By Donita Brannon
It’s that time of year again; time to be on the lookout for “The Great Pumpkin.” In competitions throughout the country, pumpkin farmers continue to break weight records every year. Charlie Brown and his pals may be shocked to learn that the world record pumpkin recently weighed in at over 2,000 pounds! Hands down, the pumpkin is the world’s largest botanical fruit.
The pumpkin has long been a symbol of fall: the harvest season, Halloween and Thanksgiving. It’s hard to imagine Halloween without a Jack o’ lantern or Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. Pumpkins are members of the gourd family, a huge plant family known as cucurbits, which includes cucumbers, squash and melons. Gourds are considered to be the earliest of all cultivated plants and were used by early man as vessels long before clay pottery. In fact, bottle gourds were used in Egypt around 2,000 B.C.
Throughout the ages gourds have been used for a wide variety of purposes. The most common use was as containers, a practice still in use in some areas of the world. The hourglass shape of certain gourds makes them easier to carry, therefore a perfect receptacle for water. Eating utensils such as plates, cups, dippers, and spoons were also made from gourds. Gourds were used as fishing floats, pipes, snuff boxes, and ceremonial masks. The ancient Chinese carved ornate designs into small gourds to use for cricket houses, and birdhouses are still made from them today. Believe it or not, gourds were used in Pre-Columbian times to repair head injuries. A portion of the skull was removed, a piece of gourd was inserted and the skin stitched back over it. I guess you could say that’s really “using your gourd.”
The use of the gourd for musical instruments is as varied as its use for utensils. Probably the earliest of musical instruments was the rattle – simply a dried gourd with the seeds still inside. In Africa the gourd is covered with a loose net, which is decorated with beads, bones, or shells, which strike against the gourd to produce the sound. A type of xylophone called a marimba has gourd resonators. Drums, horns, flutes, lutes, and sitars have all been made from gourds.
Gourds are extremely popular these days as decorative objects. In fact, there are many gourd societies throughout the country that celebrate the gourd as an art form. Artistic folks who happen to love gourds polish, sculpt and carve these cute cucurbits into vases, bowls and even purses.
Speaking of carving, have you ever wondered why we carve pumpkins into Jack o’ lanterns at Halloween? This tradition was brought to the United States by Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine. According to Irish lore, a shady fellow called “Stingy Jack” invited the devil to have a drink with him. True to his stingy nature, not willing to pay for the drinks, he convinced the devil to turn himself into a coin that he would use for payment. Instead, Jack put the coin into his pocket next to a silver cross, rendering the devil powerless. Jack agreed to release the devil under the condition that he would not bother him for a year.
The following year the devil came calling again and Jack tricked him into climbing up a tree to pick a piece of fruit. As the devil was up the tree, Jack carved a cross into the trunk of the tree, preventing the devil from coming down. Jack made the devil promise not to bother him for ten more years and to not claim his soul if he were to die. Well, die he did and because of his promise he was not allowed into Hell. Because of his life of unsavory deeds, he was not allowed into Heaven either. The devil did offer him a burning ember from Hell to use to light his way. Jack put the ember into a hollowed out turnip and continued to roam the Earth for all eternity. The Irish referred to this fellow as “Jack of the lantern,” which eventually became Jack o’ lantern.
The Irish also began to carve turnips and potatoes into scary shapes that they would light up and put in their windowsills to scare away evil spirits like Stingy Jack. When the Irish immigrants came to America, they brought this tradition with them, but soon discovered that the pumpkins were so plentiful, they made much better Jack o’ lanterns. So now you know why so many doorsteps are adorned with scary pumpkin faces at Halloween!
Beware the Great Pumpkin! And be sure to share this old Irish tale with your kids as you carve your own version of Jack.
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