It’s my favorite time of year again…Halloween! There are so many things I love about October 31st — scary movies, fun costumes, yummy treats, and the start of the holiday season. On this fabulous day, children (and adults) dress up in scary, funny, silly, and just plain weird costumes, and head out for a night of festivities. Kids usually partake in trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, and adults head over to the killer party down the street.

But where did it all start? That’s something that I’ve always been curious about but have never looked into. I just recently found out that Halloween was introduced to North America in the 19th century when the Irish immigrants came over.

Here’s what Wikipedia says: “Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the ‘Celtic New Year.’ Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.”

So that explains where the ghosts and goblins come from, but what about the frisky cop and enticing witch? As time has slowly changed the traditional events of the day, the costumes that women wear have slowly become more scarce, not scarier. I’m not saying I haven’t worn those “sexy” costumes (I’ve been a bunny and “sexy” referee) but I think there comes a time when you realize that it’s not really a costume.

I think that Lindsay Lohan’s character in Mean Girls says it best, “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” Yet, knowing that we’re all going to talk about each other later, we still choose to be a provocative pirate. Why not go back to the original costumes? It’s Halloween, not a beauty pageant. Ladies, don’t choose a costume on the basis of who you’ll look better than, pick one that you really want. Even if it’s not the sexiest one out there.

Maybe this year I’ll be something extra scary.

What’s everyone else dressing up as?

Photos credits: Photobucket and FrightCatalog.com