Other Traditional Treats

by JIii C. Hindman staff writer

Dressing up in costumes, bobbing for apples and trick-or-treating are some of Halloween's most famous traditions.While growing up we all did these things every year in honor of Halloween, but did them without any wonder. Why did we dress up as our favorite cartoon character or superhero and ask strangers for a tasty treat? All we were thinking was, "free candy."

These traditions originated over 2,000 years ago in Ireland. The Celtics celebrated Samhain on October 31, which is the Celtic New Year.

The people believed that at this time the spirits of those who had died in the past ye~ would come back to haunt the living to bring them into the world of the supernatural. This is how costumes came about.

The townspeople would dress up in gruesome masks and parade around the neighborhoods being loud and disruptive so that they would frighten the spirits. They would also put out fires in their homes, making them uninviting, so that the spirits would not want to enter.

When the Celtics were taken over by the Roman Empire, they also began practicing Roman traditions. One of these was the worship of Pomona, the goddess of harvest. Apples were her signature fruit. They symbolize good luck. Today bobbing for apples is a popular Halloween party activity. ;

Trick-or-Treating originated from the people who would dress up as fairies, going door to door begging for treats. If a treat was not presented then the homeowner was in for some kind of prank. , '

So this year when you are at a crazy Halloween bash, you no longer have to stop and wonder the significance of why your face is in a bucket fishing for an apple, or why you are wearing a costume, now you know why.

What to wear:A Halloween costumereview

by Jenine J. Ike/er and Jill C. Hindman staff writers

Okay, this year let's try and be just a tad more original with our costume selection. Everyone kick your cliche farmer. costume to the curb and get in the Halloween spirit.

Deciding what to be for Halloween can be extremely aggravating. Face it there is a lot of pressure to find that perfect costume. Do you want the sexy or scary look? With all of the choices one can easily just give up and decide not to go out on All Hallow's Eve. We have done our research and are officially costume connoisseurs.

So why does everyone choose to dress up as the same old boring things such as witches, devils, cats and hookers? Possibly a lack of creativity is the case or just plain old laziness. Well there are no excuses this year.

In the heart of Wayne sits a century-old costume store. Irvin Stern's Costumes, located at 163 East Lancaster Ave., is a family owned business that is open all year.

You would think that Halloween is the busiest time of year, but John Williamson, store owner, explained that it is just one of the many hectic costume-bearing holidays. Stern's has a wide variety of costumes that will tickle your fancy. You can choose anything from Aladdin to 2'.orro.