2008 Woodie Awards
Facebook, Martha Stewart among costumes students will wear
By Amber Wilhelm
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Focus
When going through rough times in their lives, many people often wish they could be someone else, even if just for a day.
Luckily for them, Halloween is just around the corner, and the tradition of costuming around as something other than what they really are could be just the ticket they need to escape from their everyday lives.
From ancient folk customs in Ireland with religious overtones to a modern way for people to express themselves at a fall party, Halloween costumes can often reflect a person's personality or the pop culture of America.
"I'm going to be Facebook," said Ben Dearing, a junior accounting major who said he's also considered wearing an inflatable Santa Clause costume he owns. "I'm going to wear a blue shirt with the Facebook writing and I'm going to poke people."
But Halloween costumes weren't always just for fun and entertainment. In fact, there are two stories about the origins of dressing up on Oct. 31 that come from Ireland.
According to a book called "Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History" by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne, Halloween didn't come to North America until the mass influx of Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s.
It was believed by the Celtic people, centuries before the time of Christ, that the Lord of the Dead, Samhain, would gather all the lost souls for sentencing on the night of Oct. 31.
The spirits of the beloved ancestors of the Celts were welcomed home for the night with offerings of bread and wine, and it was thought that the unwanted dead wandered out in the darkness.
The Celts would disguise themselves as ghouls so that these malicious souls would mistake them for one of their own, while masked villagers would trick the spirits by leading a parade to the town limits, where sacred bonfires burned.
Though Halloween isn't quite so dramatic today, the idea of costumes has lived on.
Sarah Valentine, a junior elementary education major, said that at a costume contest last Friday, she won second place.
Luckily for them, Halloween is just around the corner, and the tradition of costuming around as something other than what they really are could be just the ticket they need to escape from their everyday lives.
From ancient folk customs in Ireland with religious overtones to a modern way for people to express themselves at a fall party, Halloween costumes can often reflect a person's personality or the pop culture of America.
"I'm going to be Facebook," said Ben Dearing, a junior accounting major who said he's also considered wearing an inflatable Santa Clause costume he owns. "I'm going to wear a blue shirt with the Facebook writing and I'm going to poke people."
But Halloween costumes weren't always just for fun and entertainment. In fact, there are two stories about the origins of dressing up on Oct. 31 that come from Ireland.
According to a book called "Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History" by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne, Halloween didn't come to North America until the mass influx of Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s.
It was believed by the Celtic people, centuries before the time of Christ, that the Lord of the Dead, Samhain, would gather all the lost souls for sentencing on the night of Oct. 31.
The spirits of the beloved ancestors of the Celts were welcomed home for the night with offerings of bread and wine, and it was thought that the unwanted dead wandered out in the darkness.
The Celts would disguise themselves as ghouls so that these malicious souls would mistake them for one of their own, while masked villagers would trick the spirits by leading a parade to the town limits, where sacred bonfires burned.
Though Halloween isn't quite so dramatic today, the idea of costumes has lived on.
Sarah Valentine, a junior elementary education major, said that at a costume contest last Friday, she won second place.
Be the first to comment on this story