Pumpkin carving after the farm

Saturday was a blustery day around here. It was a day with weather that finally reflected the date. October 13th and we would actually have to consider turning the furnace on for the first time since last spring. I think this is the latest we've ever been before cranking up the heat.

We met our friends (Kelly and Chris) at Chudleigh's farm. We had originally planned to go apple picking but upon arriving realised that we wanted to be in more enclosed areas and out of the wind. We bought pre-picked apples instead.

We also picked up a couple of little pumpkins for the boys to carve. If you are a Facebook reader/addict then you will have seen a copy of last year's pumpkins flanked by their respective artists in the form of Fergus and Quinn.

A BIT OF A HISTORY LESSON

Why do we carve pumpkins? As a Wiccan I already know but wondered how many others have given any thought to the process we undertake on an annual basis.

Let's start with the history. Carved vegetables or fruit were used to light the path of the spirits of our deceased loved one at Samhain (North American Halloween). Turnips, pears or gourds were hollowed out with a piece of burning coal placed in the centre and they were set on porches and in windows. This was to welcome the spirits of loved ones and guide their way and to protect people from evil and malevolent spirits. With time, the coal was replaced by lit candles for the light.

Why would anyone want to welcome the spirits of loved ones?? Well, Samhain is a festival of Celtic origin and is celebrated from sunset October 31st to sunset November 1st. This festival is a time to honour the dead and our deceased friends and loved ones. It is believed by Wiccans and Pagans alike that the veil between the world of the living and the dead is the most thin on this date and so by lighting the door all night we may allow those we have loved and lost to come home again to feel our love. It is a time to celebrate their lives and to be excited about the next part of the journey they will embark upon.

It wasn't all joy however. Pagans and Wiccans alike have long been threatened by Christians who did not understand our religion. Despite Christians adopting almost every single holiday from the Pagan calendar, many still believe that Wiccans/witches are evil. According to Starhawk, "Circles of worshippers met deep in the woods far away from other people. [T]he Pagans lit candles inside carved vegetables to scare away their persecutors."

Samhain also marks the end of the harvest season and with it, the end of the year. Samhain is our New Year's Eve. This is why there are candies and sweets involved with Halloween today. What most people do not know or realise is that "when they give candy to children on this day, they bless the birth of the new year and the sweetness of life." When you open your door to pass out candy you are, for a few minutes, playing the role of a Pagan.

As to why we now use pumpkins instead of other fruits or vegetables . . . When the Irish came to North America they came upon pumpkins and found them much easier to carve and hollow out. Their use quickly replaced the turnips, pears, and gourds of old and a new tradition was born.