The Meaning Behind My Halloween Costume

I love dressing up for Halloween and my costume does not usually have a meaning behind it but this year it did so I thought I would include it in my blog tonight. This year I dressed up as as a sugar skull woman/Day of the Dead. I had seen a few people that had them as tattoos and when I found out the meaning I went and got a woman sugar skull tatoo myself! I'm spontaneous like that :)



Day of the Dead



Skulls seem evil at first glace but in many other cultures the skull has other meanings behind them such as: Strength, Power, A persons past now changed, and overcoming a tough time and even death. (you can see why I would like it :)

The sugar skull women are part skull and usually have stiches and cobwebs on their faces. This is the representation of the tough time they have been through in their life. However, they also have bright colored detailing on them.

• Pink - means Celebration and joy
• Red - The blood of life and a symbol of sacrifice
• Purple or Indigo - Grief and mourning, the pain of loss and suffering
• White - Hope, promise and purity of spirit
• Orange - The brilliance of the sun; a new day

In Western cultures like ours, the skull and other parts of the human skeleton usually give us  feelings of fear, and danger. This is not the case for what the human skeleton and skull signifies in Latino cultures. In their culture the human skeleton is simply a symbol of what is literally within everyone; it is a way to show the inner you, the soul, acting just as a human being in the flesh might act.

This is where the makeup and bright flowers and even jewelry come into play. These things represent that yes...you did go through a difficult time...but you overcame it and have become an even more beautiful person than you were before. Isn't that cool?

To some...seeing the skullish image at first may not bring pleasant thoughts to mind. I know when I showed my mom, along with some of my friends, my skullish tattoo for the first time they thought "what on earth"! But after I told them the meaning behind it every single one of them loved the symbolism.

To me it represents exactly what my blog is all about HOPE. When you are anxious, depressed and going through some trials in your life (and maybe you even feel like you are at the brink of death) there is always that hope for a better tomorrow and a better life and that you will come out a better, stronger, more beautiful person.

God gives us HOPE when there seems to be none. ~ Happy Halloween ~ Your friend Lib