why and what started the tradition of carving pumpkins on halloween?
930472
The Irish brought the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern to America. The original Jack O'Lantern was not a pumpkin. The legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History.\nJack O'lanterns weren’t always Pumpkin , and Halloween wasn’t always Halloween. This celebration began as a pagan festival called Samhain, when Celts would walk around with various root vegetable lanterns to guide the roaming dead to the next world. They also carved spooky faces into them (the lanterns, not the dead) to keep malignant spirits away.
177546
I would have to say hallowe'en! It's so much fun to check out the kids in their costumes at the door and make them do little tricks for their treats. Nothing like hearing Jingle Bells in October because they're already practicing for Christmas concerts! And then there's all the goodies you never see any other time of year, from witches kisses to mini-chocolate bars; licorice treats of every kind and candies shaped like all sorts of scary things! Don't forget the candied apples and popcorn balls! Yep! I love Hallowe'en!
706109
a pumpkin patch\nA farm that sells pumpkins \nGrow your own.
5703
halloween didnt originate in holland its only been a recent thing there.  They have special festivals on Dec 5th, Queens Day and several others.  check out this web site below.
694319
that around early 1600s, in the fall, the pilgrims and natives had the thanksgiving.\n\ntheir menus were :\nWild Deer\nTurkey\nDuck Goose\nRabbit\nClams\nLobster\nSquash\nOnions\nBaked Pumpkin\nDried Berries\nCornbread\nCheese\nPudding (Pumpkin or Cornmeal)\n\nmay that help.-
713554
Halloween comes from the old pagan ceremony of Samhain
929630
Have you ever tried to put a pumpkin together again after smashing it, it is damn near impossible, they make a real mess and if you drop the pumpkin from a least ten feet you will never really be able to tell it was a pumpkin.
215711
The feast of all saints day (catholic) is on November 1.  The night before was thought to be a time of significant spiritual activity, one of the times that the living and the dead could talk to one another.  It is a mixture of traditions:  The wearing of masks is traditionally used to scare off evil spirits (costumes), and the leaving of food at the doors was to welcome good ones.
968954
Make a jack o' lantern!  It doesn't matter that it's not Halloween- don't do a scary one, but something with a fall theme- carve autumnal leave into it, etc., then use it as a decoration wherever- at the doorway/stoop, as a centerpiece for the table, etc..\n\nUse it as a table centerpiece (no carving).  Set it in the center and surround it with something tall (like long, golden stalks of wheat, tied in a bundle) in the back to give it height, autumnal clusters of berries and colored Indian corn surrounding the base, all sprinkled with beautiful selected leaves of fall colors.\n\nSalvage the seeds, clean and soak in brine (salt and water), drain, dust with salt, and bake in an oven until just barely brown, then use as a snack- delicious solution for the munchies.\n\nScoop out all the innards and do a variety of things with it- pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cheesecake, etc., etc..  Yummy!\n\nI once saw a recipe that used a whole pumpkin cooked in the oven, filled with a savory meat mixture- it was traditional Mexican.  I never tried it, but it certainly sounds like something fun to experiment with if you happen to have a pumpkin hanging around!\n\nGrow more pumpkins.  Seriously- I did this one once, by accident.  I left a pumpkin sitting outside on the dirt in the rain and all the wetness, and then just left it there because it was too wet and mushy to throw out- the bottom had rotted out.  I finally got rid of it and forgot, only to have a beautiful vine show up later on- I was growing a pumpkin!  I still don't know how to really grow a pumpkin, but it was awesome having one I never even planned.\n\nEnjoy your big orange fruits!
604965
OOOHHH!!! Halloween!!\nI love to decorate my yard like a cemetary with spooky things. and I love lights so i use the orange and black ones for my house.
936908
Because it deals with the dead and evil spirits.  People always tend to view evil as having to do with the devil/Satan.   Then include with that belief the symbols of the black cat, witches, bats and spiders, all symbols of evil or bad things, and the stories of the dead roaming the earth, etc., you have a bunch of people thinking that Halloween is bad.\nNevermind the fact that it was started as a celebration of the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, nor that the Halloween that we observe was actually started by the "Church" to honor saints and to cleanse the spirits of the dead so they may go into Heaven.
911680
http://allrecipes.com/search/recipes.aspx?q1=pumpkin\n\nEverything you could ever want to know about cooking with pumpkin!!!! ...:D
27692
the mexican version of halloween...dia de los muertos...but their customs are extremely different...instead they celebrate their dead and invite them back for one night and leave all their favorites out for them or something like that...if you are in school, ask your spanish teacher...they may know...
847743
GROWING GIANT PUMPKINS \nBefore that, the biggest pumpkins were only a fraction of the size of the ... Giant pumkin people around the world have developed their own growing methods, ...www.breamcreekshow.com.au/GROWING GIANT PUMPKINS.htm - 29k - Cached - More from this site \nYahoo! Answers - poor pumpkin? \n... ever since my pumkin plant got a pumpkin to a certain size whats wrong with it? ... the sun and rain do their thing one year and my pumpkins were the biggest ever. ...answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060807123405AA3F5Vo
765132
This is funny.  I just envisioned that pottery scene from the movie "Ghost" but with pumpkin guts instead of wet clay.  It would be a better idea before Halloween but good nonetheless.
828941
My husband & I were just having this conversation, as well as having one with my son's babysitter.\n\nPeople are trying to downplay it for the fear of offending 5% of the population.  Plus, there's a lot of places who advertise "safe trick-or-treating" like at churches, malls, etc.  Trunk-or-treating is becoming a very big thing at schools & churches, too.  I think after people go with their kids to these things (some even happen the weekend before Halloween), they don't worry about doing the actual Halloween things on Halloween.\n\nSad what some of it has come to, but we also wondered how long it would be before no one goes door-to-door trick-or-treating.  Now schools have "fall parties" instead of Halloween - kids can't even dress up for school anymore (reference the 5% comment above).\n\nI hate to see it change like that, but society is making it change.
45791
The origin of the Friday the 13th superstition has been linked to the belief that there were 13 people at the last supper of Jesus, who was crucified on Good Friday, but it probably originated in medieval times. It has also been linked to the fact that a lunisolar calendar must have 13 months in some years, while the solar Gregorian calendar and lunar Islamic calendar always have 12 months in a year. Another suggestion is that the belief originated in a Norse myth about twelve gods having a feast in Valhalla. The mischievous Loki gate-crashed the party as an uninvited 13th guest and arranged for Hod, the blind god of darkness, to throw a branch of mistletoe at Balder, the god of joy and gladness. Balder was killed instantly and the Earth was plunged into darkness and mourning as a result.\n\nSome also say that the arrest of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and 60 of his senior knights on Friday, October 13, 1307 by King Philip IV of France, is the origin of this superstition. That day thousands of Templars were arrested and subsequently tortured. They then 'confessed' and were executed. From that day on, Friday the 13th was considered by followers of the Templars as an evil and unlucky day.