Remember when were kids, we had a great time donning those Halloween costums that we had made, or our parents had bought or rented for us? We would gang up with the rest of the neighborhood kids and go around screaming “trick-or-treat!” like there’s no tomorrow, leaving our voices hoarse the next day. Well, we have experienced it, we let our kids practice it, but do we really know the origin of putting on Halloween costumes in the first place. Some of us may already know but for the benefit of those who don’t, here’s the story.

The origin of the celebration can be traced back to ancient Celtics. The have this feast called Samhain which is a festival held during the end of the harvest season and which is also the Celtic New Year.

According to Celts beliefs, during this time of the year, the spirits of the dead will go up to the surface world and try to posses living bodies for the year to come. To prevent there bodies from being possessed, Celts would light bonfires and dress up in all sorts of morbid costumes just to discourage the spirits of the dead from entering their bodies.

However, the practice of placing costumes in America can be traced to only as recent as the 1900s. It was only in the 1930s that Halloween costumes began to be mass produced. The usual costumes that people rent or make are those of different monsters including but not limited to vampires, ghosts, ghouls, demons, witches, and skeletons.

Even if it is the night that evil is supposed to surface, “good” costumes are also a common choice among children and adults alike. In fact, princess, fairy and angel costumes often times make it to the top ten list of top Halloween costumes.

Also popular are pop culture costumes which mimicked famous personalities, fictional characters, celebrities, and even politicians have an equal share in exposures during Halloween. Women, no thanks to commercial advertising, have also found this a good time to wear sexy outfits to show off their bodies and sexual prowess. But that is another story.

Other costumes that seem to have a following are clowns, nurses, cats, and that lowly Halloween symbol, the pumpkin. Superhero characters are also fast becoming popular costumes no thanks to the comics to movie fever that have hit the silver screen in recent years. The demand for new and modern costumes have put costume makers busy and costume rentals fully booked.

The fact that costumes for Halloween celebration have become so varied that the modern tradition have overshadowed the earlier tradition which makes wearing costumes during Halloween different from other dressing up feasts there is. And that is the concept of dressing up during Halloween is to mimic the supernatural, the ghoulish being, or basically the scary stuff.

Nevertheless, who are we to keep traditions from adapting to the modern times? Things will always evolve, that’s just how things naturally work. We can’t simply insist on wearing only scary stuff during Halloween. Creativity will play a role in this aspect and people will always crave for new things.

So not withstanding the darker origins of wearing Halloween costums, we and our children and their children will continue to celebrate this day for as long as there are candies to share and creativity to spare.

The era of the adults Halloween costumes. Halloween has always been very popular with adults. But over the last decade, there has been a very significant increase in the number of adults and their level of participation during Halloween. And there’s a good reason why. It goes far more beyond that of helping kids choose and put on their costumes and giving out candies to trick-or-treaters. Halloween can be the one night of the year where adults, men and women alike, can dress up as any character they want, without fear of having their personal characters demeaned.

You see more and more adults Halloween costumes, even when staying inside their homes and handing out treats at the door. You can also see a lot of grown-ups nowadays going out trick-or-treating themselves and having a lot of fun out on the streets. Many businesses hold Halloween office parties. They allow, if not encourage, their employees to wear costumes to work as part of the Halloween spirit. Even night clubs are getting into the act, with contests for the best costumes being held during this occasion. A lot of pretty hefty prizes for the best costumed person or couple.

But most of all, it has also become a social event for donning their costumes and heading to Halloween parties, and generally have fun. Whether they are at someone else’s home, at a nightclub, or at an office party, just about everyone enjoys the Halloween festivities. For reasons that need not be explained, the most popular years are when Halloween falls on a Friday or Saturday.

While traditionally filled with ghouls, goblins, ghost and other scary characters, Halloween night is also a very sexy holiday. It has now become commonplace to see adults Halloween costumes as enthralling witches and seductive lady vampires, and of course, one cannot forget Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark herself. Couples have also made Halloween their favorite time to dress up together as characters in fantasy, fairy tales, or anyone and anything else they would like to be. There are countless possibilities for creative and imaginative couples to enjoy this holiday.

And why not? Halloween is the one time of the year that almost anything goes, and where people can dress up and live out their fantasies, secret or otherwise. In fact, Halloween gives a lot of people a kind of “social freedom”; a chance to let loose and be sexy, naughty, weird, spooky, or scary, without being judged by others. It’s simply an assumed persona for a night of celebration.

Every year more adults are dressing in costumes for their Halloween festivities. A recent survey states that more than 75% of adults who usually participate in Halloween festivities plan on wearing a costume as part of their Halloween celebration.

Article Source: articles-at.smartnetworld.com

Anthony Gifford is a researcher and writer working for www.halloweencostumeonline.com, where you can get all the best Halloween costumes you want at the best prices. Visit us for all your Halloween costume needs.

Now, in the electronic age, this Halloween you can appreciate your candy corn without gaining weight. Experiment with using the fun-sized goodies in some fun childrens’ activities and games. And if you make a sport out of it, you could even burn off a few calories! And bear in mind, October 30th is national candy corn day. There’s no better way to make merry on this special day than with a few engaging candy corn games.

Candy Corn Hunts

Kids delight in hunting games. Hide fifteen candy corns in an area – under the couch, next to the door, on the counter. You might need to belt out a few “you’re getting warmer” tips to help in the hunt. If you leave them uncovered, even the youngest children should be able to find their bright colors.

If you’d like to to dress up the idea, put the candy corn in little plastic bags and close them with festive ribbon. Hide the bags all over – either inside or out – for a new twist on the Easter egg hunt.

Create a track of candy corn for kids to follow. Direct them around the woods, or a maze – or through a messy house. Depending on the condition of their bedrooms, you could use this idea to assist your kids find their dresser! If you stick a toothpick into the broader end of the candy, you instantly have an arrow. Use the arrows for clues in your hunt.

Target Practice
Try a Halloween spin on the old clothespin drop game. Have each kid stand on a sturdy chair and drop the pieces down into a canning jar. A container with a wider opening, like a bucket or funnel might work out better for really young participants, while a 2-liter plastic bottle would present a far greater challenge when the big kids want to show their stuff.

Remember Bozo’s Grand Prize Game? Make your own with several small sand buckets. Rename the game after your favorite Halloween character.

1. Use a strip of masking tape or a ruler to indicate a boundary line for the contestants.
2. Number the pails, placing them in a row perpendicular to the line, pail number one being closest.
3. Children line up behind the line and toss candy into each consecutive bucket.
4. Keep tally or give out prizes for hitting each pail.

After stuffing some candy corn into a small sealed cellophane bag, have a “corn bag” toss. After playing catch, try aiming at a target or throwing the bags into a container. For extra Halloween fun, paint a jack-o-lantern face on the front of a box, and cut out openings for his eyes, nose, and mouth. Different points could be awarded for getting the corn bags through the different holes.

Other Fun Stuff

On a smooth surface like the kitchen floor try some shufflecorn or “bocce corn”. Someone acts as the referee, sliding out the first piece of candy corn. He then marks this piece with a toothpick. Contestants take turns sliding 4 different pieces as close to the referee’s mark as they can. The referee determines which piece is the closest, giving that contestant a point. Play until a contestant gets ten points. To minimize confusion, try marking each contestant’s candy corn differently.

If you really don’t mind a mess – try candy corn and frosting sculptures. Obviously, a well covered table or other safe surface is recommended. Thinking about it, maybe this is better as an outdoor project. Prizes could be awarded for the most extraordinary sculpture, the tallest one, the neatest one — or maybe the one that looks most like dad.

String candy corn like popcorn. Not only is the activity entertaining, but also you have great decorating material when you are done! Tape several strands in a doorway like a 70′s-style beaded curtain. Add an orange lava lamp for a funky Halloween theme. String some through a spooky tree in the yard. Hang it inside like party streamers or use it for jewelry.

So whether you are trying to steer clear of the sugar calories, looking for entertaining Halloween activities to occupy kids excited about the holiday, or trying to find something to do with all of that surplus candy corn, you can enjoy these guilt-free pleasures.

Article Source: articles-at.smartnetworld.com

Gaylene Davis is an ex-teacher, now a WAHM taking care of her two boys. This candy corn article was originally written for www.Candy-Corn.info . For more fun Halloween themed math games and candy corn facts – check it out.

Halloween comes every year, bringing with it an array of social functions that demand nothing short of innovation and creativity when coming up with a costume. For most of us, finding the time to design and create our own costume is out of the window, and so the only option available to us is to buy or rent a costume. Renting a costume from a local costume shop is an easy enough process, but it is full of pitfalls and potential dangers should you happen to fall into disagreement with the costume shop. In this article, we will look at how you can go about preparing to rent a costume without jeopardising your wallet, and ending up significantly out of pocket.

When hiring a Halloween costume, you will most likely be expected to put down some form of deposit against the costume, as well as the fee for hiring for the period you require. Depending on the specific nature of the costume, the deposit can range in size, designed to reflect the value of losing the suit or excess damage to the condition. One of the main problems with this kind of business practice is that it is designed to protect the costume hire shop, but is not necessarily tailored to the person hiring the costume. There is no protection on your side when you hire a suit, and if you’re paying a deposit there is no guarantee that you will ever see that money back. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous traders out there that will take any opportunity to make more money, and with a deposit, simply disputing some damage or flaw can enable them to deduct from the deposit whatever they deem appropriate. Whilst it may be a completely unjustified practice, there is very little you can do as an individual, other than refuse to put down a deposit.

The other option available to you is to fully investigate the condition of the costume, and to record every flaw to bring to the attention of the costume hire shop. That way, you should at least be able to avoid having to pay for damage that you didn’t cause, which could help save on your deposit first off. Any damage that is attributed to you by the hire shop should also be fought. Whilst the ball is in their court, if you are willing to fight for your deposit you a more likely to be successful in receiving all your money back.

Hiring a Halloween costume is often seen as the easy way out when you’ve got various functions and events approaching. When you’ve got to have something novel to wear, heading down to the local costume hire shop can be a quick solution, and it can also be a good solution, provided you make sure you take all the relevant precautions in order to make sure it doesn’t end up costing you more than you bargained for. By taking care to note damage, and by taking the precaution of clearing this before you take out the costume, you should be able to avoid any eventual disputes that could cost you money.

Article Source: articles-at.smartnetworld.com

The Author Erik Aronesty writes for mooncostumes.com. Costume Cauldron offers thousands of quality halloween costumes, masks, wigs and accessory items.

Whenever Halloween comes around, we most always think about the costumes. Whether you’re a kid or an adult, we just love the scary Halloween costums, whether we’re going trick or treating, or going to a party. The scarier and weirder the costume, the more fun it is for us!

There are lots of occasions and holidays when we can get to dress up in costumes, so why do we get so excited about Halloween costums? Well, for the most part, the costumes for Halloween are created to imitate fearsome and outlandish characters . We just love to portray horrifying creatures. Of course, the overall theme of the holiday heavily influences the designs of the costumes, so this can be expected.

Aside from creatures of the night, however, dressing up as other popular characters is now a common trend as well. We have seen people dressed up as politicians, cartoon characters, or movie icons. It’s also becoming more for adults to take this opportunity to wear revealing costumes, particularly among women. But what costumes do we like the best?

Somehow it surprises me that kids and adults both love the same costumes when it comes to scary and weird. They both like dressing-up as witches, vampires, or ghosts. With regards to the other designs, however, there is a difference. Children like being dressed up as pirates, royalty, princesses for the girls, and superheroes for the boys.

On the other hand, grownups mostly like wearing costumes as pirates, gypsies, fairies, and superheroes. As mentioned beforehand, women also love wearing naughty or sexy costumes during Halloween. So we may also see for your costume needs? Our shop has one of the widest selection of costumes , plus all the accessories and other stuff you need to make Halloween more eerie, scary, and fun! If you’re interested in quality and fun Halloween costumes, our store is the place to go.

It really doesn’t matter what kind of costume you like or how you celebrate Halloween. In the end, what’s important is that you enjoy yourself and keep safe at the same time. Halloween is a time for good-natured fun and revelry, for kids and adults alike. Whether you’re out on the streets or with friends at a party, just remember to be considerate of others while you have a good time. Happy Halloween!

Article Source: articles-at.smartnetworld.com

Azlan Irda is an established author and entrepreneur with a passion for quality service and products to clients and customers. He has also written several articles covering a wide variety of topics, all focused towards providing readers with essential information about online shopping. Visit his Halloween costumes store online at www.gifthalloween.com