Pumpkin eaters, jack o lanterns and guests in the night

 On a recent farm visit to Lincolnshire we passed by fields golden and swollen with autumn crops.
As we got closer we saw that the crop was pumpkins.
Pumpkin carcases were scattered over the road & squashed & discarded orbs lay throughout the fields. Such a waste. Taking this thought further why grow pumpkins at all? They taste watery & disappointing.
We grow vegetables that are going to be carved up then, thrown away.

I know its fun, I know they look amazing. Call me a kill joy, I think it’s worth saying that in a time when we need all the food we can grow, we’re wasting acres of land with pumpkins.   It may seem petty but it’s a crime to grow & buy something only to waste it. 

In the north of England and Scotland turnips (actually swede to us southerners) were used. If you have to use a winter squash, buy one that actually tastes of something, one is meant to be consumed & eat the contents after you've hollowed out your masterpiece. If you're going to buy a pumpkin, eat it.

That’s the soap box bit over with. Here’s a little history; Halloween was once & still is Samhain (pronounced Sowhain) a festival dedicated to the ghosts of all generations of our ancestors. They were welcomed back for the night as guests; ghost & guest were once the same word. Some countries, Mexico in particular have not forgotten their ancestors. Once we celebrated our departed and invited them into our homes for one night to feast with us. Samhain means summer’s end, and the start of the new year.

It was believed to be the night when the barrier between the living world and that of the spirits was at its weakest.  Bonfires were lit as part of the celebrations, food shared and stories told. Gradually, these bonfires declined, or merged with fireworks night.

Jack-o'-lantern" literally meant "man with a lantern" (a night watchman).

Over time "jack-o'-lantern" became the popular term for a homemade object also known as a "turnip lantern," In some parts of Britain children carried lanterns from door to door, to represent the souls of the dead whilst begging for soul cakes on Hallowmas. This practice was encouraged by churches as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for returning spirits on Samhein night.
So can we blame the church for the monster of a tradition it turned into once it emigrated to America?

In Ireland and Scotland, people began placing their own versions of such lanterns in windows or near doors to frighten away wandering evil spirits.

Irish immigrants brought the custom of carving jack-o'-lanterns to North America where the more commonly available pumpkin came to be used for that purpose. It wasn't until the 19th century that pumpkin carving became a Halloween staple across the United States. If you’ve ever tried to carve out a swede, you’ll know that you need strong arm muscles.

The custom of dressing up for Halloween is also a Samhain ritual where  animal skins and masks were worn to confuse spirits that would pass through the physical plane.

The first recorded practice of dressing up in Halloween costumes in North America was in 1911 when a newspaper in Ontario, reported children guising around the neighbourhood. Later in the 1930s, firms began mass-producing Halloween costumes for sale in stores.

Halloween was also a time to divine the future.

In the highlands of Scotland Bonnach Salainn a highly salted oatcake would be made & eaten to induce dreams that would foretell the future.
 
The hazel nut was sacred to ancient Celts; they were believed to have divining powers and were sacred to poets. The magic power of this nut was considered to be especially powerful on Halloween -- and was often used in marriage divinations.

Robert Burns wrote about this custom in Scotland: ... "Some merry, friendly, countra folks Together did convene, To burn their nuts, an' pu their stocks, An' haud their Halloween Fu' blithe that night."

Hazel nuts were sometimes named after an individual, and thrown into the bonfire on samhain eve. The manner in which it burned would determine the "fate" for that person for the next year.

Or try this;
Place two nuts (such as conkers or hazelnuts) on a fire. Give the nuts the names of two possible lovers and the one that cracks first will be the one.

Apple-bobbing was also a form of telling the future. The water bath represents the Cauldron of rebirth, and the apple is a symbol of love and romance.  Druids thought that eating an apple could transport one to other worlds.

Float a number of apples in a bowl of water and try to catch one using only your teeth. When you have caught one, peel it in one unbroken strip, and throw the strip of peel over your left shoulder. The letter the peel forms is the initial of your future husband or wife.

I always associate toffee apples with this time of year. Most commercial ones are made with the worst quality apples. Buy one from a farmers' market and you'll bite into an Egremont Russett or a crispy Cox. 

 

Rituals develop and change, and we’re now smothered with the consumer chaotic, plastic coated ritual that Halloween has turned into. I don’t suppose any of the kids round my way would make do with a few hazel nuts and a bowl of apples. Maybe they could be tempted with pumpkin soup.