The History Behind Halloween - Do You Know the Truth?

Halloween can also be called the feast of Hallowmas, All Saints Day, or Allhallows. The history behind Halloween is connected all the way back to the ancient druids. Now the Druids that believe that on this evening the lord of the dead called upon host for evil spirits. The Druids they would light fires on the night of Halloween for the purpose of warding off the evil spirits. The ancient Celts they believed that the history behind Halloween was that the last evening of the year and people of this time would actually examine portents for the future.

The Celts also believed that spirits of the dead revisited their homes on the night of Halloween. When Romans conquered Britain they added Halloween to the Roman Harvest festival on the first of November. The history behind Halloween says that the Celtic tradition of lighting fires on Halloween has survived until modern times. Even the Roman Harvest Festival traditions are still being used today. Like when we dunk apples in a tub of water and carve faces on jack-O-lanterns and placing the candles in them.

Halloween is the night where the line between the dead and the living become blurred.

history behind Halloween says that the idea of wearing costumes and doing more of the modern activities came about in the twentieth century. Turnips they turned into the use of pumpkins then later carving into jack-O-lanterns. history behind Halloween says that wearing scary costumes or Masks came from Celtics who wore them in order to scare away food scavengers. Hunters turned into what is widely known today as wearing Halloween costumes. The idea of leaving food behind or feeding children turned into 'trick or treat'

Visit www.holidaytop10list.info for more Halloween ideas to make this Halloween season one that you will not soon forget.

Venetian Masquerade Masks - History and Uses

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The use of Venetian masquerade Masks originated from Venice, Italy for their festival. This kind of mask was worn during the Carnival that was first documented use was shown as far back as the 13th century.

During the carnival in Venice, people used Masks to hide their true faces and be able to mingle with people of different social standings. This way their identity and social status are kept hidden. This is also true for today's masquerade parties where Venetian masquerade Masks are worn. Wearing of Venetian masks was more favoured by the upper classes during the past centuries.

Aside from hiding the identity of the wearers, men and women are able to experiment sexually without the fear of being recognized. Anyone who admires somebody is able to express his or her love or affection without having to show his or her face. People tend to say more and become more honest when they wear masks. They can do what they want more freely and inhibitions are released.

The modern Venetian masks, just like the Venetian masks worn back in 13th century are characterized by their complex designs. They are featured with bright colors accented with gold or silver. Most of the designs of the Venetians are adopted from Commedia dell'arte. These masks are of different shapes and they can also be full-face masks such as Bauta or eye masks such as Columbina.

Venetian masquerade masks can be made from several materials such as plasters, leather and paper mache. They are usually hand painted that have fabric trims, jewels and other materials to enhance them.

Aside from the examples of Venetian masquerade masks that were mentioned, other kinds of these masks are Volto or Larva, Moretta, Medico Della Peste or "The Plague Doctor" and others. The classical long nose style of masks is still a popular kind of Venetian masquerade masks that are worn at many events.

These kinds of masks have been used and are famous in the Hollywood. They were used in the film Eyes Wide Shut where Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman are the lead actor and actress.

Venetian masquerade masks are still being worn by many people who attend masquerade balls to bring elegance and beauty to the ones who wear them.

Serena Mason is a masquerade masks expert with years of experience in the industry. Check out her sites on masquerade ball masks by clicking the links now!

Halloween Masks and the History of Halloween

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By far and away the most popular use of Masks today, loosely but definitely within the drama arena, is for the annual ritual of Halloween, and most of all within the US.

The evening of the 31st October has long been celebrated in Church circles as the eve of All Saints' Day and is properly known as All-hallow-even. Originally, in pre-Christian Britain, this was New year's Eve. Basically it's a Vigil for the morrow's Feast commemorating all the saints and martyrs, who originally had no specific public recognition in the form of their own feast day, and was finally instituted in its current form in the 9th century. Subsequently the 2nd November was dedicated to all the other holy souls who have made it to Heaven, but not been canonised as saints - All Souls Day.

All-hallow-even or All Hallows Eve became in addition the secularised Halloween, deriving from its Celtic and Gaelic roots in Britain. This now includes a tradition permitting children a chance to "trick or treat" - to visit houses, carrying a jack-o-lantern (a pumpkin carved to resemble a diabolical face and having a lit candle within it), to demand a treat. If the treat is not forthcoming, tradition allows the children to play a trick on the householder.

In Scotland Halloween acquired a special significance partly due to the poem of that name by Robert Burns. Young lads and lasses, who observe certain rites, are supposed on this night to have their future wives and husbands revealed to them.

Ireland is quoted as being the origin of the modern secular or pagan feast and Irish emigrants for taking their superstitions with them to the US.

Modern popularity will have been greatly boosted by the Halloween series of horror movies, where a mask is used to conceal the identity of the very scary killer. Today popular Masks for Halloween include the Slipknot range, Homer Simpson masks and gorilla masks. The Slipknot masks, created by the heavy metal band of that name, rely on a wide range of influences, not least S&M, as well as maggots, clowns and skulls.

The lead characters in the popular adult US cartoon series have all spawned commercially-available masks, with Homer Simpson's mask in particular rating high in demand.

Gorilla masks likewise rate highly for Halloween, joined by all sorts of other devilish creatures such as hell-hounds, werewolves, bats, sharks, and dangerous or even mutant beasts of every kind.

As with so many Christian feasts deriving from earlier pagan celebrations, there sometimes seems to be a vast gulf between the Christian devotion on the one hand and the modern version of the pagan ritual on the other. If there is a link, I can't help feeling it lies in the common cause of trying to put the fear of God into us (come Hell or High Water, probably the former!).

Michael Barry

Editor of ebook on "The Role of Masks in Drama and in Life" http://masks-ebook.perceptivecreation.co.uk

A lifelong director, writer and producer in theatre, film and TV.