000 years ago, but other than some manufacturing and a few Hollywood characters as inspiration, our costumes really haven't changed all that much. Halloween and the tradition of dressing up for the holiday took off during the Victorian era as new discoveries encouraged people to find a connection with the simpler times of ancient folklore and become more connected to nature. This inspired many Halloween costumes at that time. Masquerade parties were very popular in the early 20th century, and many private social clubs held the parties for their members as Halloween was the first holiday after people returned from their summer homes. At this time, Halloween costumes also reflected people's interest in other cultures and the exotic, such as the popular Egyptian-inspired costumes. Halloween costumes were solely homemade at this point,
Halloween is on the night of 31 October, the eve of All Saints' Day. It refers to the Celtic festival Samhain. The Celts celebrated this day because it was when those who looked after animals moved them into appropriate shelter to prepare for the long and cold winter ahead. Samhain also means ‘end of summer’ and the harvesting of crops also happened around this time. As you can imagine, there was much superstition connected with this time of change, including the belief in fairies and that the spirits of the dead wandered around looking for bodies to inhabit. As the living were terrified by being possessed by spirits, they dressed up in costumes and paraded around the streets …show more content…
It is believed that the first Halloween costumes were worn 1,000 years ago, but other than some manufacturing and a few Hollywood characters as inspiration, our costumes really haven't changed all that much. Halloween and the tradition of dressing up for the holiday took off during the Victorian era as new discoveries encouraged people to find a connection with the simpler times of ancient folklore and become more connected to nature. This inspired many Halloween costumes at that time. Masquerade parties were very popular in the early 20th century, and many private social clubs held the parties for their members as Halloween was the first holiday after people returned from their summer homes. At this time, Halloween costumes also reflected people's interest in other cultures and the exotic, such as the popular Egyptian-inspired costumes. Halloween costumes were solely homemade at this point,