Friday, October 29, 2010

Pumpkins for Halloween

I was just wondering why Halloween is signified by Pumpkins, why not some other vegetables. Is it because we can carve different faces in pumpkins? So, I researched about it and here’s what I got:

Halloween Pumpkins originated from the Celts in Europe long time ago. They would carry a lantern when they walked on the eve of October 31. These lanterns were carved out of big turnips and the lights were believed to keep the evil spirits away. The children would carve faces in the turnips in which they called it “jack-o-lanterns. And when the early settlers came to America they found the big round orange pumpkin. And they thought it is much bigger and colorful than turnips, so they made great “jack-o-lanterns” out of pumpkins, which eventually replaced the turnip. And now, we have pumpkins for Halloween.
As the settlers spread across America they took their Halloween celebrations with them. The custom of the “jack-o-lantern” would travel with them. Eventually the Pumpkin would become the most widely recognized symbol of the Halloween holiday.

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