Fancy Dress for Halloween and Birthdays

Halloween costumes have a long history starting with adults in times gone by. In parts of Ireland, a man holding a horse’s head and wearing a white robe led groups, and in parts of Scotland, beggars known as ’skeklets’ came out. Wales saw a great deal of cross-dressing of boys and girls who then sang rhymes.

By the late 1800s in the United States, adults began celebrating Halloween and dressing up. However, by the 1900s, children primarily engaged in Halloween costuming. The first costumes were usually Fairies, Gypsies and Burglars. The 1950s saw the first factory made costumes, with movies and television lending itself to the themes. Store-bought costumes are now the ideal in many areas.

Jack-o-Lanterns are usually hallowed out pumpkins with faces cut into them with a candle or light inside. Beets or turnips were used initially in Scotland and Ireland. Christian purgatory is represented by Jack-o-Lanterns, as they represent spirits present in the dark, or souls released from purgatory.

Named after a symbolic individual, Jack, who could not enter heaven because of his trickery with the devil, Jack is said to have walked the earth with his lantern lit by a coal from hell.

The rituals and celebrations of Halloween were developed in Europe around fortune telling. The Irish believed that a coin, a ring, and a thimble if baked into cake or other foods would make the finder of the coin wealthy, the finder of the ring, marriageable, and the finder of the thimble, a person that would never marry.

Trick-or-treat is actually the follow up to what was known in England as ’souling.’ Small breads called ’soul cakes’ were exchanged for prayers. In some parts of the UK and Ireland, ‘mumming’ was practiced. ‘Mumming’ was the dressing up in masks and parading around, as well as going door to door performing songs and dances in exchange for food and/or drink. In England, Guy Fawkes Day, November 5, still celebrates ‘mumming.’

‘Trick-or-treating’ is still the main activity for children in the United States and Canada. Costumes are worn going door-to-door yelling, ‘trick or treat!’ Homemade costumes as well as elaborate character store bought costumes abound. To avoid having ‘tricks’ played on them those that are visited do give revelers treats such as candy or sweets.

For this game you are going to need paper and pen.
You’ll remember the TV program of this name?
You can adapt it to work for strangers or friends who
may be married to another person.

You split everyone up into couples and one person from each couple then leaves the room

Now you ask the other person a few questions and get them to answer as they think
their partner would.

You’ll remember to take down what they say.
Now the other partner is called back in and asked the same questions.
every time they answer the question the same way, they get a point.
The first pair to reach 5 points wins the game.

Watch out for long married couples when you ask a triucky question.
The result can lead to an argument !!