Halloween Masks
Halloween Masks – Traditional to Fad
When people hear the words, “Halloween masks,” the image that immediately comes to mind varies depending on several factors. The time and region play important roles in the first idea you have. Though fads and popular masks have come and gone, one thing remains constant. There’s something downright fun about donning Halloween masks and becoming someone you’re not – even just for an evening.
Our tradition of wearing masks probably dates back to around the 5th Century with the Celts. According to some historical accounts, these Celts believed that the night of October 31 was a mystical time for those who were already dead. During the darkness of the night, the line between the spirit world and that of the living became distorted. Spirits were allowed to cross the line and search for a body to inhabit.
By some accounts, the Celts believed that if they dressed in ghoulish costumes and ran around wreaking havoc, the spirits would be dissuaded. Other accounts indicate that the spirits weren’t out to find bodies, but only to wreak havoc of their own. The costumes were part of the Celts’ rites aimed at keeping the spirits at bay.
Regardless of the account that’s true, it’s probable that our own tradition of wearing Halloween masks dates back to this timeframe.
Halloween Masks – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Remember that the options of those early Celts were limited. Costumes were probably made of animal hides. Animals that were killed around the time of the festival were cured, including the heads. Those hides were used as the costumes.
If you look back at the Halloween masks that have been popular over the years, three come immediately to mind – ghosts, witches and monsters. The connotations with cults are the likely reason for the popularity of these particular masks. Anyone over the age of 30 probably remembers wearing a plastic face mask at least for at least one trick-or-treating episode.
As is true with almost everything, the simple plastic masks of a few decades ago are still available but have been largely replaced. Today, monster masks may have glow-in-the dark features or may ooze “blood” that is then captured and recycled over the mask.
Dracula has also been a consistently popular Halloween mask. With the release of movies such as “Hell Boy” and “Van Helsing,” those characters also became popular for Halloween costumes.
But not all the popular masks have been scary. Various political figures and actors have also become popular Halloween masks. Typically, these are people who have specific features – Richard Nixon with his squared face and large nose, or Jay Leno with his distinctive chin.
Naturally, the most popular cartoon characters of the moment will usually be offered as Halloween costumes. These also tend to come and go as the popularity fades.
One Halloween mask option that tends to remain in style is the clown. This sometimes includes a full face mask, but may be nothing more than a strap-on nose over face paint.
In the final count, there are some classic Halloween masks that will likely remain popular. Dracula, clowns, witches, ghosts and monsters seem to top the list. You may opt for one of these this Halloween season, or you may choose to follow the current fads. Regardless, finding the perfect Halloween mask is almost as much fun as the trick-or-treating – Almost!
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