Origins of Halloween: Why do we disguise ourselves by dressing in costume?

By Laurie Siblock

Our modern celebration of Halloween has its origins in the Celtic fire festival called “Samhain” (pronounced “SOW-in”) or All Hallowtide. During Samhain, a time of great feasting that signaled the close of the harvest and the beginning of the winter season, the Celts believed that the barrier between this world and the next was thinnest, and it is on this night in particular that spirits from the netherworld walk among us. Along with the cherished spirits of loved ones, it was believed that mischievous spirits were also set free on this night. To avert these unwanted guests, the Celts hid themselves in ghoulish disguise so that the spirits walking about would mistake them as one of their own and pass by. Masked villagers representing the souls of the dead also attempted to trick the spirits by forming a parade and leading them to the town limits. It was in the 1840’s that the custom of Halloween was brought to America by Irish immigrants fleeing their country’s potato famine. They brought with them favourite pranks such as unhinging gates, destroying cabbage patches, tipping over outhouses and generally raising a ruckus. The custom of costuming first came back into popular practice in the late Victorian era, when the holiday was reinterpreted by upper society English, who desiring to downplay the destructive aspects of All Hallows’ Eve, held parties in their homes and focused on, parlour games, divination, and masquerades.

Laurie Siblock is the Assistant Manager at Lang Pioneer Village Museum. Her role in the Village, beginning in 2006, involves crafting special events and working with special projects like the Jacquard Loom Project and Aabnaabin Camp, a First Nations encampment circa 1825 developed in partnership with Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations.  She is also a member of the Kawartha Truth and Reconciliation Support Group. When not at Lang Pioneer Village, she can be found with her nose in a book, often related to First Nation history and social justice, or working away in her fibre art studio.