Ghostly Costumes
Ghostly Halloween Costumes

There are many tangible traits to this holiday we call Halloween; skeletons, black cats, witches, a full moon, but the most recognizable symbol today is simply, a ghost. That’s why in different cultures Halloween is known by many names, most of which revolve around the ghostly realm; Day of the Dead, All Souls Day, All Saints Eve, Feast of the Dead and Native American Ghost Suppers.

Straddling the line between fall and winter, Halloween is both a time for celebration and superstition. If you believe the folklore, Halloween night is when the ghosts of the dead return to the living and roam the earth; a time when the veil between the human world and the otherworld becomes thin.

Halloween has always been a holiday immersed in mystery, magic and superstition. It began as a Celtic end-of-summer festival during which people felt especially close to deceased relatives and friends. For these friendly spirits, they set places at the dinner table, left treats on doorsteps and lit candles to help loved ones find their way. To keep the more benevolent or evil spirits away they lit huge sacred bonfires to aid them on their journey and to keep them away from the living.

Today, everyone loves a good scary ghost story whispered around a campfire in the fall, when the days get shorter, the nights get longer and our imaginations run wild. The bonfires, the ghosts and the fear all come full circle from centuries old fables of the Samhain which marked the end of the summer and the beginning of the cold, dark winter.

Many urban legends come from the spirit world:

“A person born on Halloween will have the gift of communicating with the dead.”

“If the flame of a candle flickers and then turns blue, there’s a spirit in the room.”

“If you feel a chill up your spine, someone is walking on your future grave.”

Ghostly Halloween costumes have come a long way since the days of the white sheet with eye holes cut out. Although we still see that old school look, today’s ghostly costumes are complete with special effects of tattered full length gowns, capes and gloves. Don’t forget to accessorize with a white wig and our Ghost Stories Makeup to give you the undead look every fashionable ghost needs.

One theory on the origins of dressing as a ghost on Halloween, may be in the notion if the dead are returning on this night, then the change of appearance may protect the human from being recognized by the evil spirits of the dead. You know the old saying, “If it looks like a ghost, walks like a ghost, it’s a ghost!”