Posts Tagged ‘Jolly Roger’

Choose a Pirate Costume

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Anyone who decides to wear a pirate costume for a fancy dress party is going to be a very popular guest. I am not entirely sure why, but most people just seem to love anything to do with buccaneers. For men, it is probably something to do with the freedom, danger and adventure which they represent.

The buccaneer lifestyle is quite suited to any man who is a bit of a ‘jack the lad’ at heart. I mean, what other character gets to steal treasure, explore exotic islands, get drunk on rum and seduce beautiful women? Anyone wearing a pirate costume can get away with all of this and more without even the slightest bit of damage to his street cred.

For women, the attraction of a man in a pirate costume is more romantically orientated. Being whisked away by a handsome and rugged ‘villain’ with a large ship that is full of stolen treasure seems quite appealing to a lot of ladies. There would certainly be plenty of nice jewellery for her to choose from… Of course, there is also the sex appeal part. Throughout the years, Hollywood has supplied female filmgoers with an endless array of handsome bad boys on ships that have a Jolly Roger. Many rebellious characters in books or films are also enormous heart-throbs. Why women are drawn to men who are so obviously bad is a bit of an enigma, but it is also absolutely true. Even old films like, ‘The Wild One’ with Marlon Brando or ‘Rebel without a Cause’ with James Dean can still make a lot of girls go weak at the knees.

So, now that you can see what an excellent choice a pirate costume is, you need to decide where you are actually going to get one from. If you type your choice of outfit into a search engine then you will quickly find that you have a long list of websites which stock exactly what it is that you are looking for. If you are going to buy one online then just make sure that you know what style it is that you want. There are quite a few different varieties of buccaneer nowadays and it is not just a simple case of donning an eye patch along with a stripy shirt. Take your time when you are choosing though; you want to make sure that you really do look the part.

Your online search should also give you the name and address of any shop that will sell a pirate costume. Have a look to see if there is anything nearby. You may be surprised to find that there are more stockists in your area than you think. Fancy dress outlets tend to get overlooked a lot of the time unless you are planning to go to a party.

When you have finally got your pirate costume you can try it out. Don’t leave it until the actual day of the party just in case it doesn’t fit…

pirate flags and their origins

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Pirate Flags are not something created for the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films, or a figment of the imagination. They are REAL! And the actual flag used on ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies is of Calico Jack Rackham with a skull and crossed cutlasses. Each Pirate ship carried its own version of the flag, created for the ships Captain and Crew.

During the years of exploration, it was important to distinguish between friendly ships and the enemy. Flags were used as a way of intimidating anyone who encountered these ships, and played a big part in creating a reputation for the ship.

Pirate flags are not always black, because the original ones flown by early Pirates were actually RED!

Both black and red carried a strong message. The red flags early pirates sailed under represented Bloodshed and a warning, and indicated no quarter would be given to those who crossed its path. The Pirates hoped that the sight of this flag would cause quick surrender and an easy conquest. Black flags were mostly used on Plague ships as a warning, so the progression to Black flags was natural as it already represented Death. The Pirates called this the ‘Banner of King Death’.

The flags became more elaborate and unique by using symbols of death or violence, eg as Skull and Crossbones, a Cutlass or an Hourglass suggesting the enemies time was up! Probably the most well-known Pirate of them all, Blackbeard was thought to have flown under a black flag that featured a skeleton standing next to a bleeding heart, holding an hourglass in one hand and a spear in the other!

Most are generally known as ‘Jolly Roger’s’ or ‘Skull and Crossbones’. It is easy to see where the name Skull and Crossbones comes from but there are several possibilities for the name Jolly Roger. The most probable are; the English pronunciation of the French term ‘Jolie Rouge’ (Red Flag). It is also thought it could have originated from the word Rouge, meaning thief, beggar, or vagabond. The final theory is that it came from the phrase ‘Old Roger’ which was an English slang term for the Devil.

Why pirate costumes are a must

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Anyone who has ever been to a fancy dress party will have seen people wearing pirates’ costumes. They have always been a popular choice amongst party-goers. Just as you will always get the obligatory monsters, robots, clowns and vampires you are bound to see guests dressed up as swashbucklers. Some outfits just seem to have a timeless appeal to people.

Throughout the ages pirates’ costumes have held a certain romance about them. The buried treasure, the beautiful women (albeit usually kidnapped) and the exciting sword fights. If you are planning to go to a fancy dress party using this theme for your outfit then it is good to know that pirates costumes are not only instantly recognisable but are easily obtained from a wide variety of fancy dress companies. If you have at look on the internet then it will not take very long for you to find a great selection of pirates’ costumes. You can keep your attire relatively simple or you can really go to town with it. Certain elements, however, are essential when dressing-up; there is the hat or bandana (with or without a ‘Jolly Roger’) and the eye patch. If you use these as a starting point then you cannot go far wrong. There are, of course, other items of clothing that are synonymous with pirates’ costumes such as a black and white stripey top, a wide leather belt with a large buckle and high leather boots. Waistcoats are another garment that many pirates have worn in films over the years.