C&T Publications Eye On Fine Art Photography - October 2014 | Page 63

masking or costuming on Halloween before the twentieth century. Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in America in
the early 1900s, as often for adults as for children. The first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in stores in the 1930s
when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in the United States.
What sets Halloween costumes apart from costumes for other celebrations or days of dressing up is that they are often designed to
imitate supernatural and scary beings. Costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches,
and devils. There are also costumes of pop culture figures like presidents, or film, television, and cartoon characters. Another
popular trend is for women (and in some cases, men) to use Halloween as an excuse to wear particularly revealing costumes,
showing off more skin than would be socially acceptable otherwise.

Trick-or-Treating ( Trick or Treating )
Trick-or-Treating hasn’t always been a part of Halloween celebrations. In fact, Halloween has only been celebrated in the US for a
relatively short time. Celebrating All Hallow’s Eve was a practice that came over to the US with the first large wave of immigrants
who came from Ireland, England and Scotland. In some parts of these countries it was common for kids to go out “guising” on All
Hallow’s Eve to beg for food, money or other items. People who refused to give anything would sometimes find chalk drawings on
their doors the next morning or find they were the victims of other pranks. When immigrants came to the US they brought their
traditions with them and on all All Hallow’s Eve each year in some immigrant communities it would be common to see small
children, usually boys, with makeup or soot on their faces or wearing crude masks made from bags going around begging at
different houses.
At the beginning of the 20th century “guising” was still not very popular and most people didn’t really know what Halloween was.
But by the early 1920s the young trendsetters were beginning to throw lavish Halloween parties and there was renewed interest in
“guising”. Stores started selling pre-made costumes that people could wear to disguise themselves and indulge in a little good
natured Halloween fun. During WWII Halloween celebrations were toned down due to sugar rationing and the generally somber
mood of the nation. By the time the war was over and people started the mad exodus to build homes in the suburbs the celebration
of Halloween had gotten popular. The 50s and 60s were the decades when Trick-or-Treating became the important Halloween ritual
they are today. Trick-or-Treating became the focus of Halloween celebrations because going Trick-or-Treating was seen as a
wholesome activity for the whole family. Trick-or-Treating also became popular in the 50s and 60s because that was when living in
subdivisions and newly built suburban neighborhoods became popular.
Trick-or-Treating remained popular through the 70s and 80s but by the 90s the practice of Trick-or-Treating began to change. Many
different factors like the rise of people living in apar F