Halloween It is just around the corner. Although in Spain it is not very celebrated, since it is more of an American party, it has more and more presence. But do you know why the pumpkin is the element of this holiday?
If you want to know why then we are going to reveal those little stories that give "life" to the Halloween legend and maybe you will start to see pumpkins in a different way. You dare?
Since when is Halloween celebrated?
Despite the fact that Halloween is an American holiday, the truth is that its origins are not, far from it, from those lands. To know where the party comes from we have to go to the Irish and their Celtic traditions, more than 2500 years ago. And is that the last day of the harvest season was held a party "end of summer", also known as "Samhain." In it they not only said goodbye to summer, but also welcomed their Celtic New Year, which coincided with the autumn solstice.
In a land with so much Celtic "magic" it is said that on that day the line that joins the mortal world with that of the spirits is so final that they can connect both worlds, in such a way that the living and the dead can meet and spend a few hours together. For this reason, Samhain was related as the night of the dead, where they returned to their homes to dine and celebrate with their loved ones.
And what does the pumpkin have to do with Halloween?
In this case, there are two theories, one based on a Celtic legend and the other related to America. So let's see both.
The Legend of Jack O'Lantern
Have you ever heard of Jack O'Lantern? Maybe not, but it is closely related to Halloween, not exactly because something happened to it at that time, but because of its history. You see, legend has it that Jack was a very clever Irish farmer and also a very stingy one.
One day the devil came looking for him because it was his time. So Jack asked him, since he had to die and go with him, to let him have a beer at the bar. The devil acceded to that request and when he drank the beer he told the devil that he had no money to pay the innkeeper, and convinced him to transform it into a coin.
At first surprised, then amused, the devil agreed. But Jack, taking the coin, instead of paying, put it in his pocket, where he carried a crucifix.
The devil was trapped and Jack told him that he would release him if he gave him 10 more years to live. As he could not do otherwise, the devil accepted and left.
10 years later, he came back for Jack. And this, when he saw him, told him that his last wish was to eat an apple from a nearby tree, but since he was so old he could not climb. The devil, confident, agreed to get on it. But as he did so, Jack filled the entire floor with crucifixes, preventing the devil from coming down.
What did he ask in exchange for releasing him? That he could never take his soul away.
The devil accepted. But Jack fell into his own trap.
And it is that when his body no longer resisted, his soul went to San Pedro but he did not receive it in heaven, since he had made a deal with the devil so that they could never take his soul. But he hadn't specified if it was just the devil or all of them.
Thus, he himself condemned himself to wander.
What few know is that Jack also went to hell to ask to enter, but the devil did not admit it and told him to go where he had come. That road was dark and cold, and the devil, perhaps in his goodness, threw a burning coal from hell (which never goes out). Jack took a turnip, emptied it, and put the charcoal inside for a candle.
In time, that lamp became his head. And with more time, the turnip turned into a pumpkin.
The history of pumpkins on Halloween
Given the legend, we could think that it has a lot of fantasy. But what is certain is that, when Halloween began to be celebrated, really what was carved those days weren't pumpkins, they were white turnips! In fact, this was the element that was used in Celtic celebrations since with them lanterns were made that illuminated the way for the dead to their homes.
So how could you switch from turnips to pumpkins? This takes place in America. It is said that when the Irish emigrated to America they did not grow turnips, and they did not seem to grow well there either. But there was another plant that was also very easy to grow, it was round, orange and related to autumn. We talk about the pumpkin.
It was also much easier to carve and therefore, due to a surplus of pumpkins (and the shortage of turnips) they began to use these as a symbol of the celebration of that Samhain turned into Halloween. And so it has stayed over the years.
What does the pumpkin mean on Halloween?
Now that you know why pumpkins are so closely related to Halloween, have you ever wondered what the significance of these is?
When turnips were made as lanterns, These served as light for the dead so that they could reach their homes with their loved ones. That is to say, it was an element of "light" and of reunion.
With the legend of Jack, the fact that he used him as a lamp to illuminate his own path, many began to think that it was something negative, but the truth is that the meaning given is to drive away the devil. That is why the gourds with gloomy faces are always placed at the entrance of the door, to prevent the devil from entering. Somehow the legend of Jack is related to the fact that he is not welcome there (so that he remembers what happened to him).
Are you one of those who carves a pumpkin on Halloween? Did you know of these two stories that give more weight to the symbol of that celebration?