Halloween costume
Template:Short description Template:Cleanup
Halloween costumes are costumes worn on Halloween, typically while trick-or-treating (going door to door to ask for treats). Although traditionally based on frightening supernatural or folkloric beings, by the 1930s costumes based on characters from mass media—such as film, literature, and radio—gained popularity. Halloween costumes have traditionally been worn mainly by young people, but since the mid-20th century increasingly by adults as well.
Historical roots
[edit]
The custom of wearing Halloween costumes may have originated in a Celtic festival held on October 31 to mark the beginning of winter, at which costumes were worn to ward off evil spirits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Unreliable source? Called Samhain in Ireland and Scotland and on the Isle of Man, but Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany, the festival is believed to have pre-Christian roots. After the Christianization of Ireland in the 5th century, some of these customs may have been retained in the Christian observance of All Hallows' Eve in that region. Although the festival continued to be called Samhain and Calan Gaeaf, it blended ancient traditions with Christian ones.<ref>Santino, Jack. The Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of Culture in a Calendar Festival of Northern Ireland. University Press of Kentucky, p.95</ref><ref>Hutton, p.379</ref> The time of year was seen as liminal, when spirits or fairies (the Aos Sí) and the souls of the dead could more easily come to the world of the living.<ref>Monaghan, Patricia. The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Infobase Publishing, 2004. p.41</ref> It was also believed that the Aos Sí needed to be propitiated to ensure that the people and their livestock survived winter.
From at least the 16th century,<ref name=mcneill2>McNeill, F. Marian. Hallowe'en: its origin, rites and ceremonies in the English tradition. Albyn Press, 1970. pp.29–31</ref> the festival included mumming and guising,<ref name=hutton380-382>Hutton, pp.380-382</ref> which involved people going door to door in costume or disguise and usually reciting verses or songs in exchange for food.<ref name=hutton380-382/> Originally, this may have been a tradition in which people impersonated the Aos Sí or the souls of the dead and received offerings on their behalf. Impersonating these beings or wearing a disguise was also believed to protect oneself from them.<ref>Hole, Christina. British Folk Customs. Hutchinson, 1976. p.91</ref> It has also been suggested that the mummers and guisers "personify the old spirits of the winter, who demanded reward in exchange for good fortune".<ref>Peddle, S. V. (2007). Pagan Channel Islands: Europe's Hidden Heritage. p.54</ref> F. Marian McNeill suggests the ancient pagan festival included people wearing masks or costumes to represent the spirits, and that faces were marked or blackened with ashes from the sacred bonfire.<ref name=mcneill2/>
In parts of southern Ireland, a man dressed as a láir bhán or white mare led youths house to house reciting verses—some with pagan overtones—in exchange for food. If the household gave food, it could expect good fortune, whereas not doing so would bring misfortune.<ref>Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Volume 2. 1855. pp.308-309</ref> Similarly, in 19th-century England, youths went house to house with masked, painted, or blackened faces, often threatening to do mischief if they were not welcomed.<ref name="hutton380-382" />
In parts of Wales, men went about dressed as fearsome beings called gwrachod,<ref name="hutton380-382" /> while in some places, young people cross-dressed.<ref name="hutton380-382" />
Although mumming and costumes were part of other yearly festivals elsewhere in Europe, in Celtic-speaking regions, they were "particularly appropriate to a night upon which supernatural beings were said to be abroad and could be imitated or warded off by human wanderers".<ref name="hutton380-382" />
It has also been suggested that the wearing of Halloween costumes developed from the custom of souling, which was practiced by Christians in parts of Western Europe from at least the 15th century.<ref name="Jackson1995">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Rogers, 2002, p. 24-26.</ref> At Allhallowtide, groups of poor people would go house to house, collecting soul cakes—either as representatives of the dead<ref>Cleene, Marcel. Compendium of Symbolic and Ritual Plants in Europe. Man & Culture, 2002. p.108. Quote: "Soul cakes were small cakes baked as food for the deceased or offered for the salvation of their souls. They were therefore offered at funerals and feasts of the dead, laid on graves, or given to the poor as representatives of the dead. The baking of these soul cakes is a universal practice".</ref> or in return for praying for them.<ref name="AFP">Template:Cite book</ref> The Christian tradition of acknowledging the danse macabre is also suggested as the origin of dressing up on Halloween.<ref name="PulliamFonseca2016">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Morrow2001">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Hörandner20052">Template:Cite book</ref>
One 19th-century English writer said that Allhallowtide "used to consist of parties of children, dressed up in fantastic costume, who went round to the farmhouses and cottages, singing a song, and begging for cakes (spoken of as 'soul-cakes'), apples, money, or anything that the good wives would give them".<ref>Publications, Volume 16 (English Dialect Society), Harvard University Press, page 507</ref> The soulers typically asked for "mercy on all Christian souls for a soul cake".<ref name="Santino1994">Template:Cite book</ref> Shakespeare mentioned the practice in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1593).<ref>Hutton, pp.374-375</ref><ref>The Two Gentlemen of Verona Act 2, Scene 1.</ref> Christian minister Prince Sorie Conteh wrote on the wearing of costumes: "It was traditionally believed that the souls of the departed wandered the earth until All Saints' Day, and All Hallows' Eve provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving to the next world. To avoid being recognized by any soul that might be seeking such vengeance, people would don masks or costumes to disguise their identities".<ref name="Christian">Template:Cite book</ref>
In the Middle Ages, statues and relics of martyred saints were paraded through the streets at Allhallowtide. Some churches that could not afford these things had people dress as saints instead.<ref>Youth Spirit 2 (Cheryl Perry), Wood Lake Publishing Inc., page 20</ref><ref>The Power of Halloween (Diana Millay), page 47</ref> Some believers continue the practice of dressing as saints, biblical figures, and reformers in Halloween celebrations today.<ref>"Eve of All Saints", Using Common Worship: Times and Seasons - All Saints to Candlemas (David Kennedy), Church House Publishing, page 42</ref> Many Christians in continental Europe, especially in France, believed that on Halloween, "the dead of the churchyards rose for one wild, hideous carnival," known as the danse macabre, which has often been depicted in church decoration.<ref>Descriptive Analyses of Piano Works (Edward Baxter Perry), Theodore Presser Company, page 276</ref> An article published by Christianity Today claimed the danse macabre was enacted at village pageants and court masques, with people "dressing up as corpses from various strata of society" and suggested this was the origin of Halloween costume parties.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Hörandner2005">Template:Cite book</ref>
The custom of guising at Halloween in North America was first recorded in 1911, when a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported children going "guising" around the neighborhood.<ref>Rogers, p.76.</ref> In 19th century America, Halloween was often celebrated with costume parades and "licentious revelries."<ref name="Lherm194">Lherm, 2001, p. 194.</ref> However, efforts were made to "domesticate" the festival to conform with Victorian-era morality. Halloween was made into a private rather than public holiday, celebrations involving liquor and sensuality were de-emphasized, and only children were expected to celebrate the festival.<ref>Lherm, 2001, p. 194-195, 204.</ref>
Early Halloween costumes emphasized the gothic nature of Halloween and were aimed primarily at children. Costumes were also made at home or using items (such as make-up) that could be purchased and utilized to create a costume. In the 1930s, A. S. Fishbach, Ben Cooper, and other firms began mass-producing Halloween costumes for sale in stores as trick-or-treating became popular in North America. Halloween costumes are often designed to imitate supernatural and scary beings. Costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts,<ref name="rookjcr">Rook, Dennis W. (Dec 1985). "The Ritual Dimension of Consumer Behavior". Journal of Consumer Research (Univ. of Chicago Press) 12 (3): 251–264. Accessed November 14, 2010.</ref> skeletons, witches, goblins, trolls, devils, etc. In more recent years, such science fiction-inspired characters include aliens and superheroes. There are also costumes of pop culture figures like presidents, athletes, celebrities, or characters in film, television, literature, etc. Young girls often dress as entirely non-scary characters for Halloween, including princesses, fairies, angels, animals, and flowers.
Halloween costume parties generally take place on or around October 31, often on the Friday or Saturday before the holiday. Halloween parties are the third most popular party type held in the United States, falling behind only to Super Bowl and New Year's Eve parties.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Economics
[edit]Template:Update section In a National Retail Federation (NRF) study in the United States, it was found that 53.3% of consumers planned to buy a Halloween costume in 2005, spending $38.11 on average, up $10 from the year before. They were also expected to spend $4.96 billion in 2006, up significantly from just $3.3 billion the previous year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> But the troubled economy caused many Americans to cut back on Halloween spending, and in 2009, the NRF anticipated that American households would decrease Halloween spending by as much as 15% to $56.31.<ref name=post2>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2013, Americans spent an estimated $6.9 billion to celebrate Halloween, including a predicted $2.6 billion on costumes (with more spent on adult costumes than for children's costumes) and $330 million on pet costumes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2017, it was estimated that Americans would spend $9.1 billion on Halloween merchandise, with $3.4 billion of that towards costumes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Another survey by the NRF showed that 67% of Halloween shoppers would buy costumes, spending $3.2 billion in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was estimated that the Halloween spending in 2022 would reach $10.6 billion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Criticism
[edit]Halloween costumes in the contemporary Western world sometimes depict people and things from present times and are sometimes read in terms of their political and cultural significance.
When costumes uncritically use stereotypical representations of other groups of people such as gypsies and Native Americans, they are sometimes denounced for cultural appropriation.<ref>Kjerstin Johnson, "Don't Mess Up When You Dress Up: Cultural Appropriation and Costumes Template:Webarchive", Bitch magazine, 25 October 2011.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For example, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Secretary Julie Myers was involved in a scandal in 2008 at ICE's Halloween party when she made the Best Costume award to someone dressed as an "escaped Jamaican prisoner" with dreadlocks and blackface.<ref>Template:Cite news"The staff member who won the “most original costume” prize wore a dreadlock wig, what looked like a prison jumpsuit and black face paint. “I’m a Jamaican detainee from Krome — obviously, I’ve escaped,” the employee, referring to a detention center in Miami, announced to the judges..."</ref>
Halloween costumes can also generate controversy through overt sexualization of many women's costumes,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> despite a surprisingly long history of it,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and even those intended for young girls. Costumes for women are often far from what would be considered accurate for the clothing usually worn by women in those fields, and focus on sexualization of the wearer and often the concept portrayed. Although there are costumes for men of various occupations—like student, police officer, academics, clergy, or nurse—they are often at least relatively accurate to the clothing that men employed in any of these fields would wear.Template:Citation needed
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Addis, M.E. Leicester. "Allhallowtide." Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly. 40:5 (November 1895).
- Dunwich, Gerina. A Witch's Halloween. Avon, Mass.: Adams Media, 2007.
- Denny, Dann. "Adults go for sexy or funny looks on Halloween." Herald-Times, (Bloomington, IN) 28 Oct. 2010: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.
- Dowling, Melissa. "Sexy Sells Halloween Costumes." Multichannel Merchant 6.10 (2010): 56. Business Source Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.
- "Halloween." In Encyclopedia of the End: Mysterious Death in Fact, Fancy, Folklore, and More. Deborah Noyes, ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2008.
- Levinson, Stacey, Stacey Mack, Dan Reinhardt, and Helen Suarez, Grace Yeh (1992).Template:Cite source
- "Halloween As a Consumption Experience", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research, 19. John F. Sherry Jr. and Brian Sternthal, eds. Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 219–228.
- Lherm, Adrien. "Halloween — A 'Reinvented' Holiday." In Celebrating Ethnicity and Nation: American Festive Culture from the Revolution to the Early Twentieth Century. Geneviève Fabre, ed. New York: Berghahn Books, 2001.
- Nelson, Adie. "The Pink Dragon Is Female." Psychology of Women Quarterly 24.2 (2000): 137. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.
- Northrup, Lesley A. Women and Religious Ritual. Washington, D.C.: Pastoral Press, 1993.
- Ogletree, Shirley Matile, and Larry Denton. "Age And Gender Differences In Children's Halloween Costumes." Journal of Psychology 127.6 (1993): 633. Business Source Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.
- Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
- Seltzer, Sarah. "Embracing Our Inner Monsters." The New York Times 28 Oct. 2012: n. pag. Print.
Further reading
[edit]- Galembo, Phyllis. Dressed for Thrills: 100 Years of Halloween Costumes and Masquerade. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2002.