HALLOWEEN CONTEST
October 7, 2014
“Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, Voices whisper in the trees, ‘Tonight is HALLOWEEN!'”
-Dexter Kozen
It’s here, it’s finally here! Halloween is just about my favorite holiday because it represents so many wonderful things. The cooler weather, the beautiful fall colors, the foods and spices, warm candles and smoking chimneys. Let’s not forget the parties, carnivals, costumes and treats!
So before I mention the awesome Halloween Contest, I thought it’d be fun to learn just a little history behind Halloween and its costumes.
It seems that some of the first documented costumes originated from the Celts. In addition to sacrificing animals to the gods and gathering around bonfires, Celts often wore costumes, animal skins and masks, to confuse spirits or perhaps to avoid being possessed, according to the American Folklife Center at the U.S. Library of Congress.
By wearing masks or blackening their faces, Celts are also thought to have impersonated dead ancestors. In an early form of trick-or-treating, Celts dressed as spirits and are believed to have gone from house to house engaging in silly acts in exchange for food and drink—a practice inspired perhaps by an earlier custom of leaving food and drink outdoors as offerings to supernatural beings.
Tribes in ancient Rome, what is now Germany and France, held riotous ceremonies whee they donned the heads and skins of wild mammals as costumes to connect with animal spirits.
Halloween Arrives in America
European immigrants brought Halloween to the United States, and the celebration really gathered steam in the 1800s, when Irish-American immigration exploded.
Anoka, Minnesota, may be home to the United States’ oldest official Halloween celebration. Beginning in 1920, the city began staging a parade and bonfire. As the years have gone by, Halloween customs and traditions have become mainstream and a time of fun for both young and old.
Look at some of the early costumes,
As you can see, some of the early costumes are still pretty dark (devils, witches, demons, and masked animals).
Now it’s time to announce this months Halloween Contest!!!
Houck’s First Annual
Book Character Costume Contest!
Here’s the low down,
1- Pick a costume based on a character from a book
2- Take a picture with you in costume
3- Submit the picture to me at lindalouiselotti@colleenhouck.com
or tweet picture to me at @LindaLouiseLott (must be atleast 18 years old or have permission to share your picture on Colleen Houck’s website)
4- “Dead”-line is November 2nd, 2014
The winner of this months contest will receive a
1st Edition Tiger’s Curse Collectors Book
Tiger T-Shirt
Tiger Bracelet
Treat (candy)
Check out these costumes for ideas (can you identify which ones are me and Colleen?)
Professor from Harry Potter
Hagrid and Harry Potter
Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice
Bert and Mary Poppins (that’s me!)
Olivia the Pig
Hunger Games
Star Trek (that’s our mom!)
Tigers Curse (Colleen at a book signing)
The Frog Prince
Captain Hook
Charlotte’s Web
“The Swamp” Miss Viola Swamp from Miss Nelson is Missing
Historical Fiction
Alice in Wonderland
I hope these give you some ideas! Have fun with this one and stay tuned for lots more spooktacular Halloween blogs this month!
~Till next time,
Linda Louise Lotti
This entry was posted in Contest.
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