Attire worn in the course of the observance of All Hallows’ Eve within the 1800s represented a nascent stage within the evolution of a now-ubiquitous custom. Early iterations typically mirrored rural life, incorporating parts of harvest festivals and folklore, starkly contrasting with later commercialized representations.
The importance of those clothes lies of their reflection of societal anxieties and aspirations. Celebrations offered alternatives for momentary transgression of social norms, providing respite and communal bonding. The act of donning these outfits facilitated role-playing and a short escape from the constraints of every day existence, offering each leisure and a refined type of social commentary.