Remember when were kids that we had a great time donning those Halloween costumes we made or our parents have bought or rented for us? We gang up with the rest of the neighborhood kids and go around screaming “trick-or-treat!” like there’s no tomorrow, leaving our voices hoarse the next day. Well, we basically have experienced it, we let our kids practice it, but do we really know the origin of putting on Halloween costumes in the first place. Some of us may already know but for the benefit of those who don’t, here’s the story.

The origin of the celebration can be traced back to ancient Celtics. The have this feast called Samhain which is a festival held during the end of the harvest season and which is also the Celtic New Year.

According to Celts beliefs, during this time of the year, the spirits of the dead will go up to the surface world and try to posses living bodies for the year to come. To prevent there bodies from being possessed, Celts would light bonfires and dress up in all sorts of morbid costumes just to discourage the spirits of the dead from entering their bodies.

However, the practice of placing costumes in America can be traced to only as recent as the 1900s. It was only in the 1930s that Halloween costumes began to be mass produced. The usual costumes that people rent or make are those of different monsters including but not limited to vampires, ghosts, ghouls, demons, witches, and skeletons.

Even if it is the night that evil is supposed to surface, “good” costumes are also a common choice among children and adults alike. In fact, princess, fairy and angel costumes often times make it to the top ten list of top Halloween costumes.

Also popular are pop culture costumes which mimicked famous personalities, fictional characters, celebrities, and even politicians have an equal share in exposures during Halloween. Women, no thanks to commercial advertising, have also found this a good time to wear sexy outfits to show off their bodies and sexual prowess. But that is another story.

Other costumes that seem to have a following are clowns, nurses, cats, and that lowly Halloween symbol, the pumpkin. Superhero characters are also fast becoming popular costumes no thanks to the comics to movie fever that have hit the silver screen in recent years. The demand for new and modern costumes have put costume makers busy and costume rentals fully booked.

The fact that costumes for Halloween celebration have become so varied that the modern tradition have overshadowed the earlier tradition which makes wearing costumes during Halloween different from other dressing up feasts there is. And that is the concept of dressing up during Halloween is to mimic the supernatural, the ghoulish being, or basically the scary stuff.

Nevertheless, who are we to keep traditions from adapting to the modern times? Things will always evolve, that’s just how things naturally work. We can’t simply insist on wearing only scary stuff during Halloween. Creativity will play a role in this aspect and people will always crave for new things.

So not withstanding the darker origins of wearing Halloween costumes, we and our children and their children will continue to celebrate this day for as long as there are candies to share and creativity to spare.

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.

There will be a lot of kids walking around the neighborhood during Halloween. Apart from the planning for the event, children will be knocking on your door and asking for goodies so be ready for them by exercising these safety tips.

1. If you are going to be at home the whole night, keep your porch lights and any other exterior lights on so they know that they come and knock at your door.

2. If you live in a street where a lot of cars pass regularly, go out so you can tell the drivers not to speed and you can check that there are no acts of malicious mischief or crimes happening against children. Should you see someone out of place, report this directly to the police by dialing 911.

3. For those who have candlelit jack o lanterns on their front porch, make sure that this is placed a bit far from doorsteps or landings. Children could play with it or at worse, their costume could catch fire and you will have a bigger problem on your hands. One alternative is to use lighted bulbs instead.

4. When you are carving a pumpkin or working on a lantern, don’t let the kids touch any of the sharp tools.

5. Your children will choose what they want to wear during Halloween night. Just makes sure that the outfit they choose to wear is flame resistant and is not too long as this could make them trip or fall.

6. Should you own a pet, make sure it is leashed or in a caged as kids who don’t know any better could be discouraged from knocking.

7. When children knock at the door, give candy to each of them. If they push and shove, tell them to line up as there is plenty for everyone. Never invite them into your home so you won’t be accused later on of anything. When everyone’s trick or treat bag has been filled, tell them the safest route to take so they can be on their way. Also, remind them to have their goodies checked first by their parents before eating it.

8. Since everyone is going to give candy, you can do something different by providing them healthier treats. Examples of these include a pack or raisins, pretzels or biscuits since this will not damage to their teeth compared to candy. These are also easy to swallow since some candies may choke the child.

9. Most kids will only go trick or treating in the late afternoon or early evening. So you don’t get a knock at 9pm or 10pm, put up a sign that says you will only be giving out candies until a certain time.

10. If your kids are going trick or treating, remind them of a few things like going around the neighborhood with a group, don’t take candies from strangers, only visit homes of people they know, look both ways before crossing the street, come home at a specified time and have the candies checked before eating them.

Nobody wants anything bad to happen during Halloween. By practicing these safety tips, you are sure that kids who will be knocking on your door as well as your own will have a fun filled evening so everyone will sleep soundly that night.