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The practice of wearing costumes on Samhain was not entertainment. It was survival strategy.
The Disguise:
The dangerous dead—those seeking revenge, those hunting for living souls to drag back to the Otherworld—could be fooled by disguise. If you wore animal skins, smeared your face with ash, moved erratically and made strange noises, the dead might mistake you for one of them. Or they might at least hesitate long enough for you to escape.
Young men would dress as monsters, as spirits, as terrifying creatures from the Otherworld. They would roam the roads, appearing suddenly from darkness, demanding offerings. This served dual purpose: it provided disguise for the living, and it placated any actual Otherworldly beings encountered—the offered tribute would satisfy them, preventing more serious demands.
The Guising:
Children would go from house to house, performing songs or poems in exchange for food. This was not begging but ritual exchange—the household gave food, receiving entertainment and blessing in return. And the children, disguised, confused any malevolent spirits seeking to harm them.
The practice survived into modern Halloween, but stripped of its original terror. Medieval children were not playing at being scary—they were genuinely hiding from forces that might harm them.
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