Halloween is an evolving holiday with a long and weird history, but for most people nowadays it’s a time for children to wear costumes and have some fun going door-to-door for treats. The intention in 2021 is to have fun and be safe, whether or not the most popular costumes can be found on the store shelves!
A recent article in Today.com pointed out that the ‘scream’ mask and animal and mythical creatures costumes are in short supply as well as gaming costumes. The Wall Street Journal reported as well on the supply chain issues affecting the availability of Halloween decorations and costumes.
In a recent blog John Bevacqua, VP of Logistics at AMS Fulfillment talked at length about supply chain issues and how they are affecting the upcoming holidays. John stated that “… a huge and massive surge in demand for products far outweighs the market’s capacity,” and the supply chain issues will not be resolved soon. He recommended ordering early.
We know that costume creation can be done by inventive Moms and Dads, and while specific characters and items might not be available, creative face paint and sewing machines can come to the rescue. All parents and celebrants want to see this year’s holiday season, including Halloween, be something very enjoyable and also very safe for all, despite obstacles!
The tradition of Halloween actually can be traced back 2000 years to a Celtic festival where the people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. It was called Samhain. The Samhain celebration took place in the area that is now Ireland, the UK and Northern France. The paragraph below, from the History website explains how ghosts came into the picture:
“This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.”
The Samhain celebration began to be associated with All Saints Day around the eighth century. Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as a time to honor all saints, and soon some of the traditions of Samhain were incorporated, making the evening before into All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.
In the US, Halloween was not celebrated to any degree until the second half of the 19th century when immigrants from Ireland came in, fleeing the Irish Potato Famine. The early Halloween tradition had Americans dressing up in costumes and going house to house asking for food or money. That practice eventually became today’s “trick-or-treat” tradition.
Today Halloween has lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones and has become a time for children (and adults who feel the ‘spirit’) to dress up in costumes for the pure fun of it. While parents may not be able to find the exact choice of costume, with some imagination they can still provide an exciting look for the little ones as they safely go out to collect candy and gifts and the adults who create costumes will still get to collect some laughter and smiles.
Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Halloween!!