How to choose a Halloween costume idea
School, student or home parties for this holiday cannot be imagined without an awesome and themed outfit. You can purchase a ready-made costume in specialized online stores, but children and adults look especially charming in homemade outfits.
The basic idea of choosing a costume depends on many factors, and according to tradition, it should repel evil spirits. At the same time, you can make a festive outfit from scrap materials using original elements, taking into account a number of basic nuances and important factors.
History and traditions of Halloween 2020: costumes, sweets and makeup
The history of the holiday, which is unofficially celebrated in many countries around the world, is shrouded in mystery.
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More than two thousand years ago, people put on animal skins on this night and, gathering around fires, sacrificed animals.
Sputnik Georgia talks about the history of the holiday, as well as how the traditions of putting on costumes, putting on makeup and begging for candy on Halloween began.
History and traditions of the holiday
How Halloween originated is not known for certain - according to one version, the holiday, whose history dates back to the pre-Christian era, is based on the Celtic New Year. According to tradition, it was celebrated on November 1st.
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According to legend, the Celts of Northern France, England and Ireland divided the year into two parts - summer and winter, therefore October 31, symbolizing the end of the harvest, was considered the last day of the outgoing year and the transition to the new winter season.
According to ancient belief, the Celts believed that on the last night of the passing year - it was called Samhain or Samhain - the line between the worlds of the living and the dead was erased, and the inhabitants of the other world safely entered the light of God.
To scare away “uninvited guests” and avoid becoming victims of spirits and ghosts, the Celts extinguished the fire in their houses and wore animal skins. Leaving food for the spirits near the house, they gathered around fires lit by Druid priests and sacrificed animals. And after the sacrifice they took the sacred fire home.
After the Roman invasion, the Celts, forced to convert to Christianity, abandoned this and other pagan traditions that were passed down from generation to generation until the 1st century AD.
All Saints' Evening
The Christian Church, in order to eradicate pagan traditions, moved All Saints' Day to November 1 in the 9th century, which involuntarily prompted people to celebrate Samhain again.
In Old English, the eve of the holiday - All Hallows' Evening, sounded like All Hallows Even - abbreviated as Hallowe'en. Over time, the name became even shorter - Halloween - and this is how the modern name of the holiday appeared.
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The Church has long struggled with the custom of frightening and cajoling evil spirits on the night before the holiday, but in the popular consciousness the pagan holiday has inextricably merged with the church holiday.
In America, the holiday became known thanks to emigrants from the Old World in the 19th century. Over time, Halloween began to be celebrated in European and some Asian countries.
In former Soviet Union countries, including Russia and Georgia, Halloween has become popular in recent years.
The tradition of dressing up in costumes of various evil spirits on Halloween has become a favorite pastime for residents of different countries. On the holiday, special parties are held, an integral part of which are scary and funny carnival costumes with appropriate makeup.
The most popular at the evil spirits ball are the costumes and makeup of vampires, witches, monsters, ghosts and other mystical heroes. When transforming, people put on the costume of the chosen character and completely recreate his image with the help of accessories and makeup.
Halloween symbol
The main symbol of the holiday, as in ancient times, remains a pumpkin, with a very frightening face carved on it, which is illuminated from the inside by a burning candle.
Legend tells that on the eve of All Hallows' Day, a drunken blacksmith nicknamed "Stingy Jack" went into a tavern for a drink, where the devil was in search of a new soul. Satan, having heard about the blacksmith's greed, decided to buy his soul.
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After some trading, the blacksmith sold his soul for a drink. But having outwitted the devil, he made him promise never to encroach on his soul.
When the blacksmith died, his sinful soul found no shelter either in heaven or in hell. And Jack, not needed by either God or Satan, wandered alone in the darkness, lighting the way with a lantern carved in a pumpkin where the coals were smoldering.
The tradition of making jack-o'-lanterns has survived to this day - people place improvised lanterns on porches and windowsills, protecting the house from envy, anger and negative energy, as well as driving away guests from the other world.
Garden scarecrows, plastic and paper skeletons, candles, cobwebs, as well as compositions of dried leaves and plants are popular during the holiday. The main colors of Halloween, according to tradition, are all shades of orange and black.
Costumes, sweets and makeup
Begging for candy is a favorite Halloween pastime for kids. According to tradition, children, dressed in costumes of monsters and fairy-tale characters, knock on the doors of houses and shout: “Trick or treat?” (Trick or treat?), waiting for various sweets.
The tradition of begging for sweets or anything else during church holidays arose a long time ago - the poor in the Middle Ages sang prayers under the windows of townspeople in the hope of receiving money or food.
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On Halloween, according to tradition, “ghost attractions” are held - the first such entertainment was held in the USA in 1915. Thematic attractions are traditionally held at Disneyland every year.
Special sweets - “Candy Pumpkin” and “Candy Corn” - are traditionally prepared for Halloween in North America. And in Ireland they bake “barmbrek”, a sweet bun with raisins.
According to tradition, various objects are hidden in the bun, by which one can find out one’s fate. For example, a pea means celibacy, a piece of wood means loneliness or divorce, a ring means a quick wedding, a coin means wealth, and so on.
According to tradition, on Halloween, costume parades are held in different cities around the world - people dressed in costumes and makeup of goblins, vampires, witches and ghosts parade through the streets, lighting the way with jack-o'-lanterns.
The material was prepared based on open sources
Holiday theme
Every year you can organize themed parties, which will influence the choice of the appropriate costume for each invitee:
- a wedding party dressed as a dead bride or groom;
- prison celebration with prisoners and cell wardens;
- vampire party with bats and scary vampires.
Regular makeup, in which black predominates, will help create images of zombies and witches, a hellish angel or a frightening doll.
Halloween Crafts - Home Decorating Ideas
Halloween is a holiday for which not only memorable images are created, but also various crafts are made.
Such crafts are especially interesting for children. You can give them to your friends and family, or decorate your home with them. You can also go with them to a festive evening. In the latter case, crafts can be an excellent addition to the created image for the holiday.
Halloween Crafts
One of the most common Halloween items is the jack-o'-lantern. It can be made from a real fruit, the top part of which is cut off in the form of a lid, then the pulp is removed, and a light source is installed in its place: a candle or electric backlight. It is also mandatory to cut out a face or some kind of pattern (it is through these holes that the light spreads).
However, a pumpkin can have a completely different appearance. So, you can take a real fruit and decorate it at your own discretion. For example, draw funny figures on it, make inscriptions, apply other images. Or you can simply draw funny or terrifying faces. After this, such a pumpkin can become an excellent decoration for your home or yard.
Pumpkin craft
Another possible option that would be suitable for people with the appropriate skills is creating sculptures from pumpkins. In this case, from the pulp of the fruit, which is quite dense, you can make various figures that will not leave your viewers indifferent.
Halloween crafts aren't just limited to pumpkins, however. On this festive evening you can make a web and a spider. Such a web will be a spectacular decoration for the room where the holiday is planned.
You can make this decoration for the holiday from threads, film or paper. To secure the resulting product to the wall, you will need to use pushpins and tape. This craft can be made using exclusively black or with the addition of other colors, for example, orange, purple, green and others. It all depends on the imagination of the person who creates this product.
Spiders
The completed web can be placed not only on the wall, but also on the ceiling, windows and doors. You can also create real spider nests that can be hung from the ceiling. To create such nests you will need nylon stockings or white tights filled with cotton wool or padding polyester, as well as many spider figurines. The same spiders can be placed throughout the house.
Making a spider will not take much time. To complete this you will need to use fuzzy yarn, black wire and plastic eyes. Other suitable materials may also be used.
A character such as a black cat is also popular at Halloween. This character is one of the most beloved among both children and adults. The cat can be made from various materials, but the easiest way to make it is from cardboard or felt. It might be interesting to create a cat out of a pumpkin. To do this, you will need to paint it black, and then make eyes, whiskers and ears. You can also add a tail. This image can be quite funny and not at all scary.
Black cat and bat
You can also make a bat from a pumpkin painted black - another very popular Halloween image. In this case, you will need to draw eyes and fangs on the pumpkin, and attach wings to the sides.
Bat crafts can also be made from a variety of materials. To create them, paper and cardboard, felt, fabric, etc. are suitable. You can come up with what a bat will look like yourself, or you can also turn to various pictures presented on the Internet for inspiration.
An unusual option may be to make a bat in the form of packaging for sweet gifts. They can also decorate walls. They can also be hung from the ceiling using threads, which will create the illusion of flight.
Bats can also be a great addition to a Halloween costume. For example, you can make a headband with bats and decorate your hair with it. Images of spiders are also great for this.
Hoop with bats
A pumpkin lantern is one of the most important attributes of Halloween. However, this evening you don’t have to limit yourself to just this light source. Crafts made in the form of candlesticks, lanterns and candles can become original decorations for the room.
To make such items you will need small glass jars, which can be painted in various colors (the most popular are orange and black, purple, red and others can also be used). On such a jar you can draw various patterns or characters: a spider, a bat, a cat, a witch.
You can do it another way. So, you can paint over an improvised flashlight, leaving part of the glass clean in the form of one or another figure. Next, you need to place candles in painted jars and light them. In a dark room they will seem like real lamps.
Crafts from glass jars
Small glass jars are also great for creating mummies. To make them, you will need to wrap the jars with gauze and then glue eyes on them.
For Halloween, you can also make crafts in the form of flying candles. Long cardboard paper towel rolls are perfect for making them. You can make the same bushings yourself. Using hot glue, you can create beads of wax on them, then paint the finished product and hang it on a fishing line from the ceiling.
Another good option would be paper pumpkin lanterns. To make them, you will need to take orange paper and cut out lanterns from it, to which you will need to glue eyes and smiles (they can be either cheerful or ominous). These paper lanterns can be placed around the house or hung on strings.
Garlands made of paper in the shape of ghosts, spiders, skeletons and other things will also help decorate your room for Halloween. To do this, you will need to fold the paper like an accordion, then draw the desired image on its upper part and start cutting out. It is worth considering that you do not need to cut out the paper on the sides in order to get a real garland, and not separate figures. You can also make garlands from yarn, wire, threads and other materials.
Garland
At Halloween, wreaths are also popular as door decorations. The difference between such wreaths is the use of classical elements of this holiday. So, these wreaths are made from branches and threads, symbolizing a web. Figurines of spiders and bats, autumn leaves, feathers, etc. can also be woven into this.
For the base of such a wreath, you can use a circle made of cardboard or foam. Next, additional parts made from threads, tulle and other things should be attached to the resulting base.
Wreath
A popular image for Halloween is ghosts. They can be used as a character to create a holiday costume. You can also make ghost crafts.
One of the easiest options for creating such crafts is to use balloons and gauze. You can also make ghosts from foam balls and tulle.
If you are planning a Halloween celebration at home with children or with friends, decorating the straws used for drinks can be a great idea. To create such decorations, just cut out silhouettes of pumpkins, spiders or bats from paper, color the resulting figures and attach them to the tubes.
Crafts for decorating door handles can also be original. Making such a decoration is quite simple: you need to cut out a suitable figure from cardboard, for example, a ghost, and attach it to the handle (glue it to the door, making a hole for the handle itself).
Door handle decoration
Also this evening you can decorate the chandelier in an original way. This is not difficult to do. For such a decoration, you will need to cut out various figures from colored cardboard and hang them by strings from the chandelier. The figures can be completely different: in the form of pumpkins, ghosts, bats, spiders and other Halloween symbols. You can also decorate your holiday table using various handmade items.
In general, Halloween crafts are quite popular. They are mainly used as room decoration. They will be especially relevant if you plan to celebrate this evening at home. Such crafts will help you immerse yourself in the holiday atmosphere. In addition, you can give them to your friends and acquaintances.
If you plan to attend an organized event in a cafe, restaurant or club on Halloween, crafts can become part of the created image. So, you can take a hand-made pumpkin lantern with you, and hand-made spiders, bats, and small pumpkins can become decorations for your hairstyle or costume.
You can do crafts yourself or involve children in the work, who will be happy to show their imagination and enjoy the things they have made. You can create jewelry at your own discretion, completely relying on your imagination, or being inspired by various ideas proposed on the Internet, magazines and other sources.
Children's crafts
What to consider when developing an original design
Having chosen a certain idea, creating a costume is very fun and exciting, not forgetting that the outfit must meet certain requirements:
- convenience and comfort, the finished suit should not restrict movement;
- safety, it is better to choose hypoallergenic materials for the suit;
- makeup, appropriate holiday-style makeup will help complete the look;
- accessories and decorations, they are carefully selected for each costume;
- for children it is better to choose easily recognizable and simple images.
The main condition that is important to observe is that the finished costume is complemented by interesting and thematic decor.
Best Halloween Costume Ideas
Looking through a variety of photos, you can choose an idea for an outfit and, when implementing it, add a few individual touches. The simplest option is the costume of a small (or large) ghost, and for those who value originality, you can choose more memorable options:
- Costumes for children. Every child will be happy with the costumes of a zombie or a mummy, a little tutu or a cute witch with a broom and a bucket for sweets. A children's costume should contain a minimum of details, be comfortable and not restrict movement, and not frighten other children;
- Boy and girl. For teenagers and young adults, you can choose more daring images that will captivate hearts. A girl can choose a catwoman, Maleficent or elf costume. The guy will look great in the costume of Skeleton Jack, a prisoner in overalls, a scary and creepy Pennywise the clown;
- Family costumes. A house party for neighbors and friends is a great opportunity to create couples or themed costumes. You can recreate the images of the Adams family, cheerful beekeepers, Dracula and Vampiress, inhabitants of the pyramids (mummies of different sizes);
- Pets. Cats and dogs deserve their own holiday costumes, and you can make them yourself. Pets can be turned into spiders with legs, little monsters or prisoners, pumpkins from the garden or Minecraft characters.
When organizing theme parties, you can choose fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid), films (Joker, Jack Sparrow) or cartoons (Aladdin, Bambi) as ideas. For adults, more frightening options are suitable, a visit to Dracula's castle, the Egyptian pyramid or the heavenly office (angels and devils).
beauty.ua
If you know when Halloween is, then you understand that it’s time to prepare for the holiday. These Halloween 2020 looks are the most popular on the internet, and you can create them yourself with just a little practice.
Wednesday Addams
Perhaps the most iconic Halloween look, which every girl who has ever used foundation can replicate. Two braids, a black dress with a white collar - that's all you need.
Beetlejuice
Do you want a scary-beautiful look for a party? Check out the real bad boy of Halloween, Beetlejuice. Use white face paint, followed by some green, purple and black eyeshadow. And don't forget the striped suit.
Wonder Woman from the comics
Comic books have been popular for over 50 years, and this is perhaps the easiest Halloween makeup look that a child can do. You can choose any character, not just Wonder Woman. The main thing is to teach how to correctly place lines on the face to make it look like a pop art drawing.
Molten Skull
The skull is another popular Halloween image. But what if you want to be both a beauty and a “horror story” at the same time? Make up for All Saints' Day in the form of a melted doll. For it, you only need liquid latex, which you can definitely handle on your own.
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Zombie
Do you love movies and TV shows about zombies and want to look scary for Halloween? Then you'll need some old clothes and a couple of bottles of fake blood. And the makeup is very simple.
Mermaid
To make up a beautiful mermaid for Halloween, you only need liquid lipstick in a blue or green shade with a metallic effect, as well as silver shadows. Otherwise, you can do your usual “going out” makeup.
Pennywise
Terribly beautiful - this is exactly about the image of Pennywise. White face painting, red lipstick and red and black eye shadow - that's all you need to create a beautiful makeup for Halloween 2020. You will also need a red wig and a red balloon.
Harley Quinn
There's a reason why Harley Quinn has taken over every Halloween since Margot Robbie brought her to life on screen: Her makeup is so easy to do that a child could do it. You just need to smear the red and blue shadows, and also smear the lipstick in the corner of your mouth. Oh yes, you also need to buy a wig and two cans of colored hair spray.
Unusual Halloween makeup that can be done with regular cosmetics
Maleficent
Maleficent is one of the most beautiful and popular images for Halloween. And to create it, it is not at all necessary to use professional makeup with liquid latex. You can get by with your usual cosmetics. But here you will have to spend a little more time on contouring. But the effect is worth it.
A vampire
Vampire makeup can be created without artificial blood and teeth, but this entire set will cost you about 100 UAH. You can also make your look more sexy, like Dracula’s brides from the Van Helsing movie.
Nurse costume with an interesting addition
Every girl dreams of impressing all the party guests with her look, so a nurse costume is ideal for the holiday. To create it you will need a robe and cap, white slippers (sneakers), red fabric for red crosses, several planks and a plastic pipe, tape and a bottle of red soda:
- after trying on the robe, it must be adjusted to fit the figure, carefully hemming it with basting stitches so that after the holiday the seams can be removed;
- Shelves are cut out of red fabric or ribbons, crosses are formed from them, sewn to the robe and cap, which will complement the image and add originality to it;
- one of the planks must be sawed in half and all the parts connected in the form of a cross; a hole with a diameter matching the diameter of the pipe is drilled in its center;
- a plastic tube is inserted into the hole and secured securely; an inverted bottle of soda is secured to the top of the tube using tape;
- an improvised dropper can be decorated with a red cross, supplemented with a glued thin (transparent tube) through which guests can be treated to a drink;
- The image is completed with a transparent bag with syringes (do not use real needles), tangled bandages and cotton wool, used pill blisters or vials without medicine.
The final stage of creating an image will be applying makeup and creating a hairstyle, which may be slightly unkempt, but will not spoil the girl’s appearance. Using the same principle, you can create a nurse costume for a boy, teenagers or adults, adding white surgeon gloves and shoe covers to the look.
Creating Halloween costumes with your own hands is a pleasure, and every person will like such a creative process. It is important to remember that minor details, such as makeup and hairstyle, themed accessories and decorations will complement the image and make it truly original and bright.
The holiday was a success...
You don't have to buy a special Halloween costume for your child. It can be made using available materials and showing a little imagination. Moreover, in this case it can become even more original. You just need to find a few shabby things in the closet and use your imagination: your DIY Halloween costume is ready. It’s easier than ever to create the image of a ghost if you put your child’s father’s shirt or mother’s white blouse on him, cut off the collar and roll up the sleeves. Spray the top with red paint (gouache). The costume needs to be emphasized with characteristic makeup: apply light powder to the face (you can rub white chalk on a sponge), draw circles around the eyes with a black makeup pencil, let “bloody” streams down the cheeks with red lipstick and then dishevel the hair.
There's another secret: great Halloween costumes for kids come from carnival outfits. For example, if a child was at a New Year's event wearing a Snowflake costume, then it can be adapted for Halloween. First, the clothes need to be given a “shabby” look by cutting them up with scissors and smearing them with black and red paints. Accessories (gray tights, a headdress, a mask, gloves) and the same Halloween-style makeup, which can be done with body art paints, will help add darkness to the image. Any paraphernalia is cut out of cardboard: from sabers to spiders and frogs, and some children's toys are also used as part of the costume.
In any costume event, even one dedicated to Halloween, the main thing is the atmosphere, and if it is right, then, without a doubt, the holiday is a success!
