Halloween is quickly approaching, and so too are opportunities for Concord Academy students to show off incredible cosplays and ingenuity! Many people are already planning on making costumes; some are even trying to match their costumes with other people’s spooky outfits so the scary and creative atmosphere can come alive, just like monsters rising from the dead. Halloween is an expressive holiday that allows people to show off their “inner demon” once a year. Given that the holiday is in just a few days, students, faculty, and staff alike should think about how Halloween came to be, and give people ideas for what to dress up as this year!
Around two thousand years ago, Halloween was an ancient Celtic festival intended for people to ward off ghosts with costumes and celebrate the new harvest in October. The term “Halloween” is short for “All Hallow’s Eve,” which is a holiday before November 1 designated to historically honor saints. Before celebrating these saints, however, the Celts attempted to protect themselves from ghosts and spirits by scaring them away. After many years of this tradition, people became more creative with their costumes and festivities, and instead of merely wearing masks and drapes, more traditions, such as dressing up as scary monsters or carving haunted pumpkins, were introduced. In the past, these traditions were intended to scare away unwanted souls, but nowadays, we no longer need to protect ourselves from these spirits (though it is nice to ward off potential ghosts). Instead, we can dress up as our favorite fictional character, an animal, or still, a horrifying entitiy to terrify our friends and family.
The purpose of Halloween today is to allow indidividauls to express themself and show off their craftsmanship or creativity by making a homemade costume. The CA costume contest is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your skills in costume design! With several categories such as group costumes, homemade costumes, and other categories that encourage students to be as creative as possible, the contest is sure to not disappoint. It is the one day of the year you are free to wear unusual clothes and knock on the doors of random houses. Anything you do should be fun and creative!
For those who are unsure about who or what they want to dress up as for Halloween this year, there are several creative ideas one could try. The most simple yet effective way to celebrate Halloween is to dress up as a character you like. Many people enjoy dressing up as characters from Harry Potter or Star Wars, and even if these are popular costume ideas, that should never invalidate one’s ability to join in on the trend as well. Matching costumes are also a cute way to express one’s love and friendship for someone else while honoring a series or character you both enjoy.
Another costume idea could be to think outside of the box and dress up as a theme or object instead of a character. For example, some people dress up as Instagram posts, panels of comics, or even as an iPad. These types of costumes can easily attract attention and be really fun to see.
The amount of effort people put into their costumes varies. Truly anything is fine. Some people end up doing full cosplays with wigs, makeup, and well-made costumes, whilst others just put on something fun from their closet. Any outfit that achieves what you are going for should be considered a success, as the purpose of this holiday is to have fun and express yourself the way you want to be seen. Any costume ideas are valid, and CA is sure to have an excellent Halloween this year that celebrates all the new students and their fresh ideas.