Halloween Costumes

[ThesFlishThngs]

Halloween 2007

Great look! And I covet those boots.

 

[Undertow]

I think what it comes down to is that in the UK there is still a stronger connection for many folks to the original concept of Halloween. The festival's roots lie in pre-Christian Ireland, with Samhain, the Celtic day of the dead. That night, which marked the end of the pagan year, was the night in which evil spirits were said to return and roam among the living. The Jack O'Lantern's original purpose was to ward them off. Growing up in Ireland in the 70s, 80s and into the 90s, I grew up with Halloween (though it did tend to go in and out of fashion in god-fearing, Christian homes likes ours lol ). Here in England, it seems to me that Guy Fawkes (who was framed!) and bonfire night were the bigger tradition.... Halloween here now exists in two forms - the old tradition which was brought over with Irish immigrants over the years, and the repackaged, commercialised version that is being sold back this way from the US. While I think it's still a different experience here than in the US (especially in Ireland, where it really is part of the folks tradition), I can see changes coming in from US influence which I find a real shame. Don't get me wrong, this is not anti-US sentiment on my part, but it irks me when I see even sometimes in Ireland people using pumpkins for their Jack O'Lanterns, which is very much a recent phenomenon, as in the last ten to fifteen years in Northern Ireland. The original Jack O'Lanterns - and the ones of my youth were always turnips. Pumpkins came in when the Irish emigrated to the US and found a local substitute for their traditional turnips. Now that the estival has been commcericialise and sold back, this deviation from the tradition is what is often perceived as the norm now.

Details like that aside, Halloween in Ireland and the UK is still very much themed around ghosts and ghouls, and you will usually find some form of the sinister, tragic, evil or otherwise negative (see: BaseBall Furies! ) in the costumes worn by folks. I do imagine that will slowly change, though, assuming Hollywood maintains the cultural influence it has enjoyed over the past generation.

Interesting points you raise.

Excellent, thanks for all that information.

So let me ask you, when you say Jack O'Lanterns are made from turnips, do you mean the typical US tradition (pumpkin with candle and carved face) except using a turnip? Just curious, as I'd like to try a turnip this year.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

lGhostsoldier, the Star Wars bounty hunter look is very impressive (is that one of the Fett family?). nice look! I used to want a suit of Stormtrooper armour, but then Greedo shot first and it all died for me.....

Edward...yes, it's a Mandalorian warrior (same race as Fett), scratchbuilt from top-to-bottom in 2 weeks time for DragonCon 2007...boy, was I ever ready to be finished with that costume!
Rob

 

[Diamondback]

fftopic: Star Wars geekery warning ahead!

Edward...yes, it's a Mandalorian warrior (same race as Fett), scratchbuilt from top-to-bottom in 2 weeks time for DragonCon 2007...boy, was I ever ready to be finished with that costume!
Rob

Actually, looks more like the ancient Mandalorians who fought alongside the original Sith against the Old Republic and its Jedi. (Tales of the Jedi comic series--you can see that it's clearly related to the armor of later Mandalorians like the Fetts, but distinctly a less refined form.)

BTW, Mando are a culture, not a race--while most of them are human, they would adopt any being that was willing to adopt their way of life into that culture--even their Jedi nemeses.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

fftopic: Star Wars geekery warning ahead!

Actually, looks more like the ancient Mandalorians who fought alongside the original Sith against the Old Republic and its Jedi. (Tales of the Jedi comic series--you can see that it's clearly related to the armor of later Mandalorians like the Fetts, but distinctly a less refined form.)

BTW, Mando are a culture, not a race--while most of them are human, they would adopt any being that was willing to adopt their way of life into that culture--even their Jedi nemeses.

Geekyness to the nth power!

Actually, it's started as a custom armor suit of a Supercommando/Mandalorian Protector, 2nd Group under Boba Fett, then changed to reflect service as an independent bounty hunter for the Guild Reform Committee in later years. My character is not all-human, and not of the Mando'ade culture, per se; Iridionian Zabrak and human by birth (like Maul) in 30 BBY....see me here: http://mercs.firespray.net/wiki/index.php?title=Ohl'd_Vart

Geekyness transmission over.
Rob

 

[Diamondback]

Interesting plays on words there, GS. Are you sure you aren't cut out to be The Punisher? lol

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Funny story there, DB: we were looking for a name to put on my D-Con badge, and since I was the oldest guy (at the time) in the Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club, I figured "old fart" would fit the bill....the name stuck, and the rest is history!
See what we do here: http://mercs.firespray.net/forum/index.php
Rob

 

[Edward]

Excellent, thanks for all that information.

So let me ask you, when you say Jack O'Lanterns are made from turnips, do you mean the typical US tradition (pumpkin with candle and carved face) except using a turnip? Just curious, as I'd like to try a turnip this year.

Yes, exactly. The pumpkins were simply a local substitute once they landed in the New World. A bit like, I suppose, turkeys, once discovered over there, supplanted geese or ducks as Christmas Dinner centrepiece...

The practical differences you'll find with the turnip will be that you'll search hard to find one as large as the average pumpkin, and, given the consistency of the turnip - it's a solid root vegetable, not unlike a giant potato in feel - it'll be much harder to hollow out. That said, I've always felt it worth it.... and I usually try to have a haggis in the freezer for when I'm done carving, goes very nicely with the turnip (mixing traditions a little, but hey...).

Edward...yes, it's a Mandalorian warrior (same race as Fett), scratchbuilt from top-to-bottom in 2 weeks time for DragonCon 2007...boy, was I ever ready to be finished with that costume!
Rob

lol I know the feeling - when I made the Jack Skellington costume, I spent all of a Friday night and then 10am on the Saturday through to 3am on the Sunday painting on the white stripes.... At least it was dry by the time it came to the event on the Sunday night!

fftopic: Star Wars geekery warning ahead!

Actually, looks more like the ancient Mandalorians who fought alongside the original Sith against the Old Republic and its Jedi. (Tales of the Jedi comic series--you can see that it's clearly related to the armor of later Mandalorians like the Fetts, but distinctly a less refined form.)

BTW, Mando are a culture, not a race--while most of them are human, they would adopt any being that was willing to adopt their way of life into that culture--even their Jedi nemeses.

Ah, gotcha - this is all after my time, I'm afraid Star Wars and all my interest in it really was killed off by those diaboloical prequels. Great costume, though!

 

[Story]

Halloweens past

I'd be interested in seeing how some of the costume prequels (as discussed in FL threads past) worked out.

To wit
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=12942

And just to get everyone in the proper decorating mood, a redux -

 

[Story]

Oops, wrong thread. Nevermind....

 

[K.D. Lightner]

This Halloween, I've decided to show up as myself, no costume.

At my age, that's really scary.

karol

 

[LizzieMaine]

This Halloween, I've decided to show up as myself, no costume.

At my age, that's really scary.

karol

Year before last I showed up at work Halloween night wearing my bathrobe, a hairnet, and face cream, with a sign around my neck that said "I HAVENT HAD MY TEA YET." Clearly the most terrifying costume ever.

 

[Diamondback]

Story, you are Damaged Goods, dude...

 

[Edward]

Year before last I showed up at work Halloween night wearing my bathrobe, a hairnet, and face cream, with a sign around my neck that said "I HAVENT HAD MY TEA YET." Clearly the most terrifying costume ever.

lol

 

[Ethan Bentley]

A Richard O'Brian costume would be pretty good.

 

[Edward]

A Richard O'Brian costume would be pretty good.

Yeah, and dead easy.....

Not quite indetical to the black with cheetah accents drape from Season One (friends own that jacket, so i can compare directly! lol), but it amused Himself when he saw me in it....

I do want the reverse colouration he also wore, as per your photo. Gotta wait til the pennies mount up...

 

[Zemke Fan]

Planning to build a costume around one of these...

badges from "Wild Bills"

or

 

[Panache]

From past Halloweens

Robin Hood and Poison Ivy

Butterfly Collector and Prey (this was at a Scottish Country Dance class party hence the ghillie dance shoes)

Jessica Rabbit and a Highwayman

Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh

This year my lovely wife and I will dressing for Halloween as Macbeth ands Lady Macbeth

Cheers

Jamie

 

[Edward]

Great costumes! your wife has the most fantastic hair, which she clearly puts to good use in choosing costumes like Jessica Rabbit and Poison Ivy - very nicely done!

 

[Story]

This year my lovely wife and I will dressing for Halloween as Macbeth ands Lady Macbeth

She going to accessorize?