While Halloween is such a common celebration to us now, many of us are not aware of its origins or why it is that people have come to wear costumes at Halloween. What was the beginning of Halloween costumes anyway? The history of Halloween actually goes much further back than one might think. It is generally thought that it began about 2000 years ago with the ancient Celts. The Celts relied heavily on agriculture for their subsistence, and they considered the end of the harvest season to be the end of the year. Winter was considered a time of death and so the end of harvest season came to mark the time when a transition of sorts was made between life and death. Over the years other cultures also had some influence on the development of Halloween. The traditions of Halloween developed from the ancient belief held by the Druids and the Romans. in ancient times, people would use costumes to disguise themselves from evil spirits during the Halloween Celebrations. The first Halloween costumes consisted mostly of faces blackened with soot. As time went on, costumes would become more elaborate, because people probably accumulated clothes and materials that they had used in past years. Over the years the costumes were less about a disguise and came to be more and more about having fun. The Christians accepted Halloween traditions;however, in order to do so, it had to be looked upon as a celebration instead of a method of warding off evil spirits. Even so, many of the costumes that represent those early beliefs and traditions persist today. On Halloween, we always see ancient reminders of the beginnings of Halloween. There are plenty of ghost, ghouls and goblins ringing our door bells and lots of frightening black cats pasted in windows. These scary symbols are now portrayed as part of the fun for the Halloween celebration. Thankfully, Halloween has become a time of celebration and a time of fun. People in general love to dress up for Halloween and look forward to it as the holiday gets closer. Perhaps there is still some element of disguise involved, as we feel that we can be somebody else if only for just for one day. Halloween costumes are now as varied as the candies that children receive in their bags every year; pirates, vampires, witches, wenches, football players and cheerleaders all appear on Halloween. Not everybody knows about the origins of Halloween, but knowing how it started and why traditions have been passed down through the years actually adds to the mystique of the holiday. Spooky and scary costumes become more entertaining when you know that people used to wear them to ward off evil spirits. It is important to know about our history, and if you have children you should ask them if they know about the origins of Halloween. At the very least it will be a fun story for them, and you might actually be able to slip in a little learning without them even knowing it. When childred and adults know the history behind the Halloween Costume, it makes the holiday celebration even more fun.
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