Why We Carve Pumpkins
To understand why we carve pumpkins we first need to jump in and get an understanding of Halloween. Pumpkin carving is a tradition enjoyed by many Americans around Halloween. Children and adults alike love the spooky patterns made by the flickering flame inside of a carved pumpkin, and many individuals use these pumpkins to showcase their artistic talent over the Halloween holiday. How pumpkin carving began is a matter of debate, but why we carve pumpkins and why it is such a popular activity is obvious to anyone who has ever enjoyed this bit of festivity!
A number of theories abound as to why people began to carve jack-o’-lanterns out of turnips, and later pumpkins.
One of the more believed theories has to do with the pagan Celtic festival known as Samhainnight of Samhain. This festival blurred the line between the physical world and the spirit world. Many people believe that these carved jack-o’-lanterns were used to ward off evil spirits, or to represent the souls still flickering within the living.
Whether or not this story is true, it is clear that vegetable carving played an important part in Irish holiday practices.
When Christians took over the holiday, the pagan significance of the practice diminished. While jack-o’-lanterns certainly didn’t stop being scary, many of the customs we would later know as Halloween customs, from dressing up in costumes to carving pumpkins, were no longer looked at as being religiously important.
Legend of the Jack-O'-Lantern
According to legend, Jack was a god-fearing man who met the Devil one night and trapped him in a tree with a cross. The Devil became angry with Jack, because he could not escape the tree. Jack, being an evil man, knew he could coerce the Devil to do whatever he wanted, and made him promise never to take his soul to Hell. Unable to do anything else, the Devil relented and Jack carved the cross off the tree to let him down.
Of course, Jack lived a life of decadence, greed, and selfishness until the day that he died. When he reached the pearly gates of Heaven, St. Peter refused him entry on the basis of his evil deeds. With nowhere else to go, Jack decided to ask Satan for entry into Hell.
The Devil simply laughed at him, for he was doomed to walk the earth for all eternity without anyplace to call home. As a parting gift, the Devil gave him one of hell’s burning coals which would never be extinguished, and Jack still carries it to this day inside of a jack-o’-lantern.
Pumpkin Carving Today
Today, Halloween is enjoyed by people all around the world. Pumpkin carving is practiced today not simply because of the tradition, but because it’s a fun and safe activity for all ages to enjoy. (Special sets of plastic carving knives are even available for youngsters.) It’s also a great way for families to spend some time together and enjoy each other’s company. Some very talented individuals use pumpkin carving as a means of self-expression, taking the craft far beyond cutting leering features into a pumpkin. Others just like making pumpkin pie from the goop collected afterward!
Halloween in History
The holiday most associated with pumpkin carving is Halloween, also known as All Hallows Eve. It is celebrated on October 31st, due to two historically important holidays.
The pagan Celtic festival of Samhain, was celebrated due to the end of the summer and beginning of the harvest period. In some ways, it was a new year’s celebration, as the Celtics believed they were entering the “dark half” of the year. The ancient roots of this festival go back many hundreds of years, before the Christian influence became prominent.
Perhaps as a way of replacing this festival, the Christian holiday All Saints’ Day, a day to remember and honor the saints, was celebrated on November 1st. As with many Christian holidays, traces of the pagan holiday remained. Many aspects of the Celtic holiday, including the carving of jack-o’-lanterns, remained popular with the Christians who began celebrating All Saints’ Day instead of Samhain.