Why did people start wearing costumes? Any idea what will be popular this year?

Like trick-or-treating, wearing costumes has its roots in “mumming,” dressing up to engage in mischief.

While these days few people believe in witches, ghosts or goblins, they still enjoy bringing those figures from folklore “back to life” for a night by dressing up.

Of course, plenty of people don’t wear scary costumes. This year it’s likely that many will prefer dressing up as super heroes and characters from cartoons and books. Among the expected favorites: Spider-Man, cartoon stars SpongeBob SquarePants or the PowerPuff Girls, traditional princesses, and characters from “The Lord of the Rings” and the ever-popular Harry Potter books.