Costume craftsmanship
Darkness shrouds the last night of October and only the light from the moon illuminates a crowded street. Thrills and chills fill up the neighbor’s house as they excitedly wait for the knocking of the door and the beaming words of “trick or treat!” Straddling the line between fall and winter, fun and fear, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition.
Halloween is the time for creative people to show off and parade their often bizarre costumes. But the hassle and pressure before the night of the celebration can be very frantic and overwhelming. “I was a demon last year and I made this really big mask,” says Sophomore Danielle Gomez. “It was made of paper mosaic, helmet, tissue box, and tooth picks. I bought this zombie costume and my friend and I added ripped up costumes to it. I prepared for it for a month.”
However, the stress of making a costume is sometimes lessened with the help and support of family members. Junior Naomi Tarling says, “I woke up in the morning really early and my dad spent like an hour painting my face with camouflage colors.”
Junior Valeria Beltran has the same experience. She says, “I was a butterfly in third grade. My mom had to make the dress and my own antlers. I felt guilty because she did all the work.”
After the costume has been made the excitement does not end. Through their creativity, many individuals make new friends. Senior Andreana Grant says, “My brother and I were wearing 101 Dalmatian costumes in second grade. We were in the park, and surprisingly we saw two Dalmatian dogs. They licked us and almost sniffed our butts.”
In addition to these experiences, part of the fun of Halloween is figuring out what other people are portraying. Most of the time it is easy to identify what people are dressed up as, but other times it is as difficult as solving a math problem. Junior Alekhya Veeramalla says, “The only costume I had was an Indian princess, because I always wear Indian clothes… People just won’t understand what I was.”
Sometimes, things do not turn out the way they have been planned. “I was a medieval princess in fourth grade. I felt weird and uncomfortable because my dress was too long. The size of it was bigger than my actual size so I kept stepping on it,” says Junior Katherine La Serna.
However, even if most are enthusiastically preparing for Halloween, there are some who simply do not want to be part of the frenzied celebration.
Sophomore Jamie Lo says, “I do not wear costumes on Halloween. I’m kind of a home buddy.”
There are also some people who do not celebrate Halloween because of their culture or their own personal views. Junior Ayelet Brown-Jackson says, “I don’t celebrate that much because of religious reasons. We never answer the door when there are kids trick or treating.” On the other hand, Senior Laci Moore has a different view about wearing costumes. She says, “This would be my last year to wear a costume because I’m getting kind of too old.” Whether everyone participates or not, the fun and exciting spirit that Halloween provides, give everyone something to look forward to.
Others prefer to be fascinated by other people’s costumes, rather than be the one stared at. Senior Rashmi Jain says, “There were like these two students that used to go to this school, and they always used to dress up as prostitutes. Every year, every Halloween, there were these two guys who used to do that. I thought it was really really funny.” Surely, Halloween is not only for the participants but also for the viewers.
Halloween is one of the oldest and most popular holidays in America. It means kids running around in costumes, and family and friends getting together and exchanging pleasantries with each other. Others still see its superstitious nature or its ties to deceased. Nevertheless, besides a visit from the tooth fairy the next day, it is the only holiday that gives you the excuse to eat all the sugar you want and wear whatever you want.
