Yesterday I mentioned that holidays allow windows for people to view other’s cultures. Another way to do that is through the clothing people choose to wear. Even what seems more like a day for children to indulge in costume and candy is in reality steeped with tradition and cultures shared hundreds of years ago.
Samhain is an ancient holiday but one where we pulled traditions used even today. As the years passed and big companies joined in, the holiday became less about wearing masks to hide from the walking dead and more about looking pretty or scary while running the streets on a sugar high.
Meh, times change, right?
I don’t think I have anything even close to Samhain or Halloween in the DOTE series but I do have many “costumes” that are important to the various cultures. For instance, Jura and the other members of the Thirteen wear ceremonial robes whenever they hold formal council meetings. There is reason and tradition behind the choice of purple and gold robes but if you were to ask Jura she would just shrug and be thankful she’d managed to put the thing on correctly. Similarly it is the fashion of Kitoi to wear sleeves that flow past one’s fingers. The reason for this is to mask those enslaved by blood chains, when fashion meets function.
What does Halloween mean to you? Do you celebrate any traditions with your family or just dress up like nurse and eat candy? If you’re dressing up this year I want to hear about your costume!
