Why Do We Carve
Pumpkins for Halloween?.
Modern Halloween is derived from
the Irish festival, “Samhain,’ which marks
the passage from summer into winter. .
During the traditional bonfires of the festival,
it was believed that evil spirits lurked in
the surrounding shadows. .
To ward off these evil spirits, rudimentary
faces were carved into hollowed-out turnips
and placed in windows and alongside roads. .
They also used the turnip
lanterns to light the way for
travelers and good spirits. .
This Irish tradition was later
carried over to America by
immigrants in the mid-1800s.
Pumpkins quickly became the
staple for carving, as they were
abundantly available and the
easiest fruit to work with. .
From there, pumpkins grew into
a multi-million dollar industry, with
John Howden developing the ideal
carving pumpkin in the 1960s. .
The Howden pumpkin is the most popular Halloween pumpkin, as its thin flesh and shallow ribs make it perfect for carving.