Halloween Costumes

 

Welcome to our Halloween Party site.

As Halloween approaches we will be giving you helpful tips and hints about how to organise and arrange your Halloween Party. There are suggestions for you to follow in the coming days; each  ’spooky suggestion‘  follows some  ’sinister snippets‘  and ends with  ’the witches well‘  - a reservoir of resources for getting Halloween things like costumes, decorations, recipes, trinkets, props, accessories, masks etc.

Spooky Suggestions – Guests, who’s coming to your Halloween Party?

 

Sinister Snippets – A Bit of Halloween History

Sinister Snippets – Trick or Treat

The trick or treat custom resembles the late medieval ritual of souling, when poor folk would go door to door on October 31st, receiving food in return for prayers for the dead. It originated in Ireland and Britain, although similar customs for the souls of the dead can be found as far south as Italy. The trick or treat tradition of wearing costumes and masks at Halloween goes back to Celtic customs of attempting to copy the evil spirits to placate them. The dead were impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white.

In Scotland and Ireland, guising (children going from house to house in disguise) is traditional, and the North American playful trick or treat threat is not widely practiced, but the traditional gift – in the form of “apples or nuts for the Halloween party” (nowadays chocolate or candy) is given out to the children dressed up as ghosts and witches. Up until about 1960 children used unusual clothing and face paint or make-up for stunning effect, but these days theme masks and theme outfits have become more popular with the trick or treat ritual. In the 19th and early 20th century Ireland the tricks were frequently a bit alarming— for example, slates were placed over the chimney-pots of houses filling the rooms with smoke.

Although traditions of seasonal guising stretch back at least as far as the Middle Ages, it wasn’t until the late 19th century that Halloween had a strong tradition of “guising”, or trick and treat. In Scotland, the children were only supposed to receive treats if they performed tricks for the households they went to. This normally took the form of singing a song or reciting a joke or a funny poem which the child had memorized before setting out. Occasionally a more talented child might do card tricks, play the mouth organ, or something even more impressive, but most children earnt plenty of treats even with something very simple. Often they didn’t even need to perform their trick. The practice has evolved in the United States where guising is replaced with the North American form of saying “trick or treat”.

Spooky Suggestions – Trick or Treat Tips

“Trick or treat” is for young children and can be fun but take steps to make sure the children are safe. Go in small groups and have an adult with you. Take a flashlight.  Never go inside a house and only call on houses where there is an outside light on.  (People who do not want to be called upon usually leave porch lights off as a signal that they do not want to be disturbed, especially the elderly).  Start your trick or treat outing at about 6pm and finish by 8pm, people don’t want callers after 8-8.30pm. Dress up for the occasion- that’s part of the fun; if there is no trick or treat fancy dress then the event changes ‘trick or treat’ into just plain begging.  Wear a Halloween costume and a mask – the more sinister and scary the better. Have a bag or carton to put your ‘treats’ into but do not eat any of the candy until you get home and have had a chance to look it over in good lighting conditions. For hygiene reasons throw any unwrapped candy away.

Think about the ‘trick’ to play if the person who answers the door opts for the “trick”. Have some jokes ready or do a magic trick.

Watch this this young lad get made up before going out on his trick or treat trip.

The Witches Well – Where to get Tricks or Treats

Here are some trick or treat ideas for candy and vampire makeup:

Trick or treat is just a part of Halloween- see our other pages for  more ideas for your Halloween Party.

Sinister Snippets  – Gifts for Guests – Halloween Party Favors – the tradition

Halloween party favors, known as  party bags in the UK,  are small gifts given to guests as a thank you for attending the party or as a momento of the occasion. The tradition started in the 16^th century where bridal couples in England gave out love knots of lace and ribbon to their guests. The practise has now spread to providing party favors to guests who attend any kind of gathering be it a birthday party , a wedding, or a Halloween party.

Spooky Suggestion  - Halloween Party Favors

Usually presented in a small bag halloween party favors could be small inexpensive toys and or candy and or trinkets. No-one expects an individual present so buying bulk items to give away is perfectly alright.  Just pay attention to the gender of your guests; boys would not appreciate cosmetics, and girls would probably not appreciate miniature cars. Try to keep to the Halloween theme:  for example your Halloween party favors could consist of plastic spiders for boys, and spooky earrings for girls. You might consider giving these out when your guests arrive and they could contain other items to help celebrate the occasion like balloons, masks, crackers, rubber skeletons, witches hats,  etc.  See the links below for Halloween Party Favors.

The Witches Well  – Sources of inspiration

And click here for Halloween Party Favor Box

Sinister Snippets – Decorations

In traditional Halloween festivals decorations were made of large turnips that were hollowed out, carved with scary faces and placed in windows to protect against evil spirits. Elements of the Autumn season such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows would be placed as decorations around the house during Halloween.
(click here for our pumpkin pie recipe).

Spooky Suggestion – Decoration ideas

Decorate the inside of your house with all sorts of scary props like skeletons, spiders, ghosts, the grim reaper, hands cut off at the wrist covered in fake blood, vampires, bats, witches broomsticks, the list is endless.

And for decorations outside you could have a scarecrow on the approach to your drive with imitation crows on its shoulder and about the lawn. Cover the lawn with fake grave stone decorations.  Put up lanterns with eerie glows and decorate your windows in black tissue paper.

The Witches Well – Where to get decorations and materials

Stake a claim in your yard when you decorate with one or several lengths of Halloween gargoyle fence.
Click here for Halloween Gargoyle Fence

Decorate in spooky yet safe style with these handy Flameless Halloween tealights. The battery (included) operated tealights are smokefree, safe and offer a 120 hour count of low-level decorative light to set the scene for a frightful and fun Halloween.
Click here for Flameless Halloween Tealight 6 Pack

Hang a spiders web over your door!
Click here for Halloween Door Swags

How cute – our metal embossed pumpkin container will be what to use every fall for years to come. It is filled wih our creative and delicious sugar Halloween cookies, these kind of decorations are always a favorite.

Sinister Snippets – Superstition: Bad Luck & Folklore

 

Superstition #1

In folklore the black cat was thought to be able to change into a human and spy for witches and demons.  During the Middle Ages this superstition led to people killing black cats.  Some cultures believe black cats to be bad luck, for others a black cat brings good luck.

Superstition #2

If a candle goes out by itself on Halloween then a ghost has arrived.

Superstition # 3

Not casting a shadow is an omen of death to come during the year.

Superstition #4

Another death omen appears if a bat was to fly around your house 3 times.

Superstition #5

Knocking on wood wards off bad luck. The phrase “knock on wood” or “touch wood” is used and derives from the fact that in the 1700’s wood was considered to be the luckiest substance around.

Superstition #6

If you slam a door on Halloween night you might harm a ghost who will then haunt you.

Superstition #7

Hold your breath whilst you drive past a cemetery so that evil spirits can’t enter you.

Superstition #8

If you see a spider watching you on Halloween then there’s a departed loved one watching over you.

Superstition #9

In Celtic times people believed that the Devil gathered nuts. On Halloween when Devils are about nuts were considered lucky charms and would appease the evil ones.

Superstition #10

In the days before the gallows, criminals were hung from the top rung of a ladder and their spirits were believed to linger underneath. Common folklore has it to be bad luck to walk beneath an open ladder and pass through the triangle of evil ghosts and spirits.

Superstition #11

The fear of the number 13 is common. Some buildings do not have an official 13th floor or a house number 13 and many people avoid doing anything or going anywhere on Friday the 13th.

Superstition #12

It’s good luck to find a horseshoe lost by a horse.  You must hang it over your front door with the open end up to prevent the good fortune from spilling out.

Superstition #13

Another origin of the ‘lucky horseshoe’ is the belief that they would ward off witches. Witches, it was once believed, were opposed to horses, which is why they rode brooms and pitchforks instead. By placing a horseshoe over a door, the witch wouldn’t enter.

Superstition #14

If you feel a shiver go up your spine,  someone is walking on your future grave.

Superstition #15

Crows are viewed as a bad omen, often foretelling death. If they caw, death is very near.

Superstition #16

Someone who sits on a Devil’s Chair (a carved chair found in cemeteries) on Halloween night will suffer a dreadful fate: a hand will emerge from a grave and drag the irreverent one down into the underworld.

Spooky Suggestion – Props to put around the party

To create the Halloween atmosphere for your party you need some props. Anything spooky will do but Halloween is celebrated in the Autumn and symbolises the transition from Summer to Winter making Autumnal elements suitable.  You could have a scarecrow in your garden; pumpkins are a traditional prop – cut them out to make a face and put a lighted candle inside. Other Autumnal features include corn husks, straw, fallen leaves, acorns and conkers (from the horse chestnut tree).

The Witches Well – Prop Sources

How about hanging up a door curtain or two covered with spiders and pumpkins?

And get more Halloween accessories by clicking on the picture below

 

 

 

 

Click here for your Halloween costumes and masks ideas.