Aloha!

Pumpkins for our pumpkin carving contest are all done!!

For decades, we all know the carved out pumpkin has been a symbol of Halloween’s spookiness as people made time to do pumpkin shopping several nights before Halloween came. Indeed, carving pumpkins has become a beloved fall tradition in America – but do you know the reason WHY?

The origin comes from an Irish myth about Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil for his own monetary gain. When Jack died, God didn’t allow him into heaven, and the Devil didn’t let him into hell, so Jack was sentenced to roam the earth for eternity. In Ireland, people started to carve demonic faces out of turnips to frighten away Jack’s wandering soul. When Irish immigrants moved to the U.S., they began carving jack-o’-lanterns from pumpkins, as these were native to the region. But HOW did jack-o’-lanterns become associated with Halloween?

Well, Halloween is based on the Celtic festival Samhain, a celebration in ancient Britain and Ireland that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the new year on November 1. It was believed that during Samhain the souls of those who had died that year traveled to the other world and that other souls would return to visit their homes.

In the 8th century CE, the Roman Catholic Church moved All Saints’ Day, a day celebrating the church’s saints, to November 1. This meant that All Hallow’s Eve (or Halloween) fell on October 31. Traditions from Samhain remained, such as wearing desguises to hide yourself from the souls wandering around your home. The folklore about Stingy Jack was quickly incorporated into Halloween, and we’ve been carving pumplins (or turnips) ever since.

A behind the scenes look at our students exploring their creativeness as they carve pumpkins for the GVH’s Pumpkin Carving Contest.

Click the picture to see a movie!

GVH Halloween tradition:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds for the students!!! Yummy!