With Halloween firmly established as the second-busiest holiday for commercial activity in the US, (after Christmas), and with its popularity growing worldwide, it is still regarded by most of us as a children's affair, most typically for toddlers and those in the early grades of elementary school. At around age 10 or so, it tends to be less "cool" to the kids, and in fact some cities have an outright ban on "trick or treating" for ages 13 and up to avoid the inevitable mischief teens like to create. So we have a Halloween characterized by little Harry Potters, devils, witches, etc. etc. struggling up and down the neighborhood with bedraggled parents in tow.
The other Halloween skips right over the "tweens" and teens and goes right for the adult market. Back in 1999, an American Express retail survey indicated that as much as 28% of adults surveyed planned to put on a costume themselves, which was already significantly higher than the year before. And of course, because they're "adults", couples Halloween costumes and those for men or women can be as outrageous or controversial as one wishes, or as much as one wishes to test the boundaries of their crowd of friends and colleagues.
Some would posit that the adult enjoyment of Halloween is not because of the holiday per se, but is really a continuation of the popularity of the masquerade ball as a form of socialization, dating back to the middle-ages. Originating as elaborate costume pageants in the royal courts of the 15th century, masquerade balls were extended to the populace through large-scale public festivities such as those characterizing the Renaissance period in 16th century Italy. Costumed events have worked their way into literature (Edgar Alan Poe's story Hop Frog), opera (Verdi's A Masked Ball), modern musicals (Phantom of the Opera) and the cinema (Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut). There are many more examples.
The masquerade event creates an air of mystery and intrigue - nothing is what it seems, you are not yourself. The rich man can play a hobo, the poor man a king. It is fun to see how people project parts of their "secret" identity into the costumes they wear. Couples in Halloween costumes can create a fantasy relationship for a short time, and explore aspects of one another that may be hidden in their day-to-day lives.
A full-blown masquerade ball would be hard to find or get invited to for most of us, but Halloween provides the perfect opportunity to experience some of the excitement and fun of one in an informal and inexpensive way.
R V Green
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