Why We Dress Up in Halloween Costume at Halloween Time?
Did you know that the origins of Halloween and Halloween fancy dress date back 2000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts celebrated their new year on November the 1st as it was this day which marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter which was often associated with death.
The Celts were under the impression that at the start of their new year that the worlds between the living and the dead became blurred. Due to the other-worldly spirits they felt existed; the Celts saw this as the time to make predictions of the future, providing them with comfort through the cold winter months.
It was at that time that the dressing up started (Halloween fancy dress). To be closer to the spirits the Celts word start bonfires, have public parades, dress up in a ghoulish fashion in an attempt to tell each others fortune, during this spooky time.
The Romans then conquered the Celtics and they combined two Roman festivals, Feralia which commemorated the dead in late October, and Pomona to celebrate the Roman goddess of fruit (hence bobbing apples at Halloween time).
In the 800s the influence of Christianity had spread and the thought is that Pope made the decision to replace the festival of the dead which the Celtics started with a church holiday called “All Saints” day, to honour saints and martyrs. That celebration was also known as All-hallows or All-hallowmas and eventually the name Halloween was derived. Due to the link to the saints at Halloween time people now dress up in Halloween fancy dress: as saints, angles as-well as devils.
Halloween remains to be one of the busiest nights of the year in the UK, with people paving wearing all types of Halloween costumes and accessories. It now takes a much more light hearted approach with the young and not so young wearing scary Halloween fancy dress and going door to door for treats or attending a Halloween party. Many of the Holiday parks around the UK such as Butlins or Haven holidays, have Halloween themed breaks, for families who love to get involved in Halloween festivities.
Black and orange are the traditional colours for Halloween costumes, however in recent Halloween images the use of purple, green and red have also become prominent in Halloween fancy dress and are now associated with Halloween costume tradition. Other traditions at Halloween time include the use of Pumpkins, carved with a scary face (or friendly one) with lit candles inside, this stems from an Irish tradition of carving lanterns which stems back centuries.
Bonfires and Halloween fancy dress have remained a large part of Halloween and popular with both children and adults.
The Christopher Robin fancy dress shop based in Weymouth, Dorset has been selling Halloween fancy dress costumes across the UK for over 25 years.
Speaking to the shop manager, among the best sellers for Halloween include the traditional witch and vampire costumes along with the more extravagant Halloween costumes such as “Corpse Bride” and “Punk Zombie”.
As for childresn’s Halloween fancy dress, the Skelton costumes for boys and the Witch Fairy with tutu are popular costume choices for girls at Halloween time.
If you are worried about getting your hair wet, when participating in apple bobbing (remember earlier mention of the Roman god of fruit), why not buy a Halloween wig. Christopher Robin fancy dress have a great selection of Halloween wigs and masks, men’s Halloween wigs, women’s wigs for Halloween etc. They also have a range of Halloween props in the shop, if they are not online give them a call sure they will be happy to help make your Halloween party a great success.
To see their full range of fancy dress costumes for your Halloween festivities visit Christopher Robin here: www.christopher-robin.co.uk
Expert in fancy dress costumes and party goods. Supplier of fancy dress costumes across the UK for over 25 years.
Visit the Christopher Robin website or visit the family run fancy dress shop in Weymouth, Dorset
Category: Halloween Tips