There ’s no one account for howHalloweencostumes spring up . Much like theholidayitself , the practice of dressing up is the result of a hodgepodge of traditions from around the mankind .
Many historians suspect that the custom has some basis in the Gaelic fete ofSamhain(also calledCalan Gaeafin Wales ) . keep between the fall equinoctial point and the wintertime solstice , Samhain score the prescribed get-go of winter — know to the Celts as the “ saturnine season . ” During Samhain , “ the universe of the Supreme Being was believed to be made seeable to humankind,”according tothe Encyclopedia Britannica .
That was n’t a comfort to the ancient Celts , who believed their deity were prone to playing tricks on human believer . Many fete participantsdisguisedthemselves as animals or beasts , hoping to hide from malign spirits who might bring them misfortune .
Move forward a few centuries and the advanced - day practice of dressing up and trick - or - treating has its roots in the European custom of “ mumming and guising . ”Mummerswould dress up incostumes , often weave from stubble , and perform play and songs for neighbors in commutation for food . Scots and Irish immigrantsbroughtthat custom to North America , where it later morphed into what we now sleep together astrick - or - treating .
Halloween costume did n’t experience their true heyday until the mid-1900s , though . For that , you’re able to give thanks New York CityentrepreneursBen and Nat Cooper , who protrude acompanyproducing pop civilisation - themed costume at a low cost . Ben Cooper , Inc. , found a ecological niche in helping kids become thecharactersthey admired from television and comic books , often buy merchandising rights before said character ever became popular . Due in no small part to the Cooper family ’s invention , Halloween costumes became an accessible and even necessary part of vacation festivity .
Today , Halloween costume are big business . The National Retail Federationestimatesthat Americans will pass about $ 3.2 billion on costumes this twelvemonth ( of that , abouthalf a billionwill go to costumingpets ) . You have to question what the ancient Celts would have mean about today’sHalloween costumes .
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