| The Colorful History of Costumes |
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Today, we mostly see costumes at Halloween or when attending a theatrical event. However, they are much more embedded into all cultures than simply a pumpkin costume in October! The history of the costume is quite colorful-literally!
Costumes have been worn since the beginning of civilization. In ancient times, costumes were used readily for religious ceremonies. In fact, if you visit traditional Native America and African ceremonies, you'll still see the use of elaborate costumes, including masks, headdresses, and jewelry. These costumes are also used to a lesser extent in many other world religions. The first costumes were made with natural materials, modified to fit needs. Carved masks, leather, and feathers were common. From religion revolved the tradition of wearing costumes for theatre productions. Many theatre traditions actually evolved from religious ceremonies. In fact, theatre survived the Dark Ages as religious plays. When pretending to be someone else, costumes of course go hand in hand. This evolved greatly over time. Halloween is the holiday most commonly associated with costumes. This celebration evolved from, again, ancient religious ceremonies-namely, the Celtic fextival called Samhain. During this celebration, the ancient Celts sacrificed animals and wore costumes, many times made from the animals' skins. Later, this evolved into wearing all kinds of costumes. At one point, the Catholic Church established All Saint's Day on November first to take the traditional pagan holiday and make it into something that church-goers could celebrate. Mardi Gras also evolved from religious ceremonies. This celebration is typically help before the season of Lent in order to use up all of the fats and other prohibited foods that remain in the household. Mardi Gras traditionally includes colorful costumes in bright colors like purple, gold, and green. Masks are very important, as are beaded necklaces. Today, Halloween, Mardi Gras, and other events where costumes are used are very commercial. You can purchase almost any kind of costume at a number of costume shops. These range in sizes from babies to adults, and come in all shapes to fit every body size. You can find these costumes especially in the fall, but costume shops are also open year-round. As in ancient times, many people also enjoy making their own costumes. You don't have to carve intricate wooden masks, but sewing your own costume is actually quite easy, and I some cases, you can alter regular clothing items to create a costume (example of this would be wearing patched overalls to be a scarecrow or wearing all black and painting your face white to be a mime). Costumes can come a long way since the dawn of time, but their uses are still similar-they are a way to be someone or something you are not, just for a short time. Article Written by: Peggy Schmitt |