‘An Adult’s Christmas’: Local Halloween experts share why we dress in costume

(WKBN) – Every October 31, you’re sure to see kids and adults dressed in their favorite Halloween costumes.

Why is it that during one day each year we dress in costumes for the spooky season?

Dr. Ronald Brooks shared why this is the case.

Brooks is a retired college professor who performs Halloween-themed events for the Sharon Historical Society. Brooks said the holiday was celebrated in the Celtic Era as “All Hallows’ Eve” and that people would hold bonfires, dress in costume, and wear a mask on October 31 to keep spirits away.

“They didn’t want the spirits or ghosts to recognize them, so they would wear a mask, and they would dress up in some kind of a costume so that a relative or any spirit would not recognize who they are,” Brooks said.

Brooks said people used to make their own costumes in the 19th century with sheets and makeup. He said Halloween became commercialized in the 1920s when companies began selling costumes.

Brooks is in his 80s, and he has fond memories of going to his favorite costume store when he was a kid in Akron. Brooks said back then, all costumes cost less than $4.

Brooks said he loved dressing up like a Jack-O-Lantern, Dracula and Deputy Dog. He said that he cherished his skeleton costume the most.

“I was a skeleton for a couple of years. That seemed to be my perennial favorite,” Brooks said.

Brooks said Trick-or-Treat used to be called “Beggar’s Night.” He said the term Trick-or-Treat was popularized and brought into the mainstream by the Peanuts in the 1950s.

“That’s where the words started to come in Trick-or-Treat. It had to do with Charles Schulz with Charlie Brown,” Brooks said.

Now, Trick-Or-Treaters typically sport an outfit of something that they see out in the world.

Shirley James, owner of Ward’s Costume Shoppe Inc., has noticed over the years that children tend to want to dress up as what they see on television and in the media. She said Beetlejuice is one of the most popular costume choices this year.

“It’s more of whatever they see on TV or on their computers or their screens or their friends are doing,” she said.

James and her family have owned the store for 75 years. James remembers when she was a little girl in the shop that used to be in the basement of her parent’s house in Warren.

“It’s all been family-owned. My dad always would help iron in the back and do different things,” she said.

The store has been on Robbins Avenue in Niles since 2002. James said Halloween costumes have changed a lot over the years. She said people are spending more money on Halloween costumes because fewer people have the sewing skills needed to make costumes themselves.

“You used what you had at home and maybe went with accessories and a little bit of makeup or the parents made the outfits. Most of them were homemade outfits,” James said.

James gave a unique reason as to why Halloween costume styles have changed and more adults celebrate the fall holiday.

“You didn’t see the adult parties. Now I feel Halloween is more an adult Christmas because the adults can dress up whatever they want and have a good time,” she said.

James said she loves to help kids and adults pick out their Halloween costumes.

“I enjoy helping people. I always tell people I want to pick their brain when they come in,” she said.

At 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 13, Brooks will present a lecture on the origins of Halloween and its history throughout the decades, the paranormal, and the relationship between Halloween and the supernatural. Brooks will be alongside local physician Dr. Gregory George and Mercer County Coroner John A. Libonati.

The event is organized by the Sharon Historical Society and takes place at The Block by Nova Destinations in Sharon. To buy tickets for the event, visit the Sharon Historical Society’s website.

Brooks is excited to see everyone at the event and watch them react.

“It’s quite interesting to the group that you get and watching the audience interact and how they respond to what I’m telling them. A lot of them are very quiet. They’re listening because they’ve never heard it before,” Brooks said.

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