what have pumpkins actually got to do with halloween, couldn't I just hollow out a marrow instead?

Answer 1

hollow out a carrot and put in a birthday candle

Answer 2

Pumpkins are an American thing.

They are not native to the UK. When I was a kid we used to hollow out Swedes or Turnips instead. The smell of burnt Swede always sums up Halloween for me!!!

Pumpkins are much easier to hollow out though as they are not solid inside (like a Swede - they took AGES to carve!)

Plus they are a nice orangey colour which sort of symbolises Halloween and autumn.

People in the last few years have started using Pumpkins in the UK instead of the traditional Swedes and Turnips. They are much bigger and make much better lanterns.

Last year all the shops had run out of pumpkins so I used a big round Squash! LOL! It looked just the same.

Answer 3

Many years ago it was thought that if we made scary faces from vegatables to keep the ghost and ghouls away, swede was also used and hollowed out and a candle put in,apples were hung at the doorway so the ghouls wouldnt go indoors, were used instead of pumpkins Americans used pumpkins so we got on the bandwagon and used pumpkins as well..the Americans would make pies and soups, something us Brits dont often make, but pumpkins can be made to be very scary, whooowhoowhoo..

Answer 4

A myth in my family said that once in the old days a wicked man with his army were about to take over land when the villagers make scary faces on the pumpkin and throw to the army.They were scary away because they think they are REAL head.So that Y they use pumpkin for Halloween.

Answer 5

Jack-o-lanterns - Pumpkin Lanterns
These are hollowed out pumpkins with a face cut into one side. People once carved out beets, potatoes and turnips to use as lanterns on Halloween. Nowadays we carve out pumpkins.

According to an Irish legend, jack-o-lanterns were named for a man named Jack, who could not enter heaven because he was a miser. He could not enter hell either, because he had played jokes on the devil. So instead, he had to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgment Day. So use what you like.

Answer 6

no but try a turnip lol


The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.

According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.

The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.

Answer 7

Originally Jack-O-Lanterns, which are the proper name for the carved pumpkins were made from turnips, in Ireland, I believe. When the Irish began colonizing America, they attempted to continue the tradition, but found that pumpkins worked much better for their purpose. theoretically you could use anything to make a Jack-O-Lantern but pumpkins are probably the best for the job.

Answer 8

The Great Pumpkin
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Pumpkins But Were Afraid To Ask...

- Pumpkins are fruits. A pumpkin is a type of squash and is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitacae), which also includes squash, cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.

- The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in 2003 and weighed 418 pounds.

- Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years. They are indigenous to the western hemisphere.

- In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region of North America, he reported finding "gros melons." The name was translated into English as "pompions," which has since evolved into the modern "pumpkin."

- Pumpkins are low in calories, fat, and sodium and high in fiber. They are good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, potassium, protein, and iron.

- The largest pumpkin ever grown was 1,337 pounds. It was grown by Charles Houghton of New Boston, New Hampshire.

- Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. Their seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next year.

History Of The Jack-O'Lantern


Pumpkin carving is a popular part of modern America's Halloween celebration. Come October, pumpkins can be found everywhere in the country from doorsteps to dinner tables. Despite the widespread carving that goes on in this country every autumn, few Americans really know why or when the jack o'lantern tradition began. Or, for that matter, whether the pumpkin is a fruit or a vegetable. Read on to find out!

People have been making jack o'lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o'lanterns.

Answer 9

pumpkins are a good size and eye-catching colour for carving, besides being pretty easy to hollow out. you should try carving a zapallo, a south american pumpkin. it's so hard a saw is needed to cut it =) carve up whatever you want, if it's different than the rest then it's creative and original.

Answer 10

I read somewhere that the tradition was started by the first pilgrims going over to the US and that they used turnips instead. But as they aren´t easily found there anymore, they started using pumpkins.

Answer 11

Why not! Here in Scotland we always used turnip (or a swede as its called in England) cos they were cheaper and you can make tasty soup with the inside whereas pumpkin is yuk yuk yuk!