Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin carving is a very popular tradition in the Western nations. Come festivals like Halloween and you can see wonderfully carved pumpkins laid on doorsteps or hanged from various places.

Not a vegetable but a fruit

Many people think that the pumpkin is a vegetable. But it is actually a fruit. It belongs to the same family of fruits as gourds and melons. Hence, when you are carving a pumpkin know that you are just carving a fruit.

A popular American custom

Carving pumpkins is in fact, a highly popular American custom that is observed during the Halloween festival. Halloween is celebrated every year in the month of October. The sale of pumpkins rises greatly at this time as kids and adults across America try their hands at carving pumpkins.

Cut and lit

Carving a pumpkin is traditionally cut by hand without mechanical aids or devices. Parts of the fruit are cut out to make it look like the smiling face of a demon or any such devilish creature. A portion is cut out of its top. A candle or an electric light is then put inside the hollowed shape through this hole. This makes the pumpkin shine like a source of light. The light placed inside the fruit also makes its designs stand out in the dark and gives it a menacing appearance. Pumpkins carved and lighted like this are popularly known as Jack-O'-Lanterns. But nowadays, you can often come across pumpkins that are intentionally cut in such a way as to give them a comical appearance.

An art

Carving pumpkins has become almost an art for a century now. Every year, pumpkins are engraved in more and more innovative ways to give them newer designs. Today, pumpkin designs include everything from faces of celebrities and cartoons to appearances of political personalities.

An amusing tradition

Initially, carving pumpkins began as a way of scaring off evil spirits. But it is now more of an amusing tradition. Every year, it is practiced across the U.S to add more fun to the Halloween celebrations. Pumpkin carving games and even contests are held in many localities and even churches throughout America. The tradition has also led to the rise of newer records, such as the most pumpkins carved and lit or the biggest pumpkin carved:

• On October 21, 2006, 30,128 carved pumpkins were lit on Boston Common that set a new record in the history of the tradition.
• Another notable record was set on October 31, 2005 in Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania, United States when the largest Jack-O'-Lantern of the world was cut out of a giant pumpkin weighing 1,469 lb.

A part of popular American culture

Every autumn, carved pumpkins are to be found in almost every American home, from doorsteps to dining tables. The shining, carved pumpkin or “Jack-O'-Lantern” stands as one of the most popular symbols of Halloween. And pumpkin carving is now, one of the best known Halloween traditions. It has become a part of popular American culture and holds attraction for young and old alike.