THE ALL-IMPORTANT PUMPKIN

THE ALL-IMPORTANT PUMPKIN

For American, the simple pumpkin has come to symbolize everything that is important and meaningful about autumn. Everyone knows it is autumn when pumpkins begin to appear at roadside stands. Soon afterward, pumpkins will decorate doorsteps at Halloween. Then they will be part of Thanksgiving holiday decorations. They will also be baked into breads and pies. Farmers will know winter is near when morning frost is on the pumpkin.

Pumpkin and squash are believed to be the first food plants cultivated by the Native Americans. New England natives called them both askootasquash. The pilgrims, who were the first English settlers, shortened it to squash. Then they named the pumpkin from a Greek word, pepon, meaning a large melon. The natives cooked pumpkins in stews and fed uncooked pieces to their horses. They planted pumpkins around their corn. The natives taught the settlers how to plant it and eat it. Very quickly the pumpkin became a favorite and important garden vegetable. It was a healthy addition to the settler’s diets because it is rich in vitamins and minerals.

Eighteenth-century Americans used pumpkin seed tea for medicinal purposes. But of all the uses of pumpkins, none is as amusing as the way it was used by New Englanders, or “Yankees.” Yankee men used the pumpkin shell as a guide for cutting their hair! They put the pumpkin on their head and trimmed around its base. This gave rise to the expression “pumpkinhead,” which at first meant New Englander, and later meant someone who looked silly or stupid.

Every autumn there are pumpkin festivals held all over the country. They are a type of harvest celebration. Pumpkin queens and kings are named. Prizes are given for the biggest or the best-decorated pumpkin, or the best-tasting pumpkin pie. With the help of fertilizers, some pumpkins have been grown to the size of a small car.

Pumpkins are popular with children, not so much for eating as for making jack-o’-lanterns at Halloween. Most Americans don’t realize that this tradition comes all the way from Ireland and Scotland. It originated over 2,000 years ago with the Celts who lived in what is now France and the British Isles. They celebrated a harvest festival on October 31. It was a joyous occasion, but also in some ways a sad one. It marked the beginning of long, dark, cold winter. They believed that in the darkness, the spirits of the dead walked upon the earth. Great fires were built on the hills to protect the people from bad spirits. People hollowed out turnips, a root plant, and put a candle inside. They carried them if they went outside to protect themselves from evil spirits.

When the settlers came to the America, they brought their customs with them. They didn’t have turnips, so they use pumpkins instead. Today, of course, children look forward to Halloween and the carving of pumpkins. First the pumpkin is hollowed out and the seeds and pulp taken out. Then funny or scary faces are curved into the side. In the evening, a candle is put inside and the face glows in the dark. Sometimes pumpkins are painted and decorated. As Halloween approaches, jack-o’-lanterns pop up on doorsteps everywhere.

After Halloween, Americans look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday. Pumpkins and corn plants are often used as decorations during this time. They symbolize autumn and the spirit of the season. It is a time of giving thanks for the harvest, for the family, and for all the good things that families enjoy.

But pumpkins don’t only serve as symbols. They’re eaten too. The first settlers who depended on the pumpkin for food would be amazed to see how many ways it’s eaten today. Pumpkins are boiled, broiled, and baked. They are put in bread, cakes, pies, muffins, doughnuts, ice cream, pancakes, cookies, soups, and even hamburgers! Sometimes there seems to be no end to the uses of pumpkins. Who would ever have thought this simple little plant would get to be so popular!

--- From more about the USA