>>Halloween Stuff Information on Halloween Costumes Costumes and masks were worn at the Samhain (known as All Saints Day during Christian times) festivals in an attempt to copy the evil spirits or placate them during the Celtic Pagan holiday. Halloween has become a modern-day holiday for dressing up in costumes for fun and candy! Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in the early 1900s as often for adults as for children. In the 1930s, the first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in stores when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in the United States. Halloween costumes are set apart from other holiday celebration costumes is that they are often designed to imitate supernatural and scary beings. Costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as devils, ghosts, skeletons, vampires and witches. In most recent years, costumes have been from science fiction-inspired characters such as aliens and superheroes. There have also been a lot of costumes recently designed after pop culture figures like presidents, athletes, celebrities, or film, television and cartoon characters. Another popular trend is for women to use Halloween as an excuse to wear sexy or revealing costumes, showing off more skin than would be socially acceptable otherwise. The most popular Halloween costumes for both kids and adults in 2009 were: Michael Jackson Edward Cullen from Twilight (Vampire) G.I. Joe Transformers from film series Barack Obama High School Musical 3 characters Star Wars character costumes Star Trek character costumes Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus Vampire characters Halloween costume parties are becoming more popular, often falling on the Friday or Saturday prior to Halloween. This is probably due to the fact that teenagers and adults who are considered too old for trick-or-treating have the opportunity to dress-up and enjoy the holiday festivities. However, you can dress-up in your favorite Halloween costume during costume parties that happen year round. They are popular during the Carnival season, such as Mardi Gras. Popular fantasy events and science fiction conventions will also hold a special costume party or Masquerade Ball to promote character dress-up. Shop for Halloween Costumes online. (FREE Shipping on orders over $100)