The tradition of wearing costumes on Oct. 31 to celebrate the spooky holiday that is Halloween dates back to 1585 Scotland. During these times, people dressed in costume as a Celtic festival tradition where they would light bonfires and use their costumes to ward off ghosts.
Today, the tradition of costume-wearing takes on quite a different meaning. People young and old dress up as iconic movie characters, celebrities, animals and memes in the spirit of collecting candy and having fun. Not only is dressing up a fun excuse to put on a wig, do your makeup with friends and switch identities for a night, it is a great way to express individuality and break gender norms.
In Athens, Halloween is not taken lightly as people travel to Southeast Ohio solely to participate in the town’s festivities, such as the infamous block party and numerous frat parties. From Friday the 28th to Monday the 31st, the streets of Athens flooded with people dressed to impress in their costumes.
When it comes to getting in costume, the students at Ohio University did not disappoint. From group costumes such as The Muppets, Toy Story and Power Rangers to classic characters such as Michael Myers, Patrick Bateman and The Joker, there was a little bit of everything to see on Court Street this "Halloweekend."
Some of the most memorable costumes were worn by people standing in long lines waiting to get into the popular bars on Court Street such as Red Brick and The J Bar. Two memorable characters were spotted on Sunday night eagerly waiting to get into Red Brick to celebrate Halloween.
Friends Sophia Parrino and Lousia Morris chose to do a take on the famous siblings Wednesday and Pugsley Adams. Morris, a freshman studying social work and Parrino, a freshman studying psychology, decided that a joint costume was a fun way to show their friendship through dressing up.
“I’m Wednesday Adams, I got the braids,” said Morris. “Got the dress. She’s the brother.”
“Yeah, I was going to be Morticia, but I decided against it because it’s too long of a dress,” said Parrino.
Alongside these two characters was a take on a well-known and easy costume, the frat boy. Aaron Dick, a freshman studying journalism, decided to spread activism in a creative way through his costume. Dressed in a backwards cap, long cargo shorts and a button-up shirt, what was interesting about Dick’s costume was the array of Zyn nicotine pouches taped to his shirt.
“I’m a frat guy, but also nicotine awareness,” Dick said. “Because you know frat guys love Zyn. We say no to vaping, I love a tobacco-free campus.”
Another great aspect of Halloween besides dressing up is getting to admire everyone else’s costumes as well. As Dick, Morris and Parrino paraded their way around Athens they were amazed by the turnout.
“We went to the block party, it was super fun, awesome parade,” Parrino said. “Great to see everybody’s costumes. It’s great.”
Another great place to check out costumes was at the various fraternity parties taking place throughout the weekend. Olivia Cummins, a freshman studying communications, saw some of the most impressive costumes at these parties.
“I was at a big house and I saw a girl painted entirely green and dressed up as Shrek,” said Cummins. “And then I noticed a theme with all the frats, they made all their pledges dress up as minions and then they had a pledge class leader who is a sophomore or junior, and he was Gru. It was funny.”
Whether it be throughout the streets of Athens, or in the backyards of frat houses, people were not afraid to go all out this year on their Halloween costumes. Students at OU especially were able to show their creativity, commitment and uniqueness through their choice in costume, making “Halloweekend” at OU an event that cannot be missed.
