David Lawson writes about costumes, Halloween and other holidays. Checkout his Toy Story Halloween Costumes site and sign up for his free report on how to save when buying cheap Halloween costumes.
The Story of Halloween
Halloween, a day of fright, folklore, goblins and above all fun for all those who are of a mind to simply enjoy themselves by letting loose their imagination however many may ask what is the history behind this holiday that has come to be celebrated through out the world? First off all we might ask what are the origins of the name Halloween and what if any meaning does it have? Regarding the origins of the word Halloween, the answer is a simple one. It all started many centuries ago when there was a Catholic holiday called “All Martyr’s Day”; celebrated on May 13 however it came to be that the date of this holiday was changed to the 1st of November while the name transformed to All Saint’s Day”. This change prompted that October 31, the day before came to be known as “All Hollow’s Evening”. As one can now observe “Halloween” is the short form of these two words, put in to one. This explains the name Halloween however what about the rest? Where did it came about that people took to putting on customs in an attempt to frighten others? Well the explanation to this lies in Ireland; as it was there and according to the calendar of the Celts that the 1st of November was the first day of the year which made the 31st of October the last day. Tradition had it that on this last day of the year which the Celts referred to as Samhain; the line that separated the living from the dead all but disappeared; making it possible for the souls of the dead to intermingle with the living. However the souls of the dead contacted the living with evil intensions. These being to posses their bodies so they might come back to the world of the living, thus escaping from the spiritual world. It was secure in their believe that ancient Celtics felt the need to put on costumes of fright which they felt would surely ward off those evil spirits which were bound to attempt to posses their bodies. In a way one could see that this to the Celtics which eventually became a tradition was not really so much a matter of having fun but a form of saving their souls and bodies; therefore it was with this in mind that they also went about their neighborhoods making as much noise as possible. Now in the 21st century, we of course can think of this is as being silly but to the Celts it was anything but as it sometimes happened that after Samhain; a person was even killed by those near him or her who believed the person they were killing was no longer the person they had known but a body inhabited by an evil spirit. Naturally with the passing of the years, faith in the concept that one could have one’s body taken waned and Halloween became a more ceremonial event as well as a joyous one for both children and adults. Now a days for instance in the United States, Halloween is the second biggest money making holiday. Second only to Christmas as it is during the weeks that lead up to this day that many a person; both very young and not so young go out and purchase a costume in order to attend either a Halloween party or go “trick or treating”. Costumes however are not the only items available to those wishing to spend money on the celebration of Halloween as they may also acquire decorations, games and even foods connected with this day of ghosts and witches. Yes, Halloween even serves for the purpose of selling food products such as cakes and other edible objects which are made with decorations pertaining to this very special day of the year. All of which making Halloween a day which has more to it then just putting on strange clothes. During the last few years however the fad has lead people away from costumes of freight such as ghosts or vampires and in to more diversified fields such as some of the younger ladies dressing up as princesses while some of the boys do so as action heroes such as Batman. Of course there are those who obtain their ideas for dressing up from history books and become Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington or other such characters whose image has lasted through out the years. I for my part ;if I could find the costume which would make me the character I wish to be? This I can say with all sincerity that I would become Darth Vader or at least for the day that is Halloween. This being the case since I am a huge Star Wars fan. Halloween in this day and age is celebrated all through out the world and contrary to what many may think it did not start in the United States but in Ireland and it was also there that the idea of bobbing for apples came about as the Romans brought it when they invaded many years later. Another Halloween tradition in the United States is “trick or treating” however this concept is not connected so much with Samhain but with a certain group of people; who during the middle ages performed an act which came to be called “souling”. Souling being where a person would knock on somebody’s door asking for “soul cakes” in exchange for which he or she would say a prayer for the souls of the dead relatives of the one who should be generous enough to give out “soul cakes”. Today however this practice has changed in many ways as it has turned in to children going from door to door saying “trick or treat”; where the person answering the door is confronted with the choice of either giving a treat which might be a sweet or something of the sort or having some dastardly trick played on his home. These tricks however for the most part are harmless and limited to having something written on his or her door with chalk (which can be easily washed away) or some trash being left and rarely if ever go beyond what could be hailed as a prank. In conclusion we could say that Halloween is a day that can be celebrated by just about anybody given its not being either a religious holiday nor one connected to patriotism; all of which makes it the ideal international holiday it has become. As for myself personally it has been in the time which I have lived in Poland that I have made every effort to bring the tradition of Halloween not only to my daughter, Paullina but to her friends who last year much to my near shock and that of several of the neighbors went out “trick or treating”. All of which made me see that my efforts to bring the wonder of Halloween to Poland have not been in vain.
My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. As for the details regarding my life I would say that there is nothing that lifts them above the ordinary. I was born in New York City in 1967 on May 21st and am presently living in Warsaw, Poland where I wrote my first book “New York’s Opera Society” now Available on Amazon.
Article from articlesbase.com
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When it comes to choosing Halloween costumes it seems as though Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Jessie are perfect selections because it’s like their characters were drawn for the occasion. You would be hard pressed to to find a film that inspired more Halloween outfits than the animated Toy Story.
One of a Kind Toy Story Costumes
It’s easy to rely on the most famous Toy Story characters if you’re looking for Toy Story Halloween costumes that are sure to be a success. Yet, you should think about some of the secondary players in the Toy Story films when choosing a costume this Halloween.
Of course, Toy Story costumes don’t need to be limited to the three most well known characters. These are some lesser known players that would make excellent Toy Story costumes:
Little Bo Beep
This toy is modeled after Little Bo Beep from the popular children’s story. In the first movie, Bo Beep plays the object of Sheriff Woody’s affections, so this Toy Story costume would work great as a couples costume. You can probably find what you need to create a cute shepherdess ensemble at a local thrift shop.
Hamm
Hamm really stole the show for many fans of the Toy Story films. Purchasing a pig costume would allow you to create a Toy Story costume in Hamm’s image rather easily. He is a piggy bank, so you just need to make it obvious that there’s a coin slot on the back and a cork on the tummy. Of course you can simply find a ready-made Hamm costume online if that’s more up your alley.
The Well-Known Mr. Potato Head
Everybody knows about the Mr. Potato Head toy. It’s a large plastic potato with interchangeable parts that are very colorful. As far as Toy Story costumes, he makes an excellent one! You can get quite creative with Mr. Potato head and all the possibilities his many parts present.
Mrs. Potato Head makes a great costume choice for females. Her costume looks quite similar to Mr. Potato Head, just more girly looking. In fact, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head costumes would work great for couples!
Because Sarge Says So
Everyone remembers the leader of the green plastic toy soldiers, Sarge. His character is still quite popular and it’s simple to copy his green army uniform for a one of a kind Toy Story costume.
It doesn’t matter whether you pick Hamm, Sarge, Mr. Potato Head or Bo Peep, you’ll surely have a great time at your costumed event. Remember, why not be yourself instead of like everyone else by standing out in your one of a kind Toy Story costume? The Toy Story character you choose doesn’t matter nearly as much as the attitude you bring with it!
Halloween is not just about wearing a scary costume. You will also have to decorate your house and instead of buying these from the store, you can make some of these on your own. Here are a few of them.
1. You might think that ketchup is the only thing around to make fake blood but you are wrong. You can also make some using a cup of corn syrup, a tablespoon of water, 2 tablespoons of red food coloring and tablespoon of yellow food coloring. Once you mix this all together, you will realize that it looks more realistic than ketchup.
2. If you want to make people think that there wild animals in the bushes, you will need a string of Christmas lights and some 35mm film canisters. With the canisters facing you, drill two holes on each one so you can create the eyes. Now put the string of Christmas lights so that the light will come out of each hole. To make it stay in place, put a piece of tape over it.
Should you be using white lights, cut a small piece of red cellophane wrap and put this over the lights to create the impression that there are wolves behind the bushes.
3. In order to create tombstones, you will need some Styrofoam, a can or two of grey sprain paint and a marker. Cut the Styrofoam to the desired size and height, spray it over using the spray paint and then write down the name of the person on the gravestone. When you are finished, plant these on your porch.
4. To create some home made bats, you will again need some foam. Another option will be to use construction paper. When you have the materials, cut them out in the shape of bat. Paint these black and then stick this to you ceiling or plaster this on your window.
5. If you have a chandelier inside your home, go to the forest and see if you can pick up a few dead branches. When you bring them home, try to put these around your chandelier.
6. You can also create some Halloween d?cor using some old glass jars. Put in some plastic insects and body parts and then mix this up with food coloring and water. To make it look more authentic, put in ragged gauze or a waxed string then put this on the dining table.
7. Spiking the punch bowl is probably something you did back in college but for Halloween, people will surely laugh when they see a hand inside. For this, you will need a plastic glove and some ice. Put the ice inside the glove then close it so the ice will not go out and the glove will be able to float in the bowl.
8. Halloween is not the same without a pumpkin. You can’t make this so you have to buy one from the store. You can take out the contents inside then put a candle or just buy the already carved one and place this in front of your house.
There are other Halloween decorating ideas you can do inside and outside your home. All you need to do is browse for a few ideas online and then follow the instructions.
Hanging fake spider webs and creating your own lanterns is one way to decorate your house during Halloween. If you want to make something bigger or more life like, why not add a mummy?
To make one, you don’t have to buy a mannequin or an inflatable. You will need though a lot of newspaper since this will help make up the entire body.
When all the parts are ready, hold everything together using some tape then begin wrapping the mummy using bandages. The best ones to use are those used in the hospital. Since this is too expensive, you will have to substitute this with toilet paper instead. It is best to use the plain kind since people will probably laugh if they noticed that it has a flowery design.
Now that your mummy is ready, put this where there is a lot of traffic like beside the front door to your house or in the dining room.
If you want to scare people, put this in places where they don’t expect like the bathtub or the closet. If people ask where the toilet is, just give them the directions. The same goes if people come in and want to hang their coat then just wait until you hear a loud scream.
Another way of making a mummy will require adult size clothes for a large mummy and child size clothes for a small one. When you have it, lay these on the floor and start stuffing it using newspaper. If you notice, the end result will make your mummy look like a scarecrow.
For the hands of the mummy, get a pair of gloves then attach this to the arm then wrap this up using toilet paper or gauze. If you can spare an old white bed sheet which you can cut into strips, even better.
As for the head, try inflating a balloon or a gallon sized milk jug then put this near the collar of the shirt. Continue wrapping until you are also able to cover the mummy’s face. If you want to put some eyes, use black construction paper then glue this on the face.
While most mummies lie still, you can make your mummy different by letting it sit upright on a chair. One suggestion will be put the chair beside the table where the candies are.
Your life sized mummy will look great wherever you decide to put it. If the tissue, gauze or strips should come off just patch it up as fast as you can.
Although most mummies are color white, you can give it an aged appearance by using some spray paint. The two ideal colors to use for this are translucent beige and brown which you can easily buy from the craft store.
When Halloween is all over, take one last look at the mummy and then take it apart. Some of the stuff you use can be recycled for next year while the rest has to be thrown in the trash.
Now that you know how to make a life sized mummy, you can also use the toilet paper and gauze to create your own Halloween costume. If the two are identical, some people will think that they are talking to you when actually they are talking to a dummy.
The perfect and scariest Halloween costume would not be enough without the mask. Since the face is first thing that people gaze on to when he or she meets somebody, a Halloween mask worn during a party would definitely determine how scary can you get.
Today, there are so many Halloween masks being sold in various bookshops and specialty stores out there. You can choose from your favorite characters from horror, thriller, or sci-fi movies. You can even find masks which as truly Halloween inspired such as ghosts, ghouls, and monsters.
In most specialty stores, the most popular Halloween masks include gaping wraith mask, glow in dark hockey mask, meateater mask, Batman the dark knight Joker mask, deep sea mask, devil’s rejects Captain Spaulding mask, whispers hooded mask, Harry Potter dementor mask, elegant devil mask, leatherface deluxe mask, Batman the dark knight grumpy clown mask, that’s not funny clown mask, got your goat mask, red skull mask beanie, white skull mask beanie, skull mask blue beanie and so much more. If you are into departed celebrities, you can even find some which are created in their memory.
But, if you are the type who gives so much emphasis on creativity, uniqueness, and resourcefulness, then you should try making your own mask. The following are just some of your options in making your very own Halloween mask:
1. Improvised latex Halloween masks. Many people would agree that latex or hard plastic masks could be quite uncomfortable once worn. And why not? These are made from synthetic plastic materials and can even be harmful when not used properly. So if are not into wearing latex masks sold in specialty shops, you can create your very own latex inspired mask.
Here, you’ll be needing poster board or light weight cardboard, elastic or tongue depressor, and various embellishments to make the mask stand out. The instructions are quite simple, you need to cut the board with the shape of your face, cut it out, punch holes in each side of the mask and decorate it using various embellishments such as poster paints, feathers, glitter, and everything you wish to put in. The good thing about this is you can make your mask as scary and as ghoulish as you want it to be.
2. Simple paper and cloth masks. This is quite popular and easy to do because all you will be needing is a used cloth which can come from a used pillowcase or shirts, permanent markers, a pair of scissors, and lots of duck tape. Doing a paper and face mask is easy because all you have to do is lay the cloth flat and cut a hole in the center of the cloth. Afterwards, you need to take a piece of paper and draw the mask that you like. Then, turn the cloth inside out and lay the mask face down.
Using the duct tape, tape the sides of the mask down to the cloth and cut the eye holes. Let the duct tape grip the cloth and paper well then you can now decorate your Halloween mask using markers and other crafts and embellishments that you want to include.
3. Your very own printed mask. If you are not the type who is into work stuff such as cutting, pasting, and drawing, you can still make your very own Halloween mask through the use of computer. Today, there are so many sites, which offer Halloween mask patterns, which are ready for printing.
You can choose from a wide array of styles and characters depending on what or who would you want to portray. If you are knowledgeable on various computer programs and software such as Photoshop, you can design your very own mask and print it out.
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