How Have Halloween Costume Ideas Evolved?

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Once meant to scare, Halloween costume ideas have evolved significantly over the years, even losing their terrifying character. After a period of glory for all things evil, it is now pop culture cosplays that are all the rage. Let’s take a look back at the origins of these costumes and their evolution over the centuries!

What are the origins of Halloween costume ideas

Before diving into Halloween costume ideas, let’s revisit the origins of this celebration!

We must go back more than 2500 years to discover the beginnings of this festival. And it’s not in America that you should look, but in Ireland. Indeed, although the USA is often highlighted as one of the places that celebrate Halloween the most, it is on the green plains of Ireland that this celebration was born. And let me tell you that back then, there was no talk of Barbie costume contests!

How did the pagan festival of Samhain give birth to Halloween?

Halloween actually developed from another, much older celebration called Samhain. Etymologically meaning “the end of summer,” this Celtic festival highlighted the transition from one period to another. Specifically, it marked the end of the summer season and the arrival of winter, with its shorter and darker days. It was a time felt as “a middle ground”, a moment that belonged to neither the “light” past season nor the “dark” upcoming season, which are the only two seasons present in Celtic mythology.

Celebrated over several days, coinciding with the last harvests of the year, it was believed that this period was conducive to a thinning of the boundary between the real and the beyond, and to the opening of the Sidh (the Otherworld in Celtic mythology). This consequently provoked the return of evil spirits to Earth.

To avoid confronting them, the inhabitants would light large bonfires to protect the community and… wore frightening outfits to ward them off. Villagers and druids, adorned in these scary creature costumes, believed that by doing so, potential harmful souls wishing to return to Earth would give up on coming, thinking that others were already present.

The creation of Halloween, later on, can be explained by two factors.

In 835, the Catholic Church decided to move the celebration of all saints to November 1st, coinciding with the pagan festival of Samhain. This celebration, known as All Saints’ Day in English, is called “La Toussaint” in French. The eve of this celebration, October 31st, thus bears the English name “All Hallows Eve”, which has, as you can guess, evolved over the years into “Halloween.” Here’s a little backstory on the name!

Moreover, the migration of the Irish to the United States in the 18th century contributed to the spread of the pagan festival across the territory. However, this quickly transformed into the Halloween we know today. Namely, a more popular celebration that departs from the Celtic tradition and the associated rites.

Thus, Halloween became a celebration in its own right, separating from Samhain, although it drew many inspirations from this celebration. The pagan festival continues to be celebrated every year around the world.

Halloween costume ideas to scare!

When we look into the different traditions related to Halloween, we notice that many of them are rooted in the pagan festival of Samhain. On one hand, the trick-or-treating that takes place on October 31st directly draws from a Gaelic tradition. This would occur a few days before Samhain, where, depending on the region, either poor people would accept cakes from wealthier families in exchange for prayers for their deceased, or children in costumes would come to sing a song or tell jokes in exchange for sweets.

Additionally, the famous illuminated pumpkin is actually a distortion of another tradition. Originally, the legend of Jack O’Lantern highlighted that he, condemned to wander between the world of the dead and the living, had put a coal in a turnip to light his way. A turnip, which was later replaced by a pumpkin, during the development of the Halloween celebration.

Let’s get to the Halloween tradition that interests us the most: the costumes! And here too, as you may have understood, it draws its inspiration from Samhain.

Halloween costume ideas are inspired, on one hand, by the costumes of creatures worn by the villagers and druids themselves to ward off evil spirits. These costumes, which were meant to scare off possible spirits returning to Earth, were designed to create terrifying silhouettes. They took the form of creatures or animals and were often made with animal skins or even the heads of dead animals.

And on the other hand, these infamous evil spirits also represent a rich source of inspiration for Halloween costume ideas. Indeed, many diabolical figures are linked to this celebration and Celtic folklore, such as the fairy creature Puca, who is capable of taking on various appearances.

Thus, these costumes had the primary goal of scaring. Over the years, we have also seen costumes representing religious figures, particularly among children going trick-or-treating or participating in choirs.

How has popular culture evolved Halloween costume ideas?

From 1920 onwards, the tradition of dressing up gained momentum, with the organization of parades for both adults and children. Costumes then primarily targeted children in the mid-1940s. It wasn’t until the 1970s that we observed a resurgence of Halloween costume ideas among adults. This is largely due to the influence of pop culture.

Indeed, with the rise of horror cinema and the release of classics by John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Dario Argento, David Cronenberg, and Brian De Palma, the world of Halloween found itself more than ever in the spotlight. Gradually, Halloween costume ideas that previously drew inspiration from witches or vampire legends turned towards the big screen.

Over the years, films and series have become an endless source of inspiration for discovering Halloween costume ideas. Stores quickly filled their racks with costumes from Scream, Chucky, The Grudge wigs, chainsaw replicas, and other the twins’ dresses from The Shining and masks from The Silence of the Lambs…

How has cosplay been integrated into Halloween costume ideas?

Little by little, it is no longer just the terrifying figures from films that have fed into Halloween costume ideas, but all the iconic characters from films and series. Consequently, the desire to scare has slowly taken a backseat to the new primary objective: creating outfits identical to those in films to make a statement.

While some films and series delve into themes of mystery, like Stranger Things, others belong to totally opposite genres. Cosplays are a way to pay homage to a film or series and celebrate the impact they can have on society. And thus, more than ever, it’s an opportunity to become your favorite characters for one evening!

Therefore, it’s no surprise to encounter on the same street a replica of the Annabelle doll and a group of friends dressed as Hocus Pocus! Here’s a little collection of gems found on Pinterest!

In recent years, these Halloween costume ideas have truly taken over and are a highly creative playground! We have also seen amusing winks, such as last year with Paul Mescal, the new Gucci ambassador, who dressed up with Daisy Edgar Jones (his partner in Normal People) as Fleabag and Hot Priest (from the series Fleabag). Knowing that a crossover was done between the two award-winning series!

It must be said that with the number of series and films being released, there is no shortage of ideas! Whether it’s a touch of nostalgia, embodying characters from our childhood, or Halloween costume ideas linked to recent releases… You can choose between a Nanny McPhee or Barbie! By the way, our article on Wednesday Addams can help you find pieces!

However, in light of the current context of the actors’ strike, SAG-AFTRA has asked them to refrain from dressing as fictional characters to avoid promoting them. As a result, costumes of witches and other vampires may come out of the closets!

Also, check out our makeup ideas and discover the trendy nail polish to adopt for Halloween!

Photos: Pinterest