HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

 Today's Halloween Customs Are Thought To Have Been Influenced By Folk Customs And Beliefs From The Celtic-Speaking Countries, Some Of Which Are Believed To Have Pagan Roots. Jack Santino, a Folklorist, Writes That "There Was Throughout Ireland An Uneasy Truce Existing Between Customs And Beliefs Associated With Christianity And Those Associated With Religions That Were Irish Before Christianity Arrived". Historian Nicholas Rogers, Exploring The Origins Of Halloween Princess Jasmine Cosplay, Notes That While "Some Folklorists Have Detected Its Origins In The Roman Feast Of Pomona, The Goddess Of Fruits And Seeds, Or In The Festival Of The Dead Called Parentalia, It Is More Typically Linked To The Celtic Festival Of Samhain, Which Comes From The Old Irish For 'Summer's End'."

  Samhain (/ˈSɑːWɪn, ˈSaʊɪn/) Was The First And Most Important Of The Four Quarter Days In The Medieval Gaelic Calendar And Was Celebrated On 31 October – 1 November In Ireland, Scotland And The Isle Of Man. A Kindred Festival Was Held At The Same Time Of Year By The Brittonic Celts, Called Calan Gaeaf In Wales, Kalan Gwav In Cornwall And Kalan Goañv In Brittany; a Name Meaning "First Day Of Winter". For The Celts, The Day Ended And Began At Sunset; Thus The Festival Began On The Evening Before 7 November By Modern Reckoning (The Half Point Between Equinox And Solstice).

   Samhain And Calan Gaeaf Are Mentioned In Some Of The Earliest Irish And Welsh Literature. The Names Have Been Used By Historians To Refer To Celtic Halloween Customs Up Until The 19th Century, And Are Still The Gaelic And Welsh Names For Halloween.

  Samhain/Calan Gaeaf Marked The End Of The Harvest Season And Beginning Of Winter Or The 'Darker Half' Of The Year. Like Beltane/Calan Mai, It Was Seen As a Liminal Time, When The Boundary Between This World And The Otherworld Thinned. This Meant The Aos Si  The 'Spirits' Or 'Fairies', Could More Easily Come Into This World And Were Particularly Active.Most Scholars See The Aos Si As "Degraded Versions Of Ancient Gods  Whose Power Remained Active In The People's Minds Even After They Had Been Officially Replaced By Later Religious Beliefs". The Aos Sí Were Both Respected And Feared, With Individuals Often Invoking The Protection Of God When Approaching Their Dwellings. At Samhain, It Was Believed That The Aos Sí Needed To Be Propitiated To Ensure That The People And Their Livestock Survived The Winter. Offerings Of Food And Drink, Or Portions Of The Crops, Were Left Outside For The Aos Sí.The Souls Of The Dead Were Also Said To Revisit Their Homes Seeking Hospitality. Places Were Set At The Dinner Table And By The Fire To Welcome Them. The Belief That The Souls Of The Dead Return Home On One Night Of The Year And Must Be Appeased Seems To Have Ancient Origins And Is Found In Many Cultures Throughout The World. In 19th Century Ireland, "Candles Would Be Lit And Prayers Formally Offered For The Souls Of The Dead. After This The Eating, Drinking, And Games Would Begin".

  Throughout Ireland And Britain, The Household Festivities Included Rituals And Games Intended To Foretell One's Future, Especially Regarding Death And Marriage. Apples And Nuts Were Often Used In These Divination Rituals. They Included Apple Bobbing, Nut Roasting, Scrying Or Mirror-Gazing, Pouring Molten Lead Or Egg Whites Into Water, Dream Interpretation, And Others. Special Bonfires Were Lit And There Were Rituals Involving Them. Their Flames, Smoke And Ashes Were Deemed To Have Protective And Cleansing Powers, And Were Also Used For Divination. In Some Places, Torches Lit From The Bonfire Were Carried Sunwise Around Homes And Fields To Protect Them. It Is Suggested That The Fires Were a Kind Of Imitative Or Sympathetic Magic – They Mimicked The Sun, Helping The "Powers Of Growth" And Holding Back The Decay And Darkness Of Winter. In Scotland, These Bonfires And Divination Games Were Banned By The Church Elders In Some Parishes.In Wales, Bonfires Were Lit To "Prevent The Souls Of The Dead From Falling To Earth". Later, These Bonfires Served To Keep "Away The Devil".

From At Least The 16th Century, The Festival Included Mumming And Guising In Ireland, Scotland, The Isle Of Man And Wales. This Involved People Going House-To-House In Costume (Or In Disguise), Usually Reciting Verses Or Songs In Exchange For Food. It May Have Originally Been a Tradition Whereby People Impersonated The Aos Sí, Or The Souls Of The Dead, And Received Offerings On Their Behalf, Similar To The Custom Of Souling (See Below). Impersonating These Beings, Or Wearing a Disguise, Was Also Believed To Protect Oneself From Them. It Is Suggested That The Mummers And Guisers "Personify The Old Spirits Of The Winter, Who Demanded Reward In Exchange For Good Fortune". In Parts Of Southern Ireland, The Guisers Included a Hobby Horse. A Man Dressed As a Láir Bhán (White Mare) Led Youths House-To-House Reciting Verses – Some Of Which Had Pagan Overtones – In Exchange For Food. If The Household Donated Food It Could Expect Good Fortune From The 'Muck Olla'; Not Doing So Would Bring Misfortune. In Scotland, Youths Went House-To-House With Masked, Painted Or Blackened Faces, Often Threatening To Do Mischief If They Were Not Welcomed.F. Marian Mcneill Suggests The Ancient Festival Included People In Costume Representing The Spirits, And That Faces Were Marked (Or Blackened) With Ashes Taken From The Sacred Bonfire. In Parts Of Wales, Men Went About Dressed As Fearsome Beings Called Gwrachod.In The Late 19th And Early 20th Century, Young People In Glamorgan And Orkney Cross-Dressed.

  Elsewhere In Europe, Mumming And Hobby Horses Were Part Of Other Yearly Festivals. However, In The Celtic-Speaking Regions They Were "Particularly Appropriate To a Night Upon Which Supernatural Beings Were Said To Be Abroad And Could Be Imitated Or Warded Off By Human Wanderers".From At Least The 18th Century, "Imitating Malignant Spirits" Led To Playing Pranks In Ireland And The Scottish Highlands. Wearing Costumes Red Riding Hood Cosplay And Playing Pranks At Halloween Spread To England In The 20th Century.Traditionally, Pranksters Used Hollowed Out Turnips Or Mangel Wurzels Often Carved With Grotesque Faces As Lanterns. By Those Who Made Them, The Lanterns Were Variously Said To Represent The Spirits,Or Were Used To Ward Off Evil Spirits. They Were Common In Parts Of Ireland And The Scottish Highlands In The 19th Century,As Well As In Somerset (See Punkie Night). In The 20th Century They Spread To Other Parts Of England And Became Generally Known As Jack-o'-Lanterns.

CHRISTMAS COSTUMES

The Nativity Sequences Included In The Gospels Of Matthew And Luke Prompted Early Christian Writers To Suggest Various Dates For The Anniversary. Although No Date Is Indicated In The Gospels, Early Christians Connected Jesus To The Sun Through The Use Of Such Phrases As "Sun Of Righteousness."The Romans Marked The Winter Solstice On December 25. The First Recorded Christmas Costumes Celebration Was In Rome On December 25, 336. In The 3rd Century, The Date Of The Nativity Was The Subject Of Great Interest. Around Ad 200, Clement Of Alexandria Wrote:

There Are Those Who Have Determined Not Only The Year Of Our Lord's Birth, But Also The Day; And They Say That It Took Place In The 28th Year Of Augustus, And In The 25th Day Of [The Egyptian Month] Pachon [May 20] ... Further, Others Say That He Was Born On The 24th Or 25th Of Pharmuthi [April 20 Or 21].

Various Factors Contributed To The Selection Of December 25 As a Date Of Celebration: It Was The Date Of The Winter Solstice On The Roman Calendar And It Was Nine Months After March 25, The Date Of The Vernal Equinox And a Date Linked To The Conception Of Jesus (Now Annunciation).

Christmas Played a Role In The Arian Controversy Of The Fourth Century. After This Controversy Ran Its Course, The Prominence Of The Holiday Declined For a Few Centuries. The Feast Regained Prominence After 800 When Charlemagne Was Crowned Emperor On Christmas Day. Later During The Protestant Reformation, The Puritans Banned Christmas In England, Associating It With Drunkenness And Other Misbehavior. It Was Restored As a Legal Holiday In England In 1660, But Remained Disreputable In The Minds Of Many People. In The Early 19th Century, Christmas Was Reconceived By Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, And Other Authors As a Holiday Emphasizing Family, Children, Kind-Heartedness, Gift-Giving, And Santa Claus.

Christmas Does Not Appear On The Lists Of Festivals Given By The Early Christian Writers Irenaeus And Tertullian. Origen And Arnobius Both Fault The Pagans For Celebrating Birthdays, Which Suggests That Christmas Was Not Celebrated In Their Time. Arnobius Wrote After Ad 297. The Chronography Of 354 Records That a Christmas Celebration Took Place In Rome In 336.

In The East, The Birth Of Jesus Was Celebrated In Connection With The Epiphany On January 6. This Holiday Was Not Primarily About The Nativity, But Rather The Baptism Of Jesus. Christmas Was Promoted In The East As Part Of The Revival Of Orthodox Christianity That Followed The Death Of The Pro-Arian Emperor Valens At The Battle Of Adrianople In 378. The Feast Was Introduced In Constantinople In 379, In Antioch By John Chrysostom Towards The End Of The Fourth Century, Probably In 388, And In Alexandria In The Following Century.

Mosaic Of Jesus As Christus Sol (Christ The Sun) In Mausoleum M In The Pre-Fourth-Century Necropolis Under St Peter's Basilica In Rome.

December 25 Was The Date Of The Winter Solstice On The Roman Calendar. A Late Fourth-Century Sermon By Saint Augustine Explains Why This Was a Fitting Day To Celebrate Christ's Nativity: "Hence It Is That He Was Born On The Day Which Is The Shortest In Our Earthly Reckoning And From Which Subsequent Days Begin To Increase In Length. He, Therefore, Who Bent Low And Lifted Us Up Chose The Shortest Day, Yet The One Whence Light Begins To Increase."

Linking Jesus To The Sun Was Supported By Various Biblical Passages. Jesus Was Considered To Be The "Sun Of Righteousness" Prophesied By Malachi: "Unto You Shall The Sun Of Righteousness Arise, And Healing Is In His Wings."

Such Solar Symbolism Could Support More Than One Date Of Birth. An Anonymous Work Known As De Pascha Computus (243) Linked The Idea That Creation Began At The Spring Equinox, On March 25, With The Conception Or Birth (The Word Nascor Can Mean Either) Of Jesus On March 28, The Day Of The Creation Of The Sun In The Genesis Account. One Translation Reads: "O The Splendid And Divine Providence Of The Lord, That On That Day, The Very Day, On Which The Sun Was Made, March 28, a Wednesday, Christ Should Be Born.

In The 17th Century, Isaac Newton, Who, Coincidentally, Was Born On December 25, Argued That The Date Of Christmas Dresses Was Selected To Correspond With The Solstice.

According To Steven Hijmans Of The University Of Alberta, "It Is Cosmic Symbolism ... Which Inspired The Church Leadership In Rome To Elect The Southern Solstice, December 25, As The Birthday Of Christ, And The Northern Solstice As That Of John The Baptist, Supplemented By The Equinoxes As Their Respective Dates Of Conception."

OKTOBERFEST COSTUMES

   Oktoberfest  (German Pronunciation: [ƆkˈToːBɐˌFɛst]) Is The World's Largest Volksfest (Beer Festival And Travelling Funfair). Held Annually In Munich, Bavaria, Germany, It Is a 16- To 18-Day Folk Festival Running From Mid- Or Late September To The First Sunday In October, With More Than Six Million People From Around The World Attending The Event Every Year. Locally, It Is Called d’Wiesn, After The Colloquial Name For The Fairgrounds, Theresienwiese. The Beer Costumes Is An Important Part Of Bavarian Culture, Having Been Held Since The Year 1810. Other Cities Across The World Also Hold Oktoberfest Celebrations That Are Modeled After The Original Munich Event.

During The Event, Large Quantities Of Oktoberfest Beer Are Consumed: During The 16-Day Festival In 2013, For Example, 7.7 Million Litres (66,000 Us Bbl; 1,700,000 Imp Gal) Were Served. Visitors Also Enjoy Numerous Attractions, Such As Amusement Rides, Sidestalls, And Games. There Is Also a Wide Variety Of Traditional Foods Available.

The Munich Oktoberfest Originally Took Place In The 16-Day Period Leading Up To The First Sunday In October. In 1994, This Longstanding Schedule Was Modified In Response To German Reunification. As Such, If The First Sunday In October Falls On The 1st Or The 2nd, Then The Festival Would Run Until 3 October (German Unity Day). Thus, The Festival Now Runs For 17 Days When The First Sunday Is 2 October And 18 Days When It Is 1 October. In 2010, The Festival Lasted Until The First Monday In October (4 October), To Mark The Event's Bicentennial.

Kronprinz Ludwig (1786–1868), Later King Ludwig I (Reign: 1825–1848), Married Princess Therese Of Saxe-Hildburghausen On 12 October 1810. The Citizens Of Munich Were Invited To Attend The Festivities Held On The Fields In Front Of The City Gates To Celebrate The Royal Event. The Fields Were Named Theresienwiese ("Theresa's Meadow") In Honour Of The Crown Princess, And Have Kept That Name Ever Since, Although The Locals Have Since Abbreviated The Name Simply To The "Wiesn". Horse Races, In The Tradition Of The 15th-Century Scharlachrennen (Scarlet Race At Karlstor), Were Held On 18 October To Honor The Newlyweds. It Is Widely Understood That Andreas Michael Dall'Armi, a Major In The National Guard, Proposed The Idea. However, The Origins Of The Horse Races, And Oktoberfest Itself, May Have Stemmed From Proposals Offered By Franz Baumgartner, a Coachman And Sergeant In The National Guard. The Precise Origins Of The Festival And Horse Races Remain a Matter Of Controversy, However, The Decision To Repeat The Horse Races, Spectacle, And Celebrations In 1811 Launched What Is Now The Annual Oktoberfest Tradition.

The Fairground, Once Outside The City, Was Chosen Due To Its Natural Suitability. The Sendlinger Hill (Today Theresienhohe) Was Used As a Grandstand For 40,000 Race Spectators. The Festival Grounds Remained Undeveloped Except For The King's Tent. The Tastings Of "Traiteurs" And Other Wine And Beer Took Place Above The Visitors In The Stands On The Hill. Before The Race Started, a Performance Was Held In Homage Of The Bridegroom And Of The Royal Family In The Form Of a Train Of 16 Pairs Of Children Dressed In Wittelsbach Costumes, And Costumes From The Then Nine Bavarian Townships And Other Regions Oktoberfest Outfit. This Was Followed By The Punishing Race With 30 Horses On An 11,200-Foot (3,400 Meters) Long Racetrack, And Concluded With The Singing Of a Student Choir. The First Horse To Cross The Finish Line Belonged To Franz Baumgartner (One Of The Purported Festival Initiators). Horse Racing Champion And Minister Of State Maximilian Von Montgelas Presented Baumgartner With His Gold Medal.

HERVE LEGER BANDAGE DRESSES

Herve Leger, Who Has Died Aged 60, Was The French Couturier Who Created The Bandage Dress – Hailed As One Of The Iconic Dresses Of All Time, It Made Its Way From Catwalks To The High Street.

Made For Women With “With a Bosom, a Waist And Curves”, The Cheap Herve Leger Dress Became a Hit With The “Body Conscious” Hollywood Jet Set Of The 1990s And Noughties And Brought a New Sexiness To The Catwalk, Personified By Cindy Crawford, Plus a Plethora Of Actresses.

Liz Hurley Was Also One Of The Early Adopters Of The Dress.

With Success, Leger Needed To Expand His Business Into Ready-To-Wear In Order To Compete In The 1990s. Financial Backing Came From The Canadian Drinks Conglomerate Seagram. Initially, All Seemed Well With Leger Producing 8,000 Pieces a Season, As Against 160 Two Years Earlier. However, With More And More Investment Forthcoming, Leger’s Holding Diminished Until Seagram Owned 95 Per Cent Of The Business.

To His Consternation, It Then Sold The Company To La-Based Max Azria’s Bcbg. Within a Year He And Azria Had Fallen Out. Leger Found Himself Fired From His Own Label And Lost The Rights To The Leger Name.

Born In 1957, In The Small Town Of Bapaume, 20 Miles South Of Arras, Northern France, Herve Peugnet Left Home At 18 And Headed To Paris To Study Sculpture And Art History At The ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux-Arts. After Just a Year, However, He Dropped Out, Later Recalling, “It Was The Seventies, And Everyone Was On Strike”.

Wanting a Job That Made Use Of His Hands And His Curiosity About The Properties All Types Of Fibres, He Embarked Upon a Hairdressing Apprenticeship – Effectively Training With a Difficult Fibre. Soon He Was Working Backstage At Fashion Shows For Houses Such As Chloe And Ysl. He Was Taught Himself To Make Hats And Dresses, And Secured Contract Work For Lanvin, Swarovski And Costume Designer Tan Giudicelli.

It Was a Meeting At a Chloe Dinner Party In 1980, With German Couturier Karl Lagerfeld, However, Which Was To Change His Direction And His Life. “The Kaiser” Wanted a New Assistant And Asked To See Peugnet’s Sketches. Although Less Than Impressed, Lagerfeld Took Him On. The Pair Work Together At Fendi In Rome And Then Back At Chanel In Paris.

Four Years Later, Peugnet Was Ready To Set Up His Own Business. On The Advice Of Lagerfeld, Claiming It Was Too Difficult For Anglophones To Pronounce, Peugnet Changed His Name To Leger, Taken From The French Word “Legèrete” – Lightness.

The Label Herve Leger Bandage Dresses Launched In 1985 And, By The Late 1980s, The Bandage Dress Had Arrived, Which Appealed Because Of Its Tightness And Ability To Hold The Figure Positively, In And Up – This Allowed Unrestricted Poses For The Cameras. His First Full Collection In This Style Was Shown In 1991.

The Inception Of “The Bandage Dress Was a Simple One,” He Once Recalled. “One Day In a Factory, I Found Some Bands That Were Headed For The Garbage. As a Hat Maker, They Gave Me The Idea Of Taking Those Bands And Putting Them Next To One Another As One Does Making a Hat, Using The Elastic Properties Of The Material (Rather Than Draping) To Provide Its Form.

He Also Designed Active Swimwear And Tights, Too. In 1994 Ballet Costumes For Roland Petit’s Company At The Paris Opera.

Following The Loss Of His Label, Leger Kept a Lower Profile Until 2000, When He Founded His Own Independently Financed Fashion House With His Sister Jocelyne: Herve L Leroux. This New Surname Was Again Suggested By His Friend And Mentor Lagerfeld. He Had Chosen Leroux On The Basis That Leger Had Once Had Red Hair “And Everyone Will Know Who You Are.”

The Fledgling Business Struggled Financially, However, Although Leger Persisted, Making Couture And Swimwear For Private Clients. Between 2004 And 2006, He Worked As Creative Director At Guy Laroche, Dressing Hilary Swank In a Memorable Backless Midnight-Blue Jersey Gown, For The 2005 Oscars Where She Won Best Actress. He Also Worked For The High-End Austrian Manufacturer Wolford.

In 2007, Azria Launched His Version Of Leger’s Bandage Dresses, Worn By The Likes Of Kim Kardashian, Which Paradoxically Raised Leroux’s Profile. He Subsequently Started Getting New Clients From All Spheres Of The Celebrity World, Including Cate Blanchett, Kylie Minogue, Jemima Khan, Naomi Watts, Taylor Swift And Kim Kardashian.

His Passion Was Still In Garments That Clung To a Female Form But He Had Begun To Use Different Techniques To Mould The Body, Replacing Strip And Panel Structures With Draped Cloth, Working In Soft Viscose And Silk Jerseys – An Elegant Departure From The Skin-Tight Silhouette Of The Bandage Dress. Dita Von Teese Noted Leroux Was In The Same Classical Class As The Great Parisian Couturière Madame Grès, Both Having Been Inspired By The Materials Depicted In Greek Sculpture.

Leroux Was Loved For Always Managing To Accentuate His Clients’ Positives And Eliminate Their Negatives. He Liked To See Women Confident, Even Happy, And Lamented The Cult Of Starvation Among Modern-Day Models, Declaring, “His Draperies Were Meaningless On Coat Hangers.”

In 2013, Leroux’s Comeback Was Complete When The Federation De La Haute Couture Asked Him To Return To The Paris Collections As a Guest, Recognising His Deserved Place As An Original. Perhaps Somewhat Ironically, Bcbg Filed For Bankruptcy In March Of This Year. Leger Died Of a Ruptured Aneurysm, And Is Survived By His Sister.

THE HISTORY OF HERVE LEGER

Though Herve Leger Is Famous In The Fashion World, Very Few Know About The Brand's History. Herve Leger Bandage Dresses Have Only Been In Production From 1989-1997 And From 2008-Present.

These Are Some Of My Favorite Quotes From Herve Peugnet, The Creator Of Herve Leger Dresses. They Explain Exactly Why So Many Women Love These Form-Fitting Dresses.

Herve Peugnet Has An Extremely Impressive Fashion Resume. At The Early Age Of 23, Fashion God, Karl Lagerfeld Recognized His Talent And Took Him Under His Training. During His Career, He Has Contributed To The Designs Of Chanel, Lanvin, Fendi, Diane Von Furstenburg, Chloe And Swarovski.

At Age 28, He Begins Working For Himself, Creating The Herve Leger Line. 4 Years Later, Bandage Dresses Were Born! They Were Inspired By His Experience In Designing Bathing Suits And Some Throwaway Seam Bindings. The First Bandage Dress Was Also The Finale Look Of Herve Leger's 1989 Runway Show. The Bandage Dress, Originally Called "Bender Dress" Became An Instant Sensation. They Were Called "Bender," Because They Molded The Body Into The Perfect Female Form.

Let's Take a Moment And Admire The Beauty Of Vintage Herve Leger Dresses

You Can Find Megan Fox's Dress Here. Please Note That The Dress As Seen On Megan Fox Is Highly Counterfeited.

These Vintage Dresses Are Completely Timeless. Hot Then, And Still Hot Now!

Before Herve Leger Was Acquired By Bcbg, Herve Peugnet Designed Some Very Exclusive Dresses. These Were Tagged Herve Leger Sale Couture. A Mannequin Would Be Created Based On The Exact Measurements Of His Client. Then, Keeping The Client's Best Features In Mind, a Truly Special Dress Would Be Meticulously Made.

Because Herve Peugnet Was Not The Majority Holder Of Herve Leger, The Company Was Sold To Bcbg Is 1998. Shortly Thereafter, Bcbg Halts Production On Bender Dresses And Fires Herve Peugnet. Bender Dresses, Now Bandage Dresses Were Relaunched In 2008 Under Bcbg Max Azria Herve Leger. Many Today Do Not Realize That Herve Leger Dresses Were Around Much Earlier Than 2008. Herve Peugnet Still Designs Absolutely Beautiful Clothing. They Are Now Designed Under Herve Leroux, a Name That Was Suggested By His Dear Friend Karl Lagerfeld.

CHRISTMAS COSTUMES

  Christmas (Or Feast Of The Nativity) Is An Annual Festival Commemorating The Birth Of Jesus Christ, Observed Primarily On December 25 As a Religious And Cultural Celebration Among Billions Of People Around The World.

   A Feast Central To The Christian Liturgical Year, It Is Preceded By The Season Of Advent Or The Nativity Fast And Initiates The Season Of Christmastide, Which Historically In The West Lasts Twelve Days And Culminates On Twelfth Night; In Some Traditions, Christmastide Includes An Octave.  

   Christmas Outfits Day Is a Public Holiday In Many Of The World's Nations, Is Celebrated Religiously By a Majority Of Christians, As Well As Culturally By Many Non-Christians, And Forms An Integral Part Of The Holiday Season Centered Around It.

The Traditional Christmas Narrative, The Nativity Of Jesus, Delineated In The New Testament Says That Jesus Was Born In Bethlehem, In Accordance With Messianic Prophecies. When Joseph And Mary Arrived In The City, The Inn Had No Room And So They Were Offered a Stable Where The Christ Child Was Soon Born, With Angels Proclaiming This News To Shepherds Who Then Further Disseminated The Information.

Although The Month And Date Of Jesus' Birth Are Unknown, The Church In The Early Fourth Century Fixed The Date As December 25. This Corresponds To The Date Of The Winter Solstice On The Roman Calendar. Most Christians Celebrate On December 25 In The Gregorian Calendar, Which Has Been Adopted Almost Universally In The Civil Calendars Used In Countries Throughout The World.

   However, Part Of The Eastern Christian Churches Celebrate Christmas On December 25 Of The Older Julian Calendar, Which Currently Corresponds To January 7 In The Gregorian Calendar. For Christians, Believing That God Came Into The World In The Form Of Man To Atone For The Sins Of Humanity, Rather Than Knowing Jesus' Exact Birth Date, Is Considered To Be The Primary Purpose In Celebrating Christmas.

The Celebratory Customs Associated In Various Countries With Christmas Have a Mix Of Pre-Christian, Christian, And Secular Themes And Origins. Popular Modern Customs Of The Holiday Include Gift Giving; Completing An Advent Calendar Or Advent Wreath; Christmas Music And Caroling; Viewing a Nativity Play; An Exchange Of Christmas Cards; Church Services; a Special Meal; And The Display Of Various Christmas Decorations, Including Christmas Trees, Christmas Costumes, Nativity Scenes, Garlands, Wreaths, Mistletoe, And Holly.

  In Addition, Several Closely Related And Often Interchangeable Figures, Known As Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, And Christkind, Are Associated With Bringing Gifts To Children During The Christmas Season And Have Their Own Body Of Traditions And Lore.

  Because Gift-Giving And Many Other Aspects Of The Christmas Festival Involve Heightened Economic Activity, The Holiday Has Become a Significant Event And a Key Sales Period For Retailers And Businesses. The Economic Impact Of Christmas Has Grown Steadily Over The Past Few Centuries In Many Regions Of The World.

TRADITIONAL BAVARIAN MEN'S CLOTHING

Formerly, Lederhosen Were Worn For Hard Physical Work; They Were More Durable Than a Fabric Garment. Today, They Are Mostly Worn As Leisurewear. Today, Lederhosen And Dirndl Attire Is Common At Bavarian Garment Around The World.

Lederhosen Were Once Widespread Among Men Of The Alpine And Surrounding Regions, Including Bavaria, Austria, The Allgau, Switzerland, The Autonomous Italian Region Of Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol (Formerly Part Of Austria-Hungary) And Alpine Area Of Today's Slovenia. But They Were Not Usually Worn In Southwestern Germany Or Switzerland.

La Couturiere Parisienne, However, Claims That Lederhosen Were Originally Not Exclusively a Bavarian Garment But Were Worn All Over Europe, Especially By Riders, Hunters, And Other People Involved In Outdoor Activities. The Flap (Drop Front) May Have Been a Unique Bavarian Invention. The Drop-Front Style Became So Popular In The 18th Century That It Was Known In France As à La Bavaroise, "In The Bavarian Style."

The Popularity Of Lederhosen In Bavaria Dropped Sharply In The 19th Century. They Began To Be Considered As Uncultured Peasants' Clothing That Was Not Fitting For Modern City-Dwellers. However, In The 1880s a Resurgence Set In, And Several Clubs Were Founded In Munich And Other Large Cities Devoted To Preserving Traditional Rural Clothing Styles. The Conception Of Lederhosen As a Quintessentially Bavarian Garment That Is Worn At Festive Occasions Rather Than At Work Dates Largely From This Time.

Lederhosen Have Remained Regionally Popular And Are Popularly Associated With Virility And Brawn. Some Men Wear Them When Gardening, Hiking, Working Outdoors, Or Attending Folk Festivals Or Beer Gardens. They Are a Symbol Of Regional Pride In Bavaria And The Other Areas Where They Are Worn, But Are Rarely Seen Elsewhere.

Traditional Lederhosen Are Hand Made Of Tanned Deer Leather Which Makes The Pants Soft And Light But Very Tearproof. As Those Leather Pants Are Very Valuable And Can Last a Lifetime, Some Bavarians Even Bequeath Their Lederhosen To The Next Generation. Some Variations Of Modern Lederhosen Are Made Of Heavier, Lower Quality Leather, Or Imitations Like Velour Leather Which Make Them Much Cheaper But Less Durable. All Variations Are Usually Equipped With Two Side Pockets, One Hip Pocket, One Knife Pocket, And a Codpiece (Drop Front). For An Oktoberfest Costumes, People Combine Lederhosen With Haverlschuhe, Stockings And a Classic White Or Checked Shirt.

HALLOWEEN

  Halloween Or Hallowe'En (a Contraction Of Hallows' Even Or Hallows' Evening), Also Known As Allhalloween,All Hallows' Eve, Or All Saints' Eve, Is a Celebration Observed In Many Countries On 31 October, The Eve Of The Western Christian Feast Of All Hallows' Day. It Begins The Three-Day Observance Of Allhallowtide, The Time In The Liturgical Year Dedicated To Remembering The Dead, Including Saints (Hallows), Martyrs, And All The Faithful Departed.

  It Is Widely Believed That Many Halloween Traditions Originated From Ancient Celtic Harvest Festivals, Particularly The Gaelic Festival Samhain; That Such Festivals May Have Had Pagan Roots; And That Samhain Itself Was Christianized As Halloween By The Early Church.

  Some Believe, However, That Halloween Began Solely As a Christian Holiday, Separate From Ancient Festivals Like Samhain Halloween Activities Include Trick-Or-Treating (Or The Related Guising And Souling), Attending Halloween Costume Parties Halloween Loli, Carving Pumpkins Into Jack-o'-Lanterns, Lighting Bonfires, Apple Bobbing, Divination Games, Playing Pranks, Visiting Haunted Attractions, Telling Scary Stories, As Well As Watching Horror Films. 

  In Many Parts Of The World, The Christian Religious Observances Of All Hallows' Eve, Including Attending Church Services And Lighting Candles On The Graves Of The Dead, Remain Popular,[ Although Elsewhere It Is a More Commercial And Secular Celebration. Some Christians Historically Abstained From Meat On All Hallows' Eve, a Tradition Reflected In The Eating Of Certain Vegetarian Foods On This Vigil Day, Including Apples, Potato Pancakes, And Soul Cakes

  The Word Halloween Or Hallowe'En Dates To About 1745 And Is Of Christian Origin. 

  The Word "Hallowe'En" Means "Saints' Evening". It Comes From a Scottish Term For All Hallows' Eve (The Evening Before All Hallows' Day).In Scots, The Word "Eve" Is Even, And This Is Contracted To e'En Or Een. Over Time, (All) Hallow(s) E(v)En Evolved Into Hallowe'En. Although The Phrase "All Hallows'" Is Found In Old English "All Hallows' Eve" Is Itself Not Seen Until 1556

  Today's Halloween Customs Are Thought To Have Been Influenced By Folk Customs And Beliefs From The Celtic-Speaking Countries, Some Of Which Are Believed To Have Pagan Roots. Jack Santino, a Folklorist, Writes That "There Was Throughout Ireland An Uneasy Truce Existing Between Customs And Beliefs Associated With Christianity And Those Associated With Religions That Were Irish Before Christianity Arrived". Historian Nicholas Rogers, Exploring The Origins Of Halloween, Notes That While "Some Folklorists Have Detected Its Origins In The Roman Feast Of Pomona, The Goddess Of Fruits And Seeds, Or In The Festival Of The Dead Called Parentalia, It Is More Typically Linked To The Celtic Festival Of Samhain, Which Comes From The Old Irish For 'Summer's End'."

  Samhain (/ˈSɑːWɪn, ˈSaʊɪn/) Was The First And Most Important Of The Four Quarter Days In The Medieval Gaelic Calendar And Was Celebrated On 31 October – 1 November In Ireland, Scotland And The Isle Of Man. A Kindred Festival Was Held At The Same Time Of Year By The Brittonic Celts, Called Calan Gaeaf In Wales, Kalan Gwav In Cornwall And Kalan Goañv In Brittany; a Name Meaning "First Day Of Winter". For The Celts, The Day Ended And Began At Sunset; Thus The Festival Began On The Evening Before 7 November By Modern Reckoning (The Half Point Between Equinox And Solstice).

   Samhain And Calan Gaeaf Are Mentioned In Some Of The Earliest Irish And Welsh Literature. The Names Have Been Used By Historians To Refer To Celtic Halloween Customs Witch Costumes Up Until The 19th Century, And Are Still The Gaelic And Welsh Names For Halloween.

SEXY HERVE LEGER

 So Sexy! Designers Create New Ways To Wear Body-Hugging Herve Leger Bandage Dress, Show Curves Rule

  New York — Part Of The Fun Of Watching The Herve Leger Dress Runway Show Every Season Is Observing How Designers Max And Lubov Azria Come Up With So Many Different Variations Of The Basic Bandage Dress.

  Since Acquiring The French Brand And Presenting Collections On New York Runways Since 2008, The Azrias Have Displayed Their Inventiveness In Creating New, Eye-Catching Ways To Accent a Dress That Hugs The Body Like a Sausage Casing.

  "It Really Is The Same Dress Over And Over Again. But They Have Found Ways To Add Something New To It," Celebrity Stylist Phillip Bloch Told Culturemap Before The Azrias Unveiled Their Fall Herve Leger Collection Before a Packed Audience At Lincoln Center.

  Bloch Recalled That He And Deceased Designer L'Wren Scott Were The First To Showcase The Brand In Hollywood Back When Designer Herve Leroux First Introduced The Bandage Dress In The Mid '80s.

  "(L'Wren) Would Get Them For Cindy Crawford And I Would Get Them For Fran Drescher. Fran Wore Them a Lot. They Were The First Two Celebrities Wearing Herve In La. We Did a Famous Shot Of Fran Where She Wore This White One, And We Did All The Flowers In Her Hair, That Was An Amazing One," Bloch Says.

  Now The Dresses Are So Popular, Bloch Says, That They Have a Tag That's Like a Tail On The Inside Of The Back Side Of The Dress, So That It Has To Be Cut Off Prior To Wearing It. Before That, Customers Would Buy The Dress, Wear It To a Club And Then Return It The Next Day. "If You Take The Tag Off, You Keep The Dress," Bloch Says.

  For Fall, The Azrias Have Added Padded Shoulders And See-Through Inserts In Some Looks While Others Are Heavily Beaded In Colorful Patterns Inspired By The Antoni Gaudi's Spectacular Basilica De La Sagrada Familia In Barcelona. Textured Jacquards Are Inspired By The Cathedrals Stained-Glass Windows And Celestial Ceilings While Heavily Studded Beadwork Evokes Soaring Arches And Warm Sunrays.

  The Duo Added Lamb Boleros And Beaded Bomber Jackets To Accent The Look, But The Dresses Are Just As Form Fitting As Ever.

  Backstage Before The Show Began, Max Azria Noted That The Collection Consists Almost Exclusively Of Short Dresses (Only One Look Features Slacks). "I Love The Colors And The Prints," He Said. "We Respect The Feeling Of This Woman; She's Very Sexy But Is Proud Of What She Has Achieved."

  His Company, Which Also Includes Bcbgmaxazria And Bcbg Generation, Has Had Some Financial Difficulties, But a Recent $135 Million Cash Infusion By Investors Has Put It On Firmer Financial Footing. Azria Dismissed Concerns, Saying The Company Plans To Go "Higher And Higher."

  He Certainly Seems To Have a Loyal Following For Herve Leger Replica, As Many Guests In The Audience Wore Latest Variations Of The Bandage Dress.

  "They Fit Like a Glove And They Look Beautiful On Most Women. I Love Them," Said Jaine Jackson, Who Traveled From Dallas To Attended Her First Fashion Show And Wore In a Low-Cut, Fringed Bandage Dress That Accented Her Curves.

HISTORY OF THE HERVE LEGER

In The Pantheon Of Famous Dresses, You'd Have The Lbd, The Wedding Gown, The Wrapdress, And, Residing At The Absolute Sexiest End Of The Hall, The Herve Leger Dresses. The Figure-Hugging Style Basically Ushered In The Term "Body-Con" And Has Had a Sexiest Who's-Who List Wearing It Since The First Style Was Introduced By Designer Herve L. Leroux In The Early 90s. If You'Re Thinking About Another Designer Named Herve, Hold Please: Leroux And Leger Are One And The Same. The Original Bandage Dress Creator Was Christened Herve Peugnet, But The Name Was Deemed Clunky By Karl Lagerfeld After The Young Designer Went To Work For Him At Fendi. He Adopted Leger At Lagerfeld's Suggestion And Kept It When He Went On To Start His Own Label. When Max Azria Acquired The Brand In The Late '90s, Leger Took Up The Surname Leroux For The New Label He Started In 2000.

But Back To Pre-Azria Bandage Dresses. A New York Times Runway Review, Published In 1993, Calls Leger's Speciality "Elastic Strips Of Fabric Sewn Together To Make Girdle-Tight Dresses." The Piece Also Reveals That His Brand Received Financing From The Bronfmans, The Powerhouse Family Who Made Their Fortune Via Seagrams And Counts Dj/All-Around Cool Girl Hannah Bronfman As The New Generation.

The Original Runway Pieces From Leger Share Similar Dna With What You See Produced Presently, Though The Bandage Style Was Mixed In With Less Body-Con Pieces, Including The Midi Skirts Worn On The Runway By Karen Mulder, Cindy Crawford, And Eva Herzigova In The Fall Of 1995.

Along With Being One Of The Models Sporting The Design On The Runway, Crawford Also Repped The Bandage Dress For Events Off The Runway. For a Vogue Anniversary Party In 1998, She Did The Lbd Version.

The Fact That The Brand Wasn't Originally Known Exclusively For Bandage Dresses Was Something Understood By Max Azria And Co. When The Company Acquired The Name In 1998. "When Leger Was Designing, He Only Used One Size Of Bandage. When You Look At The Archive, There's a Lot Of Woven, He Did Suiting, He Did Gowns," Lubov Azria, Chief Creative Officer Of Bcbg Max Azria Group, Told Glamour. "Bandage Was Only a Small Part Of It, But It Was What Got The Most Attention So We Realized That's The Essence Of Herve."

The Company Worked With Leger Himself For About a Year Before Looking For New Designers. When No One Quite Right For The Job Was Found, It Moved In-House, Staying Dormant For About Five Years While The Team Worked To Understand What Was Behind The Magical Bandage Look.

"I Didn't Want To Launch Until I Truly Understood The Whole Idea. A Bandage Dress Isn't a Woven, It's All Knitted On a Knitting Machine And Is a Completely Different Concept," Azria Explained. "People Assume It's Cut-And-Sew, But There's No Cutting. It's Knitted In a Panel And Then Attached. To Understand The Process And Technical Aside Took a While, And We Wanted To Make Sure It Would Be Unique In The Market."

Those Archives She Mentioned Have Been Somewhat Of a Labor Of Love, With The Company Chief Digging Deep To Stock The Racks; The Back Catalog That Came With The Brand Wasn't The Crème De La Crème, With The Best Items Having Disappeared Beforehand.

"The Pieces That Were Truly Iconic Were Given Away Or Taken By Someone, So I Had To Buy Them Back From Ebay And Private Parties," Lubov Revealed To Us. "We Actually Printed Out Every Runway Show He Did And Matched The Pieces That We Had In Our Vintage Library And Figured Out What Was Missing. We Went On Ebay And Found Some Of Them, They Were Like 400 Euros, And We'd Go To The Collectors, Like Resurrection. Those Were Like $1,400, But Sometimes We'd Bargain Or Do Trades. Then I Found Somebody In Paris Who Was The Muse Of Herve Leger Gown. She Had Tons Of Them And Was Willing To Part With Them—She Was In Her 70s."