Pumpkins

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Jonathan

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OK I have to ask - what is the fascination in the US with pumpkin carving, especially among the adults?

If appears to me to be a particularly American thing, that and trick or treat.

Does anywhere else in the world have such a facination with it? I know that the UK doesn't really bother these days (except for small kids wanting candy who are always too embarassed to do the trick!)and in Japan it's only American outlets/chains like Starbucks that seem to bother.

Just curious and hope y'all take the query the right way....

Thanks
Jonathan
 
Jonathan once bubbled...
OK I have to ask - what is the fascination in the US with pumpkin carving, especially among the adults?

If appears to me to be a particularly American thing, that and trick or treat.

Does anywhere else in the world have such a facination with it? I know that the UK doesn't really bother these days (except for small kids wanting candy who are always too embarassed to do the trick!)and in Japan it's only American outlets/chains like Starbucks that seem to bother.

Just curious and hope y'all take the query the right way....

Thanks
Jonathan


OH CANADA OUR HOME AND NATIVE LAND

We have been carving them as long as we been growing them:wink:
 
damn - I changed North America to America in case I offended any Canadians!

So anyone other than North Americans into this - but more importantly why?

Jonathan

BTW - saw my first Christmas tree this week, arrrrrrgh
 
Because it is fun! My girldfriend and I carved our pumpkins last night. Her's is a funny face, and mine is two cavedivers. I will try to post a pic tomorrow. :D
 
Tradition/fun, even funner underwater lit up, see our thread in New England Lobstah Divahs forum... Geesh... Don't you have any silly traditions over your way???
 
There is no wonder why this holiday seems really wierd to non European cultures! When you think about it, it seems wierd to me too!

The NA Halloween history is pretty long and complicated but the short version is this:

Halloween has a Celtic origin (Ireland, UK, N.France) and went through many ritual changes before it came to NA through the Irish, who immigration during the mid 1800's to escape the potato famine in Ireland.

During the 1920's - 1930's Halloween was celebrated in NA with parades and parties but there was a lot of vadalism. In the 1950's or so, during the baby boom, Communities decided to make an effort to minimizing vandalism by making the holiday very family oriented and lots of fun. Communities brought back the ancient tradition of trick-or-treat. Since it was made into such a fun holiday, it got really popular.

Halloween is really more of a holiday for kids so our underwater pumpkin carving revitalized this holiday for me a bit. Otherwise, I think of it as a cute holiday for kids.

Pre-NA history:
The Celts celebrated Nov. 1 as their new year. This was a pivital date marking the end of summer and the beginning of dark winter days, often associated with death where ghouls roam around and damage crops and such. People dressed up as ghouls so that the real ghouls would think they are fellow spirits and leave them alone. Treats were left at the front door of homes to keep the ghouls from entering.

Pumpkin carving:
Turnips and potatoes were carved with scary faces and put in windows and near doors to scare away spirits. Americans discovered that pumpkins, native to America, were a lot easier to carve.

There's more detail but I think I've bored everyone enough for now!
 
all. I found your history lesson to be quite interesting. Halloween is just alot of fun for kids young and old.
 
How interesting....I didn't know about the whole potato thing...I just thought we carved pumpkins because they were plentiful at the time. Damn squashes coming full-term later in the year. Anyway, I enjoy halloween for several reasons, and a new one next year...taking my little girl out and getting all kinds of candy (she'll be 13+1/2 mos. next year)
 
Hey Trish - thanks. As others have said not boring at all - I thought there must be a reason.

Don't you have any silly traditions over your way???

Sure do! I will miss bon fire night this year. That's where we burn a scare crow on 5th November - also known as Guy Fawkes night. Why? because some chap (was going to say guy!) called Guy Fawkes lead a gang of people in trying to blow up the houses of parliament. So now children make their guy, go round asking for "a penny for the guy" and (in theory) this goes towards buying fire works set off when the thing is burning.

Then theres the May Pole thing - another pagan ritual.

Haven't worked out the Japanese ones yet - but they seem to involve people carrying shrines on there shoulders. The ojisan (old men) are usually wearing a loin cloth that looks like a nappy (diaper) and or often drunk on sake one cup!

and on and on!

Thanks
Jonathan
 
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