Great Adult Halloween Costumes Ideas
For lot of adults every Halloween brings the same question. What kind of costume can I wear this year? Finding adult Halloween costumes ideas is easy, finding great ones is something else. Another question to be asked is, do you want to be funny, scary, cute or sexy? Although this is a holiday that is usually associated with being scary people down through the ages have chosen to celebrate in a variety of different ways.
No longer are ghosts and goblins the only choices for costumes, now you can be just about anything your heart desires. It doesn’t even have to be something humanoid. It can be an inanimate object like a ketchup bottle or salt and pepper shakers. Couples can even dress in one costume. Just about anything your mind can come up with you can find a costume of it or you can make it yourself. It doesn’t matter, as far as adult Halloween costumes ideas go it’s anything goes.
Lets take a look briefly of the origins of this holiday.
The holiday is actually a mixture of the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Roman festivals of Feralia and Pomona and the Christians day of All-hallows Eve, which became Halloween. All-hallows Eve was the day before All Saints’ Day, which was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas. This day was to take the place of the Celtic’s Samhain the day before they celebrate the day of the dead.
The Celtics believed that on Samhain the ghosts of the dead would return and ruin their crops. The Celtics would light bonfires and wear costumes, consisting of animal heads and skins and would try to tell each other’s fortunes in an attempt to ward off the ghosts.
By changing Samhain to All-hallows Eve, the day before All Saints’ Day, the Catholic Church sought to bring a more religious nature to the Celtics day of the dead making it a day to honor saints and martyrs.
When European immigrants came to America, their varied Halloween customs came along with them.
Trick-or-treating actually goes back to the early All Souls’ Day parades in England. Poor people would beg for food during the festivities. They were given pastries called “soul cakes” by families for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives.
The wearing of costumes not only have Celtic roots by European roots as well. There was a time when people thought that on Halloween ghost would come back and if they left their houses the ghost would see them. So as to not be recognized by the ghosts, people wore masks when they left home so that the ghosts would think that they were ghosts also. To keep the ghosts from entering their homes, people would put bowls of food outside their houses.
So as you can see Halloween has a long and strange history. So now lets look at some great adult Halloween costumes ideas.
One great idea is to dress like a zombie. Everybody likes zombies just look at all the movies that’s been made about them. You just can’t go wrong as a zombie.
How about your favorite cartoon character? You’re bound to be a hit as Peter Griffin from “The Family Guy”, Fred Flintstone, or Sponge Bob Square Pants.
Ladies you can dress as a mermaid, a princess or even Barbie. Oh, how about a sexy witch?
If you look around online there is no doubt you will find loads of great adult Halloween costumes ideas. Just keep your eyes open.
If you would rather give your friends and family a laugh this Halloween rather then a scare, take a look at some Funny Adult Halloween Costumes. Follow the link to discover some costumes that will surely bring a smile to your face.
Adult Samurai Warrior Costume
- Great Adult Costume
- One Size Fits Most Adults
See More Adult Halloween Costume Ideas – Japanese Style
Keep the Spirit of Halloween Alive at Your Party with Halloween Cards
Halloween affords everyone an opportunity to dress like someone else and indulge in the creepy. Adults as well as children want to get together with friends and celebrate the spookiest day of the year. So, with that in mind, they often plan Halloween parties. With Halloween cards, you can let everyone know the details of your party ahead of time so they know what to wear and when to come.
Halloween stems from an old Celtic holiday called Samhain, which was celebrated from sunset to sunrise to mark the shortening of the days and the end of the harvest. It was believed that on this day the barrier between our world and the otherworld thinned in certain places, leaving portals open for a short time through which the Tuatha de Danann (old Celtic gods) and the spirits of the dead could travel.
The holiday has since evolved into the celebration that we know today as Halloween.
Nowadays, Halloween is looked forward to by most people as an excuse to have a party, put pumpkin in everything, and try to scare each other silly with freakish costumes. Some people truly revel in the horror movies and love to wear a bloody mask and creep around without letting anyone know who they are. Regardless of how you celebrate, though, you’ll need to include some important information on your Halloween cards.
You will have to include the date on your Halloween cards since you may be celebrating on a convenient Saturday instead of the day of the actual holiday. Also, you will want to make sure that your guests know if there is a theme or a contest. A costume competition is a good way to encourage your guests to actually dress up, instead of just showing up for the food.
If you are having a Disney or a Tim Burton theme for your Halloween party, you’ll want your guests to know so that they can pick a good costume.
Halloween is a tradition of spookiness that stretches back thousands of years and the modern version keeps the creepy going. Halloween cards let everyone know about your event so that you can celebrate the holiday in style.
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Origins of Halloween
To safeguard by themselves, the Celts built bonfires the place they sacrificed crops and animals to the gods. The men and women dressed in costumes and believed that they could inform fortunes on October 31st, or Samhain.
Afterwards the Catholic church declared All Saints Day and All Souls Day about the exact same time. This is extensively considered to be an attempt to substitute a pagan holiday with a Christian an individual. The bad would go from doorway to doorway getting food in return for prayers for the dead.
As the a long time went on, other traditions became attached to Halloween. While individuals had carved lanterns out of a assortment of vegetables for a prolonged time, a frightening tale about Stingy Jack became the purpose that Jack-O-Lanterns ended up affiliated with Halloween.
Now Halloween is the 2nd most business holiday in the U.S. We expend capital on costumes, fog devices and candy. In metropolitan areas across America, you’ll come across overall retailers that open up just for the two months prior to Halloween.
Are you knowledgeable of the legitimate origin of Halloween? There was a time when I was totally uniformed about the connection this holiday getaway has with occult practices. I assumed it was just a exciting getaway and eagerly participated in a Haunted Household as a fundraiser for my church until eventually mastering about the origins of Halloween.
Halloween began properly just before Christ’s birth as a three day celebration of the dead by the druids in ancient regions of England and Ireland. It is recorded in historical past as the eve of samhain, which marked the conclude of the Celtic calendar 12 months.
For the duration of this festival, divination and sooth-saying had been practiced. Druids dressed as witches, goblins, and fairies were documented to go during the countryside harassing men and women for contributions of foods. This is the foundation for our latest trick-or-deal with rituals. Satanic worship and witchcraft, this includes black cats, have been all affiliated with this time which sounds a lot like our recent Halloween traditions.
The present-day Halloween practice of dressing little ones in masks and costumes and sending them out into the neighborhoods for “food” closely mimics people harassing behaviors by the early druids. Even the jack-o-lantern got its starting from turnips carved as death masks carried by the druids during this time.
These traditions have turn into a element of American household lifestyle as basic and playful fun. The real origin of this pleasurable paints a much different picture. The query continues to be: is this a apply that our children ought to be engaging in when it was born out of these “dark” beginnings?
Is it just basic exciting or is there more going on powering the scenes?
Halloween is an individual of the most ancient celebrations, its origins getting discovered thousand of several years in the past. The celebration we now know as Halloween has regarded a whole lot of influences from unique peoples. In the Roman Empire, it was acknowledged as Pomona’s Day, the Celts understood it as Samhain and the Christians understood it as All Saints’ Day or as All Hallows’ Day.
Here are a number of items on the Celtic origins of this holiday getaway.
A brief history individuals modern Halloween begins with a traditional Celtic holiday called Samhain (pronounced sow-en). The Celts lived in present-day Ireland and England dating to about the 5th Century BC. Other story will amaze you see it at this website.
What is Halloween & Samhain?
When the night of October 31st comes around most of the Western world will witness a surge of spooky activity. So many people these days join in the fun of Halloween!
But what is the origin of these spooky festivities? Why do we dress up as ghouls, skeletons, tortured victims, headless lords, witches and warlocks?
Why do we carve out pumpkins and Turnips, bob for apples and trick or treat?
The truth is it’s a mish mash of cultures, traditions and belief systems.
Both Samhain and Halloween are celebrated on October 31st – Northern Hemisphere, but what’s the difference between the Festival of Samhain and that of Halloween?
One notable difference is that most people are not even aware of Samhain and only know the night to be called ‘Halloween’.
So how do we know for sure what we are celebrating? Firstly, it’s necessary to look back in time to see which came first!
Samhain pronounced ‘sow en’ reaches thousands of years back into early European Celtic roots. The Celtic culture, religion and beliefs were strongly tuned into the earth and sky around them, including the cycles of nature, the arrival of the different seasons & stages of the sun, moon and stars.
The important dates on their calendars were marked by these seasonal changes. They gave great respect to nature and knew that winter would be a harsh time for them and they must prepare well and work with the season in order to survive. They believed that they were part of this continuous regeneration of the earth – the sacred circle of life!
Samhain became the mark of the first day of winter and the start of the Celtic New Year. The ancient astrologers had calculated that November 1st was the exact half way point between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice (winter solstice was midwinter – the return of the sun).
There is some debate over whether the Celtic New Year started at Samhain or at winter solstice but, as their days always began at sunset, when darkness came, it seems significant that the New Year should start at Samhain, when the winter darkness begins
The astrologers also believed that this time was a kind of no-mans land and signified a thinning of the ‘veil’ between those who lived on the earthly plane and those on the spiritual and in other realms! Therefore, the doorways to and from these other worlds opened up for a time!
When Samhain was approaching, the earth was beginning to draw it’s energy within, preparing for sleep and regeneration, the vegetation was dying and the cold, dark winter months and baron lands lay ahead. And so communities would work together harvesting and storing crops, berries and herbs, bringing cattle out of the open fields and into the sheltered barns & homes. They would sacrifice animals to their Gods, in order to give thanks for the food & to gain protection, then prepare and preserve the meats to sustain them through the long winter months.
The climax of the harvesting would be to hold a feast at the sunset of October the 31st, the first day of November – Samhain and the start of the New Year!
The feast was known as ‘The Feast of the Dead’ (‘Fleadh nan Mairbh’) and, in tune with the sleeping earth, it was a time for reflection of the year just passed, introspection & to commemorate those loved ones that had passed over and to welcome them back in through the ‘open door’ to share the feast.
A verse may have been chanted at the beginning of the feast and would have been similar to this known one:
“And so it is, we gather again, The feast of our dead to begin. Our Ancients, our Ancestors we invite, Come! And follow the setting of the sun. Whom do we call? We call them by name (Name your ancestors that you wish to welcome.) The Ancients have come! Here with us stand Where ever the country, where ever the land They leave us not, to travel alone; Flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone! Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Great be their Power! Past ones and present-at this very hour! Welcome within are the dead who are kin, Feast here with us and rest here within Our hearth is your hearth and welcome to thee; Old tales to tell and new visions to see!”
Not only this, but as the door was open to ‘other realms’, this would include the Lands of the Sidhe – pronounced ‘shee’ – or the Faery Realm! Gifts of food for these unseen ones was an intention to gain favour and avoid any ill fortune or mischief by these powerful beings – early Trick or Treat!!)
Samhain was said to be a very potent time for magic and divination. Druids would perform rituals for communicating with the dead and of divining the future.
Roasted nuts and cakes would contain tokens of luck to predict favor to those who found them.
It was custom to light a candle to signify the ‘New Year’ and a great bonfire was set by the chief Druid. On this, members of the communities would sacrifice animals and crops to the Celtic deities and the fire would become sacred.
Hearth fires would be extinguished only to be re-lit by family members lighting a torch from this great, sacred fire and carrying it all the way back to rekindle their own hearth fires. These hearth fires were kept continuously burning until Beltan or Bealtaine arrived – the start of the Celtic summertime. It was extremely bad luck if the fire was left to go out before this!
The tradition of carving out turnips, beets and potatoes and lighting a candle inside was said to ward off evil spirits. This practice obviously led to the ‘Jack-O-Lantern’ fable about a damned soul, popular with the later Catholic religion, particularly in America where the turnip was replaced by the Pumpkin.
Winter apples were one of the main harvest fruits and therefore used prominently for the festivities. The Roman Goddess of Pomona, symbolized by the apple, was NOT the reason for ‘apple bobbing’ nor had it anything to do with Samhain. They were celebrated on completely different dates and not merged as some may think
Christianity & Halloween
Several hundred years after the death of Christ, the Christian church had gathered enough influence within Celtic lands to establish a day of honoring the deaths of their Martyrs, it was on 609AD that Pope Boniface IV designated May 13th to remember all martyrs.
However this date was changed in 837AD, Pope Gregory IV extended the festival to include all of the saints and changed the date to November 1st, the day was called ‘All Hallows Day’.
Moving the date was an attempt to Christianize the pagan festival of the dead. The evening of October 31st was changed to ‘All Hallows Eve’ – the evening before ‘All Saints Day’. Or, as we call it today, Halloween – Hallow’en!
In A.D.1000 the church further made November 2nd ‘All Souls Day’ to include all those who had died in the name of Christianity, not just the Saints and Martyrs. It was celebrated similar to that of Samhain with big bonfires, parades and dressing up with Christian symbolism of devils, the bloodied & tortured Saints and biblical angels!
The combination of the three days was then called Hallowmass.
How Should We Celebrate Halloween Today!
The Christian festival of Halloween is ONLY about commemorating those who have died in the name of Christianity and perhaps a reminder about our own fragile mortality.
If you see those dressed as evil witches remember, it is Christianity and it’s infamous witch hunts that originally portrayed witchcraft as evil. The Christian philosophy has always been to convert others to Christianity and it’s damnation of paganism was (and still is) a mightily effective one!
The Celtic or Wiccan ‘Witch’ in fact, treasured the earth and it’s sacred cycles. Rather than ‘evildoers’, they were the highly respected and important healers of the society. They had knowledge of herbal remedies and medicine and worked in tune with the forces of nature to help others. They felt the earth and all of it’s creatures should live in harmony and balance!
The modern Witch of our day will more likely spend the evening of Samhain meditating in quiet reflection. Remembering those that have passed over, the year just gone and all they have learned. Perhaps they will partake of ‘the feast of the dead’ and offer a plate for those missing at their table.
Perhaps, and let us hope so, they will perform their dignified ceremonies of thanks, forgiveness and hope for the future of ALL mankind!
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Celebrating Halloween is a Christian Thing?
Traditionally, it was known as All Hallow’s Eve, when the dead were remembered. Over time, it became cultural. For Americans, it became commercialized. Unfortunately, the emphasis on this commercialized holiday has shifted from the little cowboys and Indians to a much more evil and pointed attraction to all things hideous and pagan. Satan has undoubtedly made this commercialized holiday into something that has subtly focused on dressing kids up as ugly demonic creatures.
Samhain. Many believe the festival of Samhain to have been the beginning of the Celtic year. At Samhain, farmers brought livestock in from summer pastures and people gathered to build shelter for winter. The festival also had religious significance and people burned fruits, vegetables, grain, and possibly animals as offerings to the gods. In ancient Celtic stories, Samhain was a magical time of transition when important battles were fought and fairies cast spells. It was a time when the barriers between the natural world and the supernatural were broken. The Celts believed that the dead could walk among the living at this time. During Samhain, the living could visit with the dead, who they believed held secrets of the future. Scholars believe that Halloween’s association with ghosts, food, and fortunetelling began with these pagan customs more than 2,000 years ago.
All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day. Many of the customs of the pagan Celts survived even after the people became “Christianized.” In the 800′s A.D., the church established All Saints’ Day on November 1. About two hundred years later, it added All Souls’ Day on November 2. This day was set aside for people to pray for friends and family who had died. People made many of the old pagan customs part of this Christian holy day. Some people put out food for their ancestors or they left a lantern burning in the window so that ghosts could find their way home for the night. Through the years, various regions of Europe developed their own Halloween customs. In Wales, for example, each person put a white stone near the Halloween fire at night and then checked in the morning to see whether the stone was still there. If it was, the person would live another year.
Halloween in the United States. Many early American settlers came from England and they brought various beliefs about ghosts and witches with them. In the 1800′s, many immigrants from Ireland and Scotland arrived in the United States and introduced their Halloween traditions. Other groups added their own cultural influences to Halloween customs. German immigrants brought a vivid witchcraft lore, and Haitian and African peoples brought their native voodoo beliefs about black cats, fire, and witchcraft.
We recognize that this can be a very controversial topic. Some Christians view Halloween simply as a day to dress up in a costume and have fun. Other Christians regard Halloween as a satanic holiday designed to worship evil spirits and promote darkness and wickedness. So, who is right? Is it possible for Christians to participate in Halloween without compromising their faith?
Halloween, no matter how commercialized, has almost completely pagan origins. As innocent as it may seem to some, it is not something to be taken lightly. Christians tend to have various ways to celebrate or not to celebrate Halloween. For some, it means having an “alternative” Harvest Party. For others, it is staying away from the ghosts, witches, goblins, etc., and wearing less evil or pagan costumes, e.g., little princesses, clowns, cowboys, super-heroes, etc. Some choose not to do anything, electing to lock themselves in the house with the lights off. With your freedom as a Christian, you are at liberty to decide how you react.
Scripture does not directly speak at all about Halloween, but it does give us some principles on which we can make a decision. In Old Testament Israel, witchcraft was a crime punishable by death (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27). The New Testament teaching about the occult is clear. Acts 8:9-24, the story of Simon, shows that occultism and Christianity don’t mix. The account of Elymas the sorcerer in Acts 13:6-11 reveals that sorcery is violently opposed to Christianity. Paul called him a child of the devil, an enemy of righteousness and perverter of the ways of God. In Acts 16, at Philippi, a fortune-telling girl lost her demon powers when the evil spirit was cast out by Paul. The interesting matter here is that Paul refused to allow even good statements to come from a demon-influenced person. Acts 19 shows new converts who have abruptly broken with their former occultism by confessing, showing their evil deeds, bringing their magic paraphernalia, and burning it before everyone (Acts 19:19).
So, should a Christian celebrate Halloween? Is there anything evil about a Christian dressing up as a princess or cowboy and going around the block asking for candy? No, there is not. Are there things about Halloween that are anti-Christian and should be avoided? Absolutely! Parents, if you are going to allow your children to participate in Halloween, make sure you keep them from getting involved in the darker aspects of the day. If Christians are going to take part in Halloween, their attitude, dress, and most importantly, their behavior, should still reflect a redeemed life (Philippians 1:27). There are many churches who hold “harvest festivals” and incorporate costumes, but in a godly environment. There are many Christians who hand out tracts that share the Gospel along with the Halloween candy. The decision is ultimately yours to make. God’s view on the subject is clear: “Be Holy, as I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16). “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5b).
God commands us to have nothing to do with anything that smacks of the occult, devil worship, or involvement with the spirit world through the use of mediums, séances, Ouija boards, horoscopes, tarot cards, channeling, etc. He considers all of these an abomination (Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Isaiah 8:19-20; Galatians 5:20; Revelation 21:8), and those who involve themselves in such things invite disaster (Acts 19:13-16).
From the source.. http://www.gotquestions.org/
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