Illegally Easy Halloween Costumes for Kids
Review:
This is a beautiful book and so user-friendly! It was great
to avoid frantically running around from store to store, since
this book has such simple patterns and shortcuts where you don't
even have to sew, as well as last-minute panic solutions. The
100 different costume choices (from well-known bunnies, pirates
and witches to the amusing gingerbread house, octopus, swamp
monster) will last the Halloween life of my kids (and probably
their kids too!), making this book quite the bargain. Making
and creating the costumes was a fun family project and encouraged
everyone's imagination. I like the idea that a portion of the
proceeds of the book go to UNICEF.
Review
I have made the squeleton costume for my 5 years old and it
was a success. It was a great initiation to costume making for
me. It also is easy to understand and do by them selfs for older
kids. It is our favorite bedtime story.
Sam (age 5) and Kate (age 3) have been so excited about this
book "reading" every page over and over and taking it to bed
with them! Kate has memorized the names of each costume and
has been able to ask for and describe a combination of costumes
that she has imagined for herself!
Review
This book is wonderful for inspiring creative imagination and
the costume tips and patterns ARE easy and versatile enough
for you to whip up an original costume with very simple inexpensive
ingredients or with whatever you have in the house even at the
very last minute!
Review
I am very proud of Sam, who after much gleeful "study" of this
book with his sister, decided to make his own costume modifying
one of the ideas in this book - how satisfying for him to march
in his school costume parade wearing an original costume that
started from an idea from this book and made pretty much all
by himself (hey, no sewing, or even glue gun needed for that
one!) I'm sure we will get lots more year round dress-up inspiration
from this truly "Illegally Easy Halloween Costumes for Kids"
book to come... my mind is already brewing up some winter dress-up
Birthday Party ideas!
Review
In Illegally Easy Halloween Costumes For Kids, Halloween costume
designer Leila Peltosaari showcases one hundred easy-to-make
costumes complete with matching treat bags and accessories.
The simple, step-by-step instructions are enhanced with detailed
full-color photos and illustrations. The color-coded, easy patterns
for 3 to 12 year olds are well-organized and feature a wealth
of "no-sew" shortcuts and "last-minute" solutions. Highly recommended
for even the most novice costumer, Illegally Easy Halloween
Costumes For Kids is enhanced further with a history of Halloween,
safety tips, and anecdotal background stories. With designs
ranging from traditional and storybook characters to animals
and clowns, to celestial beings and cultural tributes, most
of the costumes can be assembled without a sewing machine and
in only one evening. Many of the costumes are made form Polarfleece
(a perfect Halloween fabric which is soft and lightweight, slightly
stretchy, warm, versatile, with no hemming or seam finished
needed -- and hotglues like a dream!). Although specifically
targeted for the Halloween holiday, these are delightful outfits
that can well serve for costume parties and school plays at
any time of year!
Illegally Easy Halloween Costumes for Kids is the best I have
seen on this topic. The full color photographs of the costumes,
complete with makeup, are spectacular. The directions are thorough
and easy to follow. Any of these costumes would be a terrific
for Halloween and the ideas could also be used for making costumes
for plays or other productions. At the price of store bought
costumes or patterns, this book is a bargain, as it contains
100 costumes and many additional ideas. You won't be disappointed!
Family Fun Tricks and Treats
Halloween is a time of transformation and not for just humans
who don the face paint and masks!
Reviews
There are a number of Halloween books out on the market for
decorating, baking and costume making, but this is one of the
few that actually has something new in it!
The crafts are clever, but actually
look doable wtih things you might already have on hand. The
costumes ideas are fun and innovative, the food ideas are also
really cute, but not overly-complicated. While some classic
ideas never die, this book puts a nice twist on things like
"body parts" games.
Of course, the ideas come from the
monthly magazine that Disney produces, Family Fun, and if you
get the magazine, you'll have already seen alot of these things
in print or on their website. Still, the book is nicely layed-out,
easy to flip through and a good resource of party and costume
ideas for both kids and their grown-ups.
Review
This book is an awesome resource for make-at-home costumes and
decorations. The ideas are so cute, easy to follow, and where
else can you find a recipe for slime?
Review
This was great! My daughter & I love Halloween and when
we saw this we bought it right away. There are so many wonderful
ideas. A must have! There were a lot of spooky things to do
with foods and great little ideas for those little helpers to
decorate your home with lots of memories! You have to get this
one!
The Halloween Handbook : 447 Costumes
The collaborative effort of Halloween costume experts and enthusiasts
Bridie Clark and Ashley Dodd, The Halloween Handbook: Dress-Up
For Grown-Ups showcases 447 imaginative, easy-to-make, do-it-yourself
costume concepts. From traditional favorites such as Wonder
Woman or Peter Pan, to more eyebrow-raising unique costumes
like the One-Night Stand (the costumegoer appears as an actual
stand with lampshade over the head, bra and pantyhouse dangling
on the tablecloth) or the Green Card (wearing a large green
sandwich board humorously displaying a parody what a real green
card looks like). Black-and-white photographs illustrate fun,
zany, sometimes edgy ideas with practical suggestions to efficiently
and frugally make a Halloween guise to remember. Especially
recommended not only for Halloween, but as a source of ideas
for costume parties year round or even school and community
theater apparel.
Dazzling Disguises and Clever Costumes
Reviews:
This book would be a really great book for kids.
It would be fantastic to use as inspiration for Halloween costumes.
There are some great ideas inside. The instructions seem easy
for children to follow and most of the materials used to make
the costumes are available around the house or at a craft store.
Dressed for Thrills : 100 Years of Halloween Costumes and Masquerade
From Publishers Weekly
From a 1930s waxed, painted buckram "Evil Bunny" and a mohair
and cotton "Colonial Ladies Wig" from the 1940s to "Buddie Beatnik"
and "Rubik's Cube" costumes, this colorful photographic survey
by Galembo, a photographer and SUNY professor of art, shows
vintage costumes worn by (sometimes rather unhappy looking)
young models. Mark Alice Durant, a University of Maryland professor
of Visual Arts, offers the accompanying essay, "Glowing Turnips,
Pointy Black Hats, & Insomniac Aliens: The Hybrid History
of Halloween," showing how we "shape rituals to fit the realities
of the moment." The play versions of Groucho Marx, Olive Oyl,
astronauts and Lady Liberty among the 123 full-color photos
illustrate that principle whimsically and sometimes scarily.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
A whimsical array of ghosts and goblins, spooks and skeletons,
vamps and vampires parade through this unparalleled collection
of more than 100 years of American Halloween attire. From Little
Bo Peep with lamb in hand to beatniks and pirates, from monsters
and witches to clowns and animals, this veritable "carnival"
of costumes visually captures All Hallows' Eve like no other
book before.
In her celebration of Halloween revelry, photographer Phyllis
Galembo never settles for the ordinary; here instead are evocative
scenes of dressed-to-scare young trick-or-treaters "modeling"
their disguises, of undead spirits haunting their surroundings,
and of costumes spanning over a century that take on an eerie
new creepiness thanks to special lighting effects. Accompanying
the costume shots is a history of this always-popular holiday
and an essay placing the work in the wider context of fashion
and costume. Of interest to enthusiasts, designers, and students
alike, this devilishly diverting book is the perfect gift for
all Halloween aficionados.
Review
If you have ANY feel for Halloween, BUY this book! It is THAT
good! It will remind you of your childhood and the magic that
flew through the air on Halloween. HIGHLY reccomended!
Halloween : A Grown-Up's Guide to Creative Costumes,
Devilish Decor & Fabulous Festivities
Reviews
Finally, here's a Halloween book
that's definitely for adults. It's brimming with practical and
inventive ideas for parties, decorations, and costumes, and
with an amazingly atmospheric design that's a luscious treat
for grown-up eyes. Take the dread out of a costume party with
creative and playful ways to dress for success on All Hallow's
Eve; there are even actual costume elements to use, from wings
and tails to masks and hats. You'll find ways to repurpose items
right out of your own closet or benefit from a quick trip to
the thrift shop. Unique make-up tips for a ghoulishly great
appearance will complete the effect. An elegant "Pumpkin Primer"
supplies projects to enhance the holiday spirit, including menacing
hex dolls and simple, spooky candlescapes. Finally, a selection
of theme party ideas, from Day o' the Dead to a Masked Ball,
will make for a Happy Halloween. After all: why should kids
have all the fun?
Review
The bug costumes actually looked pretty good, and so on. I especially
loved the Monet costume, which was of watery blue cloth and
bedecked in water-lilies, with a garden bridge on the hat. Many
of the costumes and decorations are very artistic. Even some
of the no-sew costumes made me say "Oooh, cool!"
Review
The "Mother Nature and Green Man" costume I find hilarious.
Just looking at the picture you'd think they were hippies covered
in vegetation and/or mossy stuff. On the next page there is
an entire page on "Who is The Green Man?" I figure if you have
to go around explaining who the heck you are it takes the fun
out of it after the 500th time. "No...I'm NOT the moss man or
the hippy man covered in vegetation...I am the Green Man (insert
expletives and other cuss words here)...!"
Review
I am a fan of adult Halloween books - nothing cutesy or for
the kiddies. I bought this book thinking it would have equal
amounts of decor and costumes as I am the type of person that
likes Martha Stewart's Halloween decorating ideas. While this
book is very good, it is primarily costumes and masks. I would
have liked to see more decor. The first 108 pages out of 175
pages are costumes. The remaining pages covers jack-o-lanterns,
decorating with candles, a few recipes, etc. Nothing new or
spectacular. Great if you like to craft your own costumes...mediochre
if you want new decor ideas and crafting your own Halloween
items.
Maybe it's because I'm not a seamstress, or even a casual sewer,
but I don't understand the objections of an earlier review.
It's hard to believe we're talking about the same book! Yes,
there is a costume using duct tape, but throughout the book
I found many new, very original and creative ideas that I will
be able to use for my annual Halloween extravaganza. I have
read dozens and dozens of books on Halloween costumes, crafts,
and decorating, and never been quite so inspired. As a Halloween
afficionado, I recommend it highly!
So many times you see these books on line and wonder if they
have enough good ideas to make it worth the purchase price.
In my humble opinion this book at 172 pages, is worth the purchase
price. Great costume ideas including making wonderful fairy
wings using a laminator machine. Horns, hooves, and other accessories
you don't often see are described with nice pictures. One section
is devoted to hats, wigs, and make-up and includes a Medusa
Wig! Pet costumes are also included in this book! The decor
section has some truly original ideas along with the traditional
hex dolls, corn dolly's, and a giant spider. The table top Victorian
graveyard was my favorite! The last section is devoted to theme
parties with a Day of the Dead dinner party and Voodoo cocktail
party. Handy copyright free images are also provided to make
decorations.
Halloween-Costumes and Treats on All Hallows' Eve (Finding
Out About Holidays)
From School Library Journal
Robinson opens with a lengthy history of Halloween and its ghostly
beginnings. The next section explains the different symbols
and traditions. The final chapter relates information about
our modern celebrations, safety issues for children, and costume
and decorating ideas. Full-color, archival photos appear on
almost every page. Directions for making mini-ghosts are included
but not illustrated, which may frustrate children. An additional
purchase where more material on the history of the holiday is
needed.
Elegantly Frugal Costumes
Book Description
This wonderfully practical book literally shows you how to make
costumes for plays, pageants and musicals at the lowest possible
expense! Over 150 detailed illustrations work with the easy-to-follow
text to walk you through every step of the process. Just about
every basic period is covered: Biblical to Medieval, Renaissance,
Angels, the Fabulous Fifties, 1800s to World War I, The Roaring
Twenties and more. Many helpful hints on making or buying realistic
period theatrical costumes on a shoestring budget from cast-offs,
donations, scraps, and other easily-obtained materials. Also
included are "special effects" costumes, helpful hints
for getting into and out of costumes, and a glossary of costuming
terms A book that will pay for itself with its first use.
About the Author
Shirley Dearing holds degrees in music and art and has sung
and designed costumes for several operas. She lives in Colorado
Springs, Colorado.
Review:
What I like about this book is that it foregoes any esoterica
and costuming theory in favor of good old fashioned practicality.
The reader doesn't have to sift through the excruciating snobby
details, but instead is given the real lowdown as if visiting
with a best friend who happens to be a costume mistress.
This book focuses mainly on costuming for low-budget productions
(such as community theatre or a school play), providing useful
information and advice on making good-looking costumes from
already existing garments and/or thrift store offerings. Information
abounds about time period, costume cuts & styles, ways to
splurge or skimp on your costumes and still have them look fabulous,
as well as details that an inexperienced costumer might overlook
(such as using velcro instead of buttons for ease in costume
changes).
I would highly recommend this to
anyone who is involved in costuming for a production, or anyone
who simply loves costumes and loves to recycle old clothes into
great new ones. I love this book and have read through it several
times just for inspiration.
An excellent book of ideas and help for someone wanting to learn
to costume for community theatre. It contains excellent examples
of her own work that is easy to follow. It does not overload
your brain with useless information. A good starting out book,
that aids a person in organizing the information , and research
problems needed to suceeded in this field. Also a good read
for veterans of the design buisness to give fresh ideas and
back up what they have done . After 35 years finally I have
found someone who appreciates the use of thrift stores , goodwill
and lace curtains for stage costumes. Thank you Shirley for
putting it into words and pictures.
Clever Costume Creating for Halloween
(Paperback)
Review" Prrrfect booook
for the costume inclined!
From mens to adults, everyone loves being someone (or someTHING!)
else for Halloween. Singleton's book provides a wealth of ideas
and resources, and the interior illustrations, photographs,
and black-and-orange two-color printing make for a very attractive
product.
Review: Fun! Fun! Fun!
This is such a fun book for Halloween! I have enjoyed looking
at the photographs and illustrations. I can't wait to try some
of the creative costumes out on my children. The book makes
it so easy to put together and understand! In this day of rush,
rush, rush, its so wonderful to have a book that makes life
simple. Thank you for such a great tool!
Review: Clever Costume Creating
for Halloween
I found this book to be very enlightning for ideas on creating
Halloween costumes. It is full of so many good tips, many requiring
a minimal amount of effort in putting together a costume. I
would recommend this book to many, both young and old and particularly
to parents who every year need to come up with a new and unique
costume for their children to dress for Halloween.
Review: Clever Costume Creating
for Halloween
Suzanne Singleton has certainly outdone herself on this release.
Clever Costume Creating for Halloween is jam-packed with unique
ideas for easy to make, NO SEW costumes. The illustrations help
you visualize the overall effect and the instructions are packed
with appropriate props and accessories.
Although I am an artist and consider myself to be pretty creative,
when it comes to Halloween costumes I go blank. The creative
part of me wants to do something original, unique. I definitely
could never bring myself to buy those mass produced, plastic-masked
versions available in the stores. When I flipped through Suzanne
Singleton's book, my mind began to race with all the possiblities.
I found myself thinking, "Why didn't I think of that? This
is sooooooo clever!" Now my only problem is choosing which
idea to try first!
Review: FUN & EASY NO
SEW COSTUME Ideas w/visuals!
This title had just been published a view days when I purchased
it. If you are like me and love Halloween but panic at the thought
of what to be? what to wear? This is for you! Singleton has
written a book with A to Z costume ideas that are fun and refreshing
and all NO SEW!
What you also receive with this book purchase are pages filled
with fun to view black and white visuals of the costume ideas.
The pages are bordered with corn candy and various halloween
graphics which only adds to the fun and festive halloween spirit.
Year after year, my husband and
I along with our children are invited to dress up Halloween
costume parties.These parties are usually fun and yet I am always
feeling pressure for myself and my family. What to do? Like
many women of today, I do not sew which only adds to my frustration.
Well now here is the perfect remedy, this title is not only
packed with fun and easy costume ideas but each page is sure
to bring a smile with each costume visual!
It is cute, fun, festive and fills
a need! Never again will you lose sight of the Halloween fun
that costume panic brings!
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All about Halloween from
Wikipedia
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Halloween"
Halloween is an observance celebrated on the night of October
31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going
door-to-door collecting sweets or money. It is celebrated in
much of the Western world, though most common in the United
States, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom,
Australia and Canada. Irish, Scots and other immigrants brought
older versions of the tradition to North America in the 19th
century. Most other Western countries have embraced Halloween
as a part of American pop culture in the late 20th century.
The term Halloween, and its older
spelling Hallowe'en, is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it
is the evening before "All Hallows Day". In Ireland,
the name was All Hallows Eve and this name is still used by
some older people. Halloween was also sometimes called All Saints'
Eve. The holiday was a day of religious festivities in various
northern European pagan traditions, until it was appropriated
by Christian missionaries and given a Christian interpretation.
In Mexico November 1st and 2nd are celebrated as the Day of
the Dead.
Halloween is also called Pooky Night
in some parts of Ireland, presumably named after the púca,
a mischievous spirit.
On Great Britain and Ireland in
particular, the pagan Celts celebrated the Day of the Dead on
All Hallows Day (1st November). The spirits supposedly rose
from the dead and, in order to attract them, food was left on
the doors. To scare off the evil spirits, the Celts wore masks.
When the Romans invaded Great Britain, they embellished the
tradition with their own, which is both a celebration of the
harvest and of honoring the dead. Very much later, these traditions
were transported to the United States, Canada and Australia.
Halloween is sometimes associated
with the occult. Many European cultural traditions hold that
Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when the spiritual
world can make contact with the physical world and when magic
is most potent (e.g. Catalan mythology about witches).
Halloween in the UK
In some parts of the United Kingdom, Halloween was formerly
known as Mischief Night. People would take the doors off their
hinges on this night. The doors were also often thrown into
ponds, or taken a long way away.
In England it is said that elves
rode on the backs of the villagers' cats. The cats had fun but
the villagers did not and would lock their cats up so that the
elves could not catch them.
Children were told not to sit in
the circles of yellow and white flowers where fairies have danced
as they may be stolen by the fairies. It was also bad to sit
under the hawthorn tree since fairies loved to dance on these
and if they saw children their tempers would be prickled.
In England, the black cat was considered
to be good luck, whereas a white cat was considered to be bad
luck.
In England children make "pumpkin
men" from large pumpkins. They cut out designs into the
pumpkin. Then they place them on display in their windows to
go along with the scary theme of Halloween.
Halloween in North America
Anoka, Minnesota, USA, the self-proclaimed "Halloween Capital
of the World," celebrates with a large civic parade.
Salem, Massachusetts, USA, also
has laid claim to the title "Halloween Capital of the World,"
though Salem has tried to separate itself from its history in
the subject of witchcraft. Despite that, the city does see a
great deal of tourism surrounding the Salem witch trials, especially
around Halloween.
New York City, New York, USA, hosts
the United States' largest Halloween celebration, The Village
Halloween Parade. Started by a Greenwich Village mask maker
in 1973, the parade now attracts over 2 million spectators/participants
as well as roughly 4 million television viewers each year. It
is the largest participatory parade in the country if not the
world, encouraging spectators to march in the parade as well.
It is also the largest annual parade held at night.
In North America people believed
that it was unlucky for a black cat to cross one's path, to
come into homes, or to travel on ships.
In the United States trick-or-treaters
are welcomed by placing lighted pumpkins known as jack-o'-lanterns
in their windows.
The North American tradition of
trick-or-treat comes from the original idea that you must be
kind to dead ancestors or they will play a trick on you.
The War of the Worlds, a radio adaptation
by Orson Welles based upon H. G. Wells' classic novel of the
same name, was performed by Mercury Theatre on the Air as a
Halloween special on October 30, 1938 and the live broadcast
reportedly frightened many listeners into believing that an
actual Martian invasion was in progress.
Halloween in Australia
Halloween is not celebrated as much as it is in the U.S., despite
this, most children still believe in "trick or treating".
And most houses are decorated with a Halloween themed style,
by carving pumpkins and placing a candle in the middle of the
hollowed pumpkin, and are usually placed in their windows or
in their living room. It is also a tradition in Australia for
children to leave the candy on people's door mats.
In Adelaide, South Australia, a
large festival takes place at the Norwood Oval (an oval close
to the city) and people celebrate in a huge parade. Stalls include
activities such as; Bobbing for Apples, Discos, carving Pumpkins,
Rides, Candy and many more Dark Attractions.
Symbols
Jack-o'-lanterns may be carved with funny faces.Halloween's
theme is spooky or scary things particularly involving death,
magic, or mythical monsters. Commonly-associated Halloween characters
include ghosts, ghouls, witches, bats, black cats, spiders,
goblins, zombies, skeletons and demons, as well as certain fictional
figures like Dracula and Frankenstein's monster. Homes are often
decorated with these symbols around Halloween.
Black and orange are the traditional
colors of Halloween. In modern Halloween images and products,
purple, green, and red are also prominent.
Elements of the autumn season, such
as pumpkins and scarecrows, are also reflected in symbols of
Halloween.
The carved jack-o'-lantern, lit
by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols.
In the British Isles, a turnip was and sometimes still is used,
but immigrants to America quickly adopted the pumpkin because
it was more readily available; additionally, it is much larger
and easier to carve. Many families that celebrate Halloween
carve a pumpkin into a frightening or comical face and place
it on their home's doorstep after dark. The practice was originally
intended to frighten away evil spirits or monsters.
Neopagans of North America honor
their ancestors on October 31. It was once believed that on
this night any souls who had not yet passed into the paradise
of the summer lands might return to wander the streets and visit
their old homes once more.
Trick-or-treating and guising
The main event of modern US-style Halloween is trick-or-treating,
in which children dress up in costume disguises and go door-to-door
in their neighborhood, ringing each doorbell and yelling "trick
or treat!" This is a watered-down version of the older
tradition of guising in Ireland and Scotland. The occupants
of the house (who might themselves dress in a scary costume)
will then hand out small candies, miniature chocolate bars or
other treats. Some American homes will use sound effects and
fog machines to help set a spooky mood. Other house decoration
themes (that are less scary) are used to entertain younger visitors.
Children can often accumulate many treats on Halloween night,
filling up entire pillow cases or shopping bags.
In Ireland, great bonfires were
lit throughout the breadth of the land. Young children in their
guises were gladly received by the neighbors with some "fruit,
apples and nuts" for the "Halloween Party", whilst
older male siblings played innocent pranks on bewildered victims.
In Scotland, children or guisers
are more likely to recite "The sky is blue, the grass is
green, may we have our Halloween" instead of "trick
or treat!". They visit neighbours in groups and must impress
the members of the houses they visit with a song, poem, trick,
joke or dance in order to earn their treats. Traditionally,
nuts, oranges, apples and dried fruit were offered, though sometimes
children would also earn a small amount of cash, usually a sixpence.
Very small children often take part, for whom the experience
of performing can be more terrifying than the ghosts outside.
Tricks play less of a role in modern
Halloween, though Halloween night is often marked by vandalism
such as soaping windows, egging houses or stringing toilet paper
through trees. Before indoor plumbing was so widespread, tipping
over or displacing outhouses was a popular form of intimidation.
Casting flour into the faces of feared neighbors was also done
once upon a time.
Typical Halloween costumes have
traditionally been monsters such as vampires, ghosts, witches,
and devils. In 19th-century Scotland and Ireland the reason
for wearing such fearsome (and non-fearsome) costumes was the
belief that since the spirits that were abroad that night were
essentially intent on doing harm, the best way to avoid this
was to fool the spirits into believing that you were one of
them. In recent years, it has become common for costumes to
be based on themes other than traditional horror, such as dressing
up as a character from a TV show or movie, or choosing a recognizable
face from the public sphere, such as a politician (in 2004,
for example, George W. Bush and John F. Kerry were both popular
costumes in America). In 2001, after the September 11 attacks,
for example, costumes of Islamic terrorists, firefighters, police
officers, and United States military personnel became popular
among children and adults. In 2004, an estimated 2.15 million
children in the United States were expected to dress up as Spider-Man,
the year's most popular costume. [1]
"'Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF"
has become a common sight during Halloween in North America.
Started by UNICEF in 1950, the program involves the distribution
of small boxes by schools to trick-or-treaters, in which they
can solicit small change donations from the houses they visit.
It is estimated that children have collected more than $119
million for UNICEF since its inception.
BIGresearch conducted a survey for
the National Retail Federation in the US and found that 53.3%
of consumers planned to buy a costume for Halloween 2005, spending
$38.11 on average (up 10 dollars from last year). An estimate
of $3.3 billion was made for the holiday spending.
A child usually "grows out
of" trick-or-treating by his or her teenage years. Trick-or-treating
by teenagers is accepted, but generally discouraged with genial
ribbing by those handing out candy. Teenagers and adults instead
often celebrate Halloween with costume parties, staying home
to give out candy, listening to Halloween music, or scaring
people.
Visiting a Haunted house or a Dark
Attraction are other Halloween traditions. Notwithstanding the
name, such events are not necessarily held in houses, nor are
the edifices themselves necessarily regarded to possess actual
ghosts. A variant of this is the haunted trail, where the public
encounters supernatural-themed characters or presentations of
scenes from horror films while following a trail through a heavily
wooded area or field.
Games and other activities
There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween
parties. The most common is dooking or bobbing for apples, in
which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water; the participants
must use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin. A variant
involves kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth
and trying to drop the fork into an apple. Another common game
involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones by strings;
these must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached
to the string, an activity which inevitably leads to a very
sticky face.
Some games traditionally played
at Halloween are forms of divination. In Puicíní
(pronounced "pooch-eeny"), a game played in Ireland,
a blindfolded person is seated in front of a table on which
several saucers are placed. The saucers are shuffled and the
seated person then chooses one by touch. The contents of the
saucer determine the person's life for the following year. A
saucer containing earth means someone known to the player will
die during the next year, a saucer containing water foretells
travel, a coin means new wealth, a bean means poverty, etc.
In 19th-century Ireland, young women placed slugs in saucers
sprinkled with flour. The wriggling of the slugs and the patterns
subsequently left behind on the saucers were believed to portray
the faces of the womens future spouses.
In North America, unmarried women
were frequently told that if they sat in a darkened room and
gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future
husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined
to die before they married, a skull would appear. The custom
was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards from
the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The telling of ghost stories and
viewing of horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties.
Television specials with a Halloween theme, usually aimed at
children, are commonly aired on or before the holiday while
new horror films are often released theatrically before the
holiday to take advantage of the atmosphere.
Foods
Main article: Poisoned candy scare
Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest,
Candy Apples (also known as toffee, taffy or caramel apples)
are a common treat at Halloween. They are made by rolling whole
apples in a sticky sugar syrup, and sometimes then rolling them
in nuts. At one time candy apples were a common treat given
to children, but this practice rapidly waned after widespread
rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins
and razor blades in the apples that they would pass out to children.
While there is evidence of such incidents occurring they are
very rare and have never resulted in any serious injuries. Nonetheless,
many parents were under the assumption that the practice was
common. At the peak of this hysteria, some hospitals were offering
to x-ray children's Halloween haul at no cost in order to look
for such items. Almost all of the very few Halloween candy poisoning
incidents on record involved parents who poisoned their own
children's candy, while there are occasional reports of children
sticking needles in their own candy (and that of other children)
more in an effort to get attention than cause any harm.
A Halloween custom which has survived
unchanged to this day in Ireland is the baking (or more often
nowadays the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish "báirín
breac"). This is a light fruit cake into which a plain
ring is placed before baking. It is said that whoever finds
this ring will find his or her true love during the following
year.
Other foods associated with the
holiday:
candy corn
bonfire toffee (in the UK)
Toffee Apple (in Australia, instead of "Candy Apples")
hot apple cider
roasted pumpkin seeds
"fun-sized" or individually wrapped pieces of small
candy, typically in Halloween colors of orange, and brown/black.
Cultural history
Main article: History and folklore of Halloween
Christian festival
Pope Boniface IV established an anniversary dedicated to the
Virgin Mary and the martyrs when he consecrated the Pantheon
on May 13, 609 (or 610). This Christian feast day was moved
to November 1st from May 13th by Pope Gregory III in the eighth
century in order to mark the dedication of the All Saints Chapel
in Rome — establishing November 1st as All Saints Day and October
31st as All Hallows' Eve. Initially this change of date only
applied to the diocese of Rome, but was extended to the rest
of Christendom a century later by Pope Gregory IV in an effort
to standardize liturgical worship.
The feast day of All Souls Day,
celebrated to commemorate those souls condemned temporarily
to Purgatory, was inaugurated by St Odilo, at the time the abbott
of the influential monastery at Cluny, on November 2, 998.
Halloween's Origin: Celtic observation of Samhain
According to what can be reconstructed of the beliefs of the
ancient Celts, the new year began around November 1 or on a
New Moon near that date, a day referred to in modern Gaelic
as Samhain ("Sow-in" or alternatively "Sa-ven",
meaning: End of the Summer). Just as sundown meant the start
of a new day, shorter days signified the start of the new year;
therefore the harvest festival began every year on the night
of preceding the autumn new year date. After the adoption of
the Roman calendar with its fixed months, the date began to
be celebrated independently of the Moon's phases.
As November 1 is the first day of
the new year, the day also meant the beginning of Winter, which
the Celts often associated with human death. The Celts also
believed that on October 31 (the night before the new year),
the boundary separating the dead from the living became blurred.
(There is a rich and unusual myth system at work here; the spirit
world, the residence of the "Sidhe," as well as of
the dead, was accessible through burial mounds. These mounds
opened at two times during the year, making the beginning and
end of Summer highly spiritually resonant.)
The Celts' survival during the cold
harsh winters, depended on the prophecies of their priests or
Druids. They believed that the presence of spirits would aid
in the priests' abilities to make future predictions.
The exact customs observed in each
Celtic region differ, but they generally involved the lighting
of bonfires and the reinforcement of boundaries, across which
malicious spirits might cross and threaten the community.
Like most observances around this
season, warmth and comfort were emphasized, indulgence was not.
Stores of preserved food were needed to last through the winter,
not for parties.
Norse Elven Blót
In the old Norse religion an event believed to occur around
the same time of the year as Halloween was the álfablót
(elven blót), which involved sacrifices to the elves
and the blessing of food. The elves were powers connected to
the ancestors, and it can be assumed that the blót related
to a cult of the ancestors. The álfablót is also
celebrated in the modern revival of Norse religion, Ásatrú.
Halloween customs
Observance of Halloween traditions faded in the South of England
from the 17th century onwards, being replaced by the commemoration
of the Gunpowder Plot on November 5. However, it remained popular
in Scotland, Ireland and the North of England. It is only in
the last decade that it again became popular in the south of
England, but as an entirely Americanized version.
The custom survives most accurately
on the island of Ireland, where the last Monday of October is
a public holiday. All schools close for the following week for
mid-term, commonly called the Halloween Break. As a result Ireland
and Northern Ireland are the only countries where children never
have school on Halloween and are therefore free to celebrate
it in the ancient and time-honored fashion.
The custom of trick-or-treating
is thought to have evolved from the European custom called souling,
similar to the wassailing customs associated with Yule. On November
2, All Souls' Day, beggars would walk from village to village
begging for "soul cakes" — square pieces of bread
with currants. Christians would promise to say prayers on behalf
of dead relatives helping the soul's passage to heaven. The
distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a
way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine
for roaming spirits at the Samhain.
Further information: Puck
In Celtic parts of western Brittany, Samhain is still heralded
by the baking of kornigou. Kornigou are cakes baked in the shape
of antlers to commemorate the god of winter shedding his "cuckold"
horns as he returns to his kingdom in the Otherworld.
In the Isle of Man where Halloween
is known as Hop-tu-Naa children carry turnips instead of pumpkin,
and sing a song called Jinnie the Witch.
"Punkie Night"
"Punkie Night" is observed on the last Thursday in
October in the village of Hinton St. George in the county of
Somerset in England. On this night, children carry lanterns
made from hollowed-out mangel-wurzels (a kind of beet; in modern
days, pumpkins are used) with faces carved into them. They bring
these around the village, collecting money and singing the punkie
song. Punkie is derived from pumpkin or punk, meaning tinder.
Though the custom is only attested
over the last century, and the mangel-wurzel itself was introduced
into English agriculture in the late 18th century, "Punkie
Night" appears to be much older even than the fable that
now accounts for it. The story goes that the wives of Hinton
St. George went looking for their wayward husbands at the fair
held nearby at Chiselborough, the last Thursday in October,
but first hollowed out mangel wurzels in order to make lanterns
to light their way. The drunken husbands saw the eerie lights,
thought they were "goolies" (the restless spirits
of children who had died before they were baptized), and fled
in terror. Children carry the punkies now. The event has spread
since about 1960 to the neighboring village of Chiselborough.
Sources: on-line report from the
Western Gazette and a National Geographic radio segment. Chiselborough
Fair is memorialized by Fair Place in the village. The National
Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) reported that
there was "a fair for horses and cattle on the last Thursday
in October."
"Mischief Night"
The night before Halloween, known alternately as "Devil's
Night", "Mischief Night", "Mizzie Night",
"Gate Night", "Cabbage Night", "Mat
Night", or "Goosie Night" is often associated
with pranks or destructive activities performed by adolescents.
Some of the acts range from minor vandalism to theft (e.g. of
door mats — thus the name "Mat Night" in some areas),
or even arson. Many youths involved in Mischief Night would
be considered too old for traditional trick-or-treating. One
of the most common wrong-doings is "egging", the act
of throwing eggs (sometimes left out for several days to rot)
at neighbors' houses, the eggs' yolk causing damage to the paint.
Another common Mischief Night act is "T.P.ing", in
which people's houses, lawns, and trees are covered in toilet
paper streamers.
In parts of northern England, "Mischievous
Night" occurs on the 4th of November, the night before
Bonfire Night(associated to Bonfire night because the last phases
of the plot were coming together). It is celebrated in the same
way, although minor vandalism often includes fireworks, which
appear in shops in the United Kingdom around this time for legitimate
reasons — to set off alongside bonfires on the following night.
Religious viewpoints
The majority of Christians ascribe no doctrinal significance
to Halloween, but the Celebration of Halloween by the support
of Catholic and other Christian sects exist because how it mocks
Pagan beliefs by presenting outrageous superstition and religious
concepts, and supports the more easily accepted Christian beliefs.
The mingling of Christian and Pagan
traditions in the development of Halloween, and its real or
assumed preoccupation with evil and the supernatural, have left
many modern Christians uncertain of how they should react towards
the holiday. Some fundamentalist and evangelical along with
many Eastern Orthodox Christians and Orthodox Jewish believers
consider Halloween a pagan or Satanic holiday, and refuse to
allow their children to participate. In some areas, complaints
from fundamentalist Christians that the schools were endorsing
a pagan religion have led the schools to stop distributing UNICEF
boxes at Halloween. Another response among conservative evangelicals
in recent years has been the use of Hell houses, which attempt
make use of Halloween as an opportunity for evangelism.
Other Christians, however, continue
to connect the holiday with All Saints Day. Some modern Christian
churches commonly offer a fall festival or harvest-themed alternative
to Halloween celebrations. Still other Christians hold the view
that the holiday is not Satanic in origin or practice and that
it holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children: being
taught about death and mortality actually being a valuable life
lesson.
Likewise, to many Protestant churches,
October 31 is also the date of Reformation Day, a minor religious
festival. Some families, churches, and religious schools combine
the holidays.
Halloween Costumes
Halloween costumes are outfits worn on October 31st, the day
of Halloween. Halloween is a modern day holiday (spun off of
the Gaelic/Druidic/Pagan holiday of Samhain (in Christian times,
the eve of All Saints Day). Originally a day to remember the
dead by celebrating the darker and more gruesome side of human
existence, celebrants would dress as their deceased relatives.
It has now become a very commercialized celebration. Because
of this, popular costumes are often mass manufactured and sold
in specialty stores.
What sets Halloween costumes apart
from costumes for other celebrations or days of dressing up
is that they are often designed to be gruesome or scary. Popular
monsters of legend or fiction are regular themes for Halloween
costumes, as are pop culture figures like presidents, film or
television characters.
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