Hallowe’en, celebrated on October 31, a day before All Saints Day is a holy and the second most commercial holiday for Americans.
The endeavor of wearing extraordinary to outlandish costumes each year is the culmination of the Celts who lived 2,000 years back in the Iron Age. They referred the day as the end of summers and the beginning of the new year leading to a cruel dark, cold winters.
More than that, they celebrated the day as the season for harvesting crops and relating the day to human death. The day when doors are opened between the dead and living worlds, and ghosts come alive.
This makes Halloween more intriguing and interesting. Moreover, the single most day where kids and many times adults too, gather and wander door to door with incredible costumes and a mission to trick-or-treat and fill bags with candy.
Wait, Have you ever wondered why do we wear costumes on Halloween?
Yes, it’s something that may have triggered many times, so let’s move back in time to find the answers and discover the enigma behind wearing costumes on Halloween.
Origins Of Halloween:
The Origins of Halloween has its core in the Samhain Festival. It begins back in Iron Age when Celts lived in the parts of Great Britain and Northern France, which is now Ireland.
They celebrated the festival of Samhain, where Celtic-folklore believed the day of October 31 to be the beginning of the darker half of the year and the season to harvest crops.
The festival of Samhain was referred to as the day of summer’s end and the dawn of the new year. The night before the new year also brought a prodigious belief, that dead would return to haunt the living world.
To ward off the spirits, from harming people and crops, they would leave food and drinks on the doorstep in hopes of appeasing the haunted spirits. Celt folks also tried to appease like spirits, where they would dress up like spirit and light bonfires in efforts to fool the spirits. This practice led to the traditions of today’s Halloween.
They also used to camp a bonfire to help them protect and be the shield against cruel winters.
The Role Of Irish Immigrants In “Trick Or Treat”
The Roman invasion of Celtic land, coupled two festivals of Roman origin with the Celtic festival. Thus Feralia (the day to honor the dead) and Pomona (the day to honor the Roman goddess of fruit and trees) were mixed with Samhain.
Further, Halloween reached the borders of America in the mid-19th century, when the Irish immigrants arrived with the festival of Samhain.
Borrowing the custom of dressing up from Irish tradition, Americans started wandering house to house asking for food and money, which was known as “Guising.” This also was the origin of Trick-or-Treat.
This gave rise to Trick-Or-Treat and completed the other part of Halloween that we love today. Now, though, children dress up with Halloween costumes and go from house to house playing trick-or-treat, ask for candies, and if no treat is offered, they pull a trick on homeowners.
The modern tradition also introduced “Jack-O’-Lanterns,” where individuals carve scary faces on pumpkins to scare evil spirits and welcome trick-or-treat children.
Halloween Parties And Costumes:
By the 1950s, the Halloween made its place in everyone’s core for being the holiday for community gathering and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts and pranks. This way the occasion for celebrating Halloween themed parties, games and horror story sessions came into existence.
The trend for wearing the most creative costume that stands out from the crowd started, which has now evolved with dressing up like famous celebrities, cartoon characters and heroes as well.
So, wondering where to get Halloween costumes? To discover perfect themed outfits and a wide range of costumes and wigs, you should consider visiting Goods By BC.
And if you’re thinking about bashing a Halloween party this summer end, the best option is to purchase wholesale Halloween costumes and wigs to surprise your friends and family with exciting costumes.
Wrapping Up:
This was the real mystery behind Halloween’s birth and answer to why costumes on Halloweens play such an impactful part, plus how wandering for candies complete the US’s second most commercial family-friendly holiday.
Halloween has attracted many individuals around the globe, even without knowing the history of the traditions. Even UNICEF utilizes the same Trick-or-Treat idea to raise funds for individuals in need around the globe. Enjoy the night and wear the most unique Halloween themed costume this year.
