What Does Pumpkins Represent : Pumpkins

Symbolism in Art: The Pumpkin

Kusama’s family cultivated plants and seeds, and, always having had an affinity to the natural world, she has described stumbling on a vine of pumpkins at an early age, feeling that they began to speak to her “in a most animated form”.In the United States, pumpkins are most recognised as symbols of Halloween, of the changing weather as warmer days begin to give way to cool temperatures and darker evenings.Pumpkins are in fact one of the more abundant autumn crops, marking their growing season as the moment that most other vegetation begins to retreat in readiness for the winter months.Pumpkins are also one of the more resilient fruit, finding ways to grow large and bulging amongst sparse soil and sharing nutrients along a connected vine that reaches into the ground to replenish itself.For Kusama, the pumpkin became a recurring icon in her work, almost replacing her own body as a symbol of self and often taking centre stage in paintings, installations and sculpture.In protest to the Vietnam war, she staged a series of public spectacles, in which naked subjects would appear painted in her signature vivid colours and polka-dot patterns.Kusama returned to Japan in ill health in the 1970s, moving into a hospital and travelling to her studio every day to continue creating her art works and literary pieces. .

The History Behind Pumpkins and Halloween

You might bring one home from a pumpkin patch or the grocery store and carve it into a jack-o'-lantern.The history of pumpkins and their use at Halloween contains a mixture of interesting facts and Celtic folklore.Native Americans carried pumpkin seeds into other parts of North America.Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, found pumpkins in what is now part of Canada in 1584.It was the influence of Irish immigrants, however, that made the pumpkin a part of Halloween.The Irish remembered this story each year by carving scary faces on turnips and placing a burning piece of coal inside.However, when the Irish immigrated to the U.S., they discovered that pumpkins were more readily available and made better jack-o'-lanterns than turnips.Over time, the practice of carving spooky faces on a pumpkin evolved into other forms of pumpkin-carving.The Irish would set the carved pumpkins or turnips by their doors and windows in hopes that they would protect them.At one time, people believed that pumpkins could be used to remove freckles and heal snake bites.Some people also believed that pumpkin could cure diarrhea and constipation in dogs and cats.These medicinal claims have been debunked, but there remain plenty of good uses for the pumpkin. .

What Do the Different Pumpkin Colors Mean?

With a holiday that centers heavily on candy, it’s important to remember keep in mind that not every kid can eat every treat.The blue pumpkins encourage conversations about autism and how it affects both children and adults.This is especially true on Halloween, when little ones on the autism spectrum may not be able to say “trick or treat.” Be on the lookout for kids with blue buckets!The white Halloween pumpkin was inspired by a Facebook post with a poem written by a mother in mourning.Jennifer Giles, a mother who lost her child Madelyn, wrote the poem in remembrance of her daughter.The organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) began its campaign years ago.As you may have guessed, red pumpkins represent awareness for drunk driving and aim to promote healthy drinking practices.Inspired by the success of the Teal Pumpkin Project, mother Laura Slatter decided to start her own in an attempt to bring awareness to her son’s disability. .

6 Things You May Not Know About Pumpkins

Harvested in October, this nutritious and versatile orange fruit features flowers, seeds and flesh that are edible and rich in vitamins.Carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns is a popular Halloween tradition that originated hundreds of years ago in Ireland.Back then, however, jack-o’-lanterns were made out of turnips or potatoes; it wasn’t until Irish immigrants arrived in America and discovered the pumpkin that a new Halloween ritual was born.Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family, which includes cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons and zucchini.It was then nasalized by the French into "pompo”, which the English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion,” and so on until American settlers arrived at the word we use today. .

Pagans and pumpkins: a Halloween history

Modern Halloween costumes like naughty nurses and French maids wouldn’t spook an evil spirit.Are candy, costumes, and commercialization distracting us from placating demons to ensure a bountiful harvest?In many European countries, the frivolous Halloween is less important than the sombre All Saints Day (1 November).Many Halloween traditions come from a library of rich stories – some myth, some fact – that help explain why we carve pumpkins, bob for apples, or go trick-or-treating.It bloomed from the dark nights of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (meaning ‘summer’s end’ in Gaelic), when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts.Celts celebrated their new year on 1 November; harvests ended and the cold, harsh winter began – a time typical of many deaths.They believed the boundaries between life and death blurred on the eve of each new year – 31 October – when ghosts of the dead returned to earth causing havoc and destroying crops.But it was also a time when people, typically Druids or Celtic priests, could make predictions to comfort those facing a long, dark winter.In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III dedicated 1 November to honor all saints and martyrs.The night before – the traditional celebration of the Celtic religious festival Samhain – took on the name All Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.But over time, Halloween has largely left behind its pagan and Christian origins to become a secular holiday, particularly in North America.The United States didn’t observe these holidays until Irish and Scottish immigrants arrived in the mid-1800s, bringing a mash of traditions with them.Stemming from Celts’ prediction practices on Samhain, young women believed that Halloween was the day they could divine the name of their future husband.There was a move in the United States to create a more community-oriented form of Halloween; less ghosts and pranks, more family-friendly gatherings and parties.Carving pumpkins is a common Halloween activity (Photo: Jason Rosewell / Unsplash).After these traditions were exported across the Atlantic, it wasn’t long before carved pumpkins (a gourd native to North America) began to show up.Halloween history made its grand turn towards its current form when Americans embraced carved pumpkins by the 1920s.The Howden pumpkin has a thick stem, shallow ribs, and thin flesh; these attributes make them easy to carve, though a nightmare for cooking with.Numerous superstitions sprouted around this, considering the predictive nature of this special fruit: if you got the apple on the first try, you would find true love.Some young women would also place an apple under their pillow in order to reveal their future husband in their dreams.This piece of Halloween history continually gained popularity in the United States; today, around 40 million trick-or-treaters join the candy-filled fun.Halloween’s typical color scheme (orange and black) arose out of these autumn festivals.Halloween history turned towards commercialization in the 1900s; around this time, companies produced themed postcards and paper decorations.Haggard witches, on the other hand, reference the pagan mythological character known as the old crone, who was honored during Samhain celebrations.Similar to the world’s different approaches to Valentine’s Day, not every country follows the commercialized and Americanized variety of Halloween.Elsewhere, commerce has less traction in the Halloween history of individual countries; however, many places do still have traditions that are unique to them:.Halloween is called Alla Helgons Dag in Sweden; Swedes observe it from 31 October until 6 November.Almost as a throwback to Halloween history, many families counter the elements of consumption, waste, and poor eating habits by helping others. .

Color Pumpkins: What Do They Mean? Visual Guide to Pumpkins for

Others are a tool to jumpstart conversations on conditions that impact communities beyond October — and despite a wide range of causes, which include epilepsy, breast cancer and infertility, it seems that most Americans are using these pumpkins to find common ground far beyond their own neighborhoods, thanks to social media.The high visibility around teal pumpkins — which have become a symbol of comfort for those facing foodborne allergies — comes after many years of awareness and education efforts by those whose health is threatened by popular Halloween candy and chocolate products.For Priscilla Hernandez, the promise of a fun, family-filled night of meeting neighbors while trick-or-treating ended up dashed when she realized her son Zacky, now 9 years old, had severe aversions to almost every kind of Halloween treat.Like many others, Zacky showed signs of an overzealous immune system as an infant, developing anaphylactic reactions as a first grader — peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, shellfish and legumes proved potentially deadly without the use of an EpiPen.These ingredients, plus milk, eggs, soy and wheat, are all commonplace in candy bowls on All Hallows' Eve; and since one-in-13 American children suffer from a range of sensitivities, it makes sense why Priscilla desperately searched for solutions to keep Zacky away from an impromptu trip to the emergency room."At first, it seemed like such a lonely road because nobody that I knew had food allergies, nor their children," says Priscilla, adding that she stumbled upon FARE after seeing a solitary teal pumpkin display while walking an area far from home.That first glance would end up leading her to become a national ambassador for the organization, sharing how she and her husband Zack Munoz have since created an allergen-free safe haven for Zacky in their home in Pasadena, California.FARE asks families to provide non-edible treats on Halloween night, alongside displaying a teal pumpkin — but for Priscilla, the real reward is educating her neighbors throughout the fall season.Erin, along with Reagan's father, Travis, pulled educational resources from the Epilepsy Foundation to share with family and friends to learn more about the neurological disorder than just general seizures.Slowly but surely, painting purple pumpkins became a birthday tradition, as a way to celebrate Reagan while educating new friends and raising awareness.Reagan's story has inspired social media users from California to Connecticut to display purple pumpkins, Erin says, as those in her own neighborhood and county have in the past; many are adorned with a lilac "R" before being shared, just one of the 2,000+ on Instagram alone.Online communities are crucial here, as the Epilepsy Foundation aims to raise $35,000 before Halloween, but the virality of the issue may drive medical treatment forward in the future."It's kind of staggering that more people live with epilepsy than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's and ALS, combined," says Erin, who hopes that children will one day have access to a cure.But The Pink Pumpkin Project, a nonprofit based in upstate New York, keeps the conversation going year-round — ultimately encouraging all to schedule annual mammograms while raising awareness.As time went on, Lynn gathered a team of volunteers and looked for other ways to serve "breast cancer fighters" in their 40-mile radius, aptly named the “pink circle.” They started by passing out tote bags, stuffed to the brim with blankets, lumpectomy pillows and other comfort essentials.It's why many who are on the Autism Spectrum, and their guardians, have pushed back on a viral 2018 grassroots trend that encouraged Autistic individuals to carry blue-colored pumpkin candy buckets.While it's unclear who or which organization came up with the idea, a slew of widely shared social media posts in 2018 and 2019 indicated that blue pumpkins intended to raise awareness about the unique obstacles that those with Autism Spectrum Disorders face at Halloween.For Meghan Ashburn, mother to 8-year-old identical twins Jay and Nick, trick-or-treating is not a time that her family necessarily wants to be focused on helping neighbors to be more inclusive.The idea is to signal to families that homeowners have worked to make their environment inclusive to all; free of decorations, lighting or candy that may trigger sensory sensitivities for Autistic individuals, as well as indicate that they're aware conversational communication may be limited.Relaxed patience is key when interacting with any trick or treater — even those who may seem older or more mature than others — to create a welcoming environment for all, says Jack Scott, M.D., the executive director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at Florida Atlantic University."Even if you're not notified in advance, patience is still a great practice for creating an accepting and inclusive space for children," stresses Dr. Scott, who also serves as an advisor to the Autism Society of America, which has published a guide for guardians that advises scoping out their neighborhood, amid other tips.And that number only multiplies when the holiday falls on a weekend: Friday is the most dangerous night to be out on the streets, followed by Tuesday and Sunday, according to new data by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Crash Report Sampling System.They send out urgent messages in conjunction with other state and federal transportation agencies, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, encouraging everyone to designate a sober driver or stay put.And while the nonprofit works tirelessly to spread this message far and wide, some local high schools have previously gone the extra mile to keep their streets safe by organizing red pumpkin campaigns.Select high schools participating in MADD Rhode Island’s Victim Adoption Program have asked their classmates, neighbors and friends to put out red pumpkins to warn their communities about the dangers of driving while under the influence on Halloween (and the other 364 days of the year)."Not long into the night, Levi approached a house where the candy was moved out of reach, and he was prompted multiple times to say 'trick-or-treat'...

His attempts that he practiced, [while] he was trying so hard, weren't good enough for this person."I had a thousand yellow trick-or-treat bags printed and distributed to [disabled] kids and foundations in my area, alongside a site with cards and posters to help with awareness," she says, adding that her own neighborhood would soon rethink how they all interact with others on Halloween.Rather than focus on a single disorder or medical condition, Laura aimed to establish yellow pumpkins as a reminder to all participating in Halloween events or trick-or-treating to always practice patient kindness.Laura says she'd started out by highlighting limitations due to speech apraxia, but quickly realized that her goal was to ensure that any child could participate in neighborhood activities without being slighted. .