Happy Halloween everyone!

Dressing up in costumes and going around to from house-to-house asking for treats or playing tricks on people on Halloween was common in Ireland and Scotland as early as the 1800s.  This tradition became popular in the United States in the early 1900s and by 1930 the first mass-produced* Halloween costumes were being made in this country.

Halloween costumes were traditionally those of supernatural beings like monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Over time, costume selection and preferences have changed.  Costumes now commonly include popular characters from television, movies, books, etc.  On Halloween children are likely to wear their costumes all day. There are often school and neighborhoods Halloween parties and parades where children get to show off their costumes.  Adults also often dress up on Halloween, especially if they are attending a Halloween party or giving out candy at their home.  Many people see Halloween as an opportunity to be creative by making a fun and different costume.  I think it is fair to say though more people just buy their costumes at stores.

Some of the most popular Halloween costumes for children include:

Superheroes (Spider-Man, Batman, Captain America)
Princesses (any Disney cartoon princess)
Fairies
Animals
Pirates
Cartoon/imaginary characters (Elmo, The Smurfs, Angry Birds, Winnie the Pooh)

Adults also often dress up and sometimes they are more creative with their costumes than children.  It is also very common for adults to dress up like famous people (political figures, actors, singers, etc.); different types of animals (cat, dog, cow, etc.); pirates or story book characters; or like people in different professions (firefighter, police officer, nurse).  Often female adult Halloween costumes are made to be sexy while male adult costumes are made to be manly.  Funny or ironic costumes are also very popular among adults.

What are you dressing up as this Halloween?  Or what would you like to dress up as if you had the chance?

*mass produced = produced in a large amount using assembly-line techniques