You probably know that Ireland invented Halloween. It all began as Samhain, a festival celebrated over 2,000 years ago. Marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, Samhain was when the Celts believed the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. Bonfires were lit and costumes were worn to ward off spirits.
Ireland’s Halloween traditions scattered with the diaspora. Celebrations in the US these days, with elaborately decorated houses, trick or treating, and costumed celebrities, show just how much our cultural export has morphed. It’s a far cry from the straw-and-wicker costumes of the Celts.
Somewhere along the line Ireland has reimported Halloween but now it’s in polyester. Polyester costumes and plastic decorations are probably the scariest thing about Halloween right now.
A 2019 investigation by environmental charity Hubbub into Halloween costumes available from 19 supermarkets and retailers – including Aldi, Asos, Amazon, Boden, M&S, Next and Tesco – found that 83 per cent of the material used was made from polluting oil-based materials likely to end up in landfill. Among 324 separate textile items the most common material found was polyester, which accounted for 69 per cent of all materials.
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Polyester is a kind of plastic usually derived from petroleum. It needs a lot of energy to produce and pollutes the water and air. Polyester costumes last for years, they’re headed for landfill and they never biodegrade. A bit like the undead.
That Halloween fancy dress day at school can catch you by surprise. Last year you managed to bag the last remaining costume at the supermarket. It was a superhero neither your nor your child had ever heard of but it ticked a box. Job done for another year.
Since kids grow like weeds a costume’s lifespan is short. Trends change too of course, and a costume can go from superhero to zero in weeks. Nobody’s wearing those polyester Pocahontas costumes any more. Even Anna and Elsa got Frozen out. One or two wears and it’s all over as manufacturers and retailers constantly push us to buy the next thing.
There’s all the Halloween accessories too – synthetic wigs, fairy wings, hats, masks, buckets, party decorations, glitter and even outfits for dogs. Seeing your child or pet dressed up in this plastic hell really should be a fright.
It’s probably time to get planning for this year’s dressing up now. You can make Halloween less of a frightener by not buying new stuff and dressing up using items you already have.
Some communities are taking a stand and are trying to reinvent Halloween. Greystones library in Co Wicklow will host its second Halloween costume swap shop on October 12th. Families are invited to donate preloved costumes and kids can come and “shop” for a costume new to them.
Last year local Green councillor Lourda Scott organised for sustainability experts Green Thread to be on hand to repair garments that needed to be fixed up.
“We had over 100 people here on the day and every costume got a new home,” says Greystones librarian Catherine Costello. So successful was the Halloween swap the library hosted a Christmas jumper swap too.
Buying a costume every year and donating it doesn’t fix the costume problem. The endless cycle of shopping, which is causing water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and landfill, needs to stop. In the meantime save money and save the planet by swapping last year’s costume. Maybe that’s a Halloween tradition Ireland can export too.