Celtic rituals, tricks of nature, and deals with the devil have all played a part in creating this iconic symbol of Halloween. For decades, carving a pumpkin has been a beloved fall tradition in America, celebrated with parties, festivals, and televised competitions.
The concept of using a round fruit or vegetable to depict a human face goes back thousands of years in some northern European Celtic cultures. The idea took deeper hold during the Celtic festival of Samhain , which was originally celebrated on November 1 and inspired many traditions of modern-day Halloween.
On Samhain eve, October 31, spirits of the dead were thought to mingle with the living. To ward off restless souls, people donned costumes and carved frightening faces into root vegetables such as beets, potatoes, and turnips—usually plentiful after the recent harvest.
Related: These paper crafts bring the party on Day of the Dead. A practical purpose also evolved, says Mannion. Dozens of versions abound, but one recurring storyline is that Stingy Jack tricked the devil twice. When Jack died, he found himself barred from heaven—and from hell.
People thought it was Jack of the Lantern, a lost soul, or a ghost. As Ireland began the process of nationwide electrification in the s, the tale of Stingy Jack started to fade. Related: Witch hunt tourism is lucrative. It also obscures a tragic history. They discovered that pumpkins, not indigenous to Ireland but common in North America, were much better suited to carving than turnips or potatoes. The carved gourds have come to serve as much more than mere decoration.
According to the U. Department of Agriculture, more than 1 billion tons of pumpkins were harvested in This year the coronavirus is putting a damper on Halloween celebrations, but some pumpkin patches and festivals are proceeding with caution. A sweeter variety is preferred for baking. The colonists may have developed an early version of pumpkin pie by filling a hollowed-out pumpkin with a blend of spices, milk, and honey and then roasting it over hot ashes.
Pumpkin is a source of potassium, vitamin A, and other nutrients. It can be used in pies, breads, cakes, cookies, soups, and other foods. There are about seeds in a pumpkin, and these can be roasted or dried for eating.
Pumpkin blossoms can also be used in recipes. Not all pumpkins are orange. Some varieties yield white, tan, yellow, or even blue produce. Pumpkins come in a wide range of sizes, too. Miniature pumpkins weighing less than two pounds might be used in table centerpieces. Giant varieties can weigh more than a thousand pounds. While the common jack-o'-lantern pumpkin is round, there are varieties that are flat and other that are bumpy.
Columbus had difficulty raising his pumpkin seeds in Europe, but pumpkins are now grown on all of the continents except Antarctica. At one time, people believed that pumpkins could be used to remove freckles and heal snake bites. Some people also believed that pumpkin could cure diarrhea and constipation in dogs and cats.
These medicinal claims have been debunked, but there remain plenty of good uses for the pumpkin. Exact Match Search? All Dr. History of the Pumpkin Pumpkins, which are a type of squash, were first found in the Americas, primarily in the area of Central America and Mexico. Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Oct. Time Traveler. Love words? Need even more definitions? Ask the Editors 'Everyday' vs.
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