For the first time in a long time, I'll be dressing up in a scary costume for Halloween. I'm doing our local history "Haunted Museum" day for which I'll need a vintage-spooky costume. I wouldn't normally participate in a haunted event. I'm not convinced frightening children is healthy. And I'm not sure it fits with Christian Catholic teaching.My costume will be historical--Boadicea, Warrior Queen of the Iceni. So it has historical merit. I'm also down-playing the gruesome. Just a simple belly wound or noose to indicate that she killed herself. I will arm myself with information about my character so I can explain that she's not just a ghoul but a martyr.
As Catholic homeschoolers, we always did All Saints Day parties and costumes instead of Halloween. My kids never wanted to be anything really creepy. But I was thinking, that if your kids did want to do a scary costume, you could compromise and let them do martyr, saint or Bible character who was killed. Church history is full of those. You could help them emphasize the story behind the macabre. I always had kids research the person they were dressing as. They'd write bios and present character sketches. This is educational and helps them connect and empathize. Maybe this sounds like a cop-out. But I think it's a good way to teach kids, help them explore their theatrical creativity and get inside the lives of these people we read about. Picture is public domain-- Boadicea. Why I Am Dressing Up in Spooky Costume this Halloween
