Halloween is just around the corner and many Dundonians will be preparing to celebrate by donning a spooky costume.
Some of the younger generations will also be hitting the streets on guising trips, hoping for some sweets from generous locals and carving pumpkins.
Halloween has very traditional roots.
But how is it celebrated in the modern age?
Yvonne’s Fancy Dress is likely a good barometer of what Halloween enthusiasts are planning to wear this year.
A quick visit into the shop tells you that is still a particularly profitable time of year for costume shops.
Gothic looking costumes and hair raising masks dominate the shop floor and several high school pupils are spending their lunch break roaming its packed aisles.
David Farry is the owner of the family-owned business.
“People are definitely buying the classic horror costumes”, he explains.
“They really want horror, so it’s Michael Myers (from the Halloween films), Harlequin and all those classic horror film characters.
“Art the Clown from Terrifier and new characters like Deadpool are proving popular.
“They are not all completely horror, but definitely they’re affected by films and Tiktok where there are a lot of people doing random things in ghost facemasks.”
What are Halloween’s roots?
It is thought that Halloween originates from the Pagan Celtic Samhain festival.
This would begin on October 31 and mark the start of winter as the harvesting season came to an end.
These ancient celebrations would involve lighting bonfires, carrying out rituals and wearing costumes.
These were thought to have protecting and cleansing properties.
But things are a little different nowadays.
And as David patrols the shop he has horns protruding from his forehead, his hair is dyed red and he has a red contact lens in one of his eyes.
He is also wearing a suit and tie that combines skulls with bright flowers.
And he admits that Halloween has definitely been “Americanised”.
How are Halloween costumes changing at Yvonne’s Fancy Dress in Dundee?
Yvonne’s caters for all ages – from toddlers up to fully grown adults – who are planning to let their hair down at Halloween parties.
“The kids like that the staff are all dressed up and the older customers can see we are having a laugh”, he says.
“Tiktok and YouTube mean they’re being quite specific with what they want.
“It’s not enough to say to kids anymore that ‘you can go as a witch this year’.
“They want to be Harlequin and they want all the accessories. For Harlequin they want a bat and for Deadpool they want a sword.
“And for Scream they want the blade with a bloody handle.”
David hopes that his own eye-catching costume will convince more customers to go the extra mile when it comes to this year’s festivities.
It is widely accepted that these are now focused on costumes, sweets and adult parties.
“People are getting more into the swing of going back out again after Covid because it did take a bit of a hit”, says David.
“They weren’t wanting to go out or dress up as much.”
But it is definitely back to normal now.
“They want to go out and have a good time – especially, the huge student population in Dundee.”
What do other countries do to celebrate Halloween?
Away from the potential jump scares of the Seagate I bump into three young missionaries.
They are from the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-saints are in Dundee on a 18-month mission.
Sisters Grasteit, Sowords and Tongobo say they are three of eight missionaries that are currently in the city.
But the two Californians and Fijian don’t mention any plans to host a Halloween party in Tayside over the next few days.
“Halloween seems to be much more child-focused in America than it is in the UK”, says Sister Grasteit.
“Adults don’t really celebrate it back home and trick and treating seems to be more common than it is here.
“But it does seems to be huge here now.
“I was in Northern Ireland before I came over here and I was surprised by how big the celebrations were there.
“They even had firework displays to celebrate Halloween.”
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