2008 Woodie Awards
Facebook, Martha Stewart among costumes students will wear
By Amber Wilhelm
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Focus
"I was Deb from Napoleon Dynamite," Valentine said. "I had a pink prom dress with huge puffy sleeves."
Lara Smith, a sophomore art education major, had a current-events-related costume.
"I was Martha Stewart," Smith said. "I had a jail shirt on with an apron over top."
But dressing up as a pop-culture figure isn't just for girls.
Joe Valenza, a junior education major, said he plans to dress up as Lt. Dangle from "Reno 911!" at an off-campus party.
"I have little bike shorts and a mustache and cop stuff," Valenza said.
But before people dressed up as movie or television show characters, and after the times of Celtic rituals for Samhain, there were Catholic saints in Ireland that were celebrated with costumes.
In the book "Halloween Through Twenty Centuries," Ralph and Adelin Linton describe a time when villagers would go to Mass to honor relics of saints, such as teeth and hair clippings from the Christian martyrs, on All Hallows feast day in Ireland.
As Christianity spread to the poorer towns, and the relics were harder to come by, the townspeople would dress up as their patron saints.
Children, who were not in saint costumes, would dress up as angels and devils for the All Hallows procession through the churchyard and town.
Even as children, students today had more interesting costumes to "parade" through town in than those in the past.
Some, like Smith, had classic, homemade costumes.
"My mom sewed a scarecrow costume for me," Smith said.
Yet for others, they honored modern-day heroes, much the same way as the Irish saints of old.
"I was Neil O'Donnell, the quarterback for the Steelers," Dearing said of his favorite childhood costume.
And of course, there were the ever-popular Disney kids' costumes.
"When I was seven or eight, I dressed up as Princess Jasmine," Valentine said.
Boys were not left out of character costumes when they were kids, either.
"My favorite costume when I was a kid was probably a Ninja Turtle," Valenza said. "I was Leonardo."
Whether students are dressing up for school-related events or attending off-campus parties in costume, the time-honored tradition of masquerading around town in costume seems to be a tradition that is sure to be around for years to come.
Lara Smith, a sophomore art education major, had a current-events-related costume.
"I was Martha Stewart," Smith said. "I had a jail shirt on with an apron over top."
But dressing up as a pop-culture figure isn't just for girls.
Joe Valenza, a junior education major, said he plans to dress up as Lt. Dangle from "Reno 911!" at an off-campus party.
"I have little bike shorts and a mustache and cop stuff," Valenza said.
But before people dressed up as movie or television show characters, and after the times of Celtic rituals for Samhain, there were Catholic saints in Ireland that were celebrated with costumes.
In the book "Halloween Through Twenty Centuries," Ralph and Adelin Linton describe a time when villagers would go to Mass to honor relics of saints, such as teeth and hair clippings from the Christian martyrs, on All Hallows feast day in Ireland.
As Christianity spread to the poorer towns, and the relics were harder to come by, the townspeople would dress up as their patron saints.
Children, who were not in saint costumes, would dress up as angels and devils for the All Hallows procession through the churchyard and town.
Even as children, students today had more interesting costumes to "parade" through town in than those in the past.
Some, like Smith, had classic, homemade costumes.
"My mom sewed a scarecrow costume for me," Smith said.
Yet for others, they honored modern-day heroes, much the same way as the Irish saints of old.
"I was Neil O'Donnell, the quarterback for the Steelers," Dearing said of his favorite childhood costume.
And of course, there were the ever-popular Disney kids' costumes.
"When I was seven or eight, I dressed up as Princess Jasmine," Valentine said.
Boys were not left out of character costumes when they were kids, either.
"My favorite costume when I was a kid was probably a Ninja Turtle," Valenza said. "I was Leonardo."
Whether students are dressing up for school-related events or attending off-campus parties in costume, the time-honored tradition of masquerading around town in costume seems to be a tradition that is sure to be around for years to come.
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