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Halloween Horticulture
Garden Tips Newsletter - October 29, 2001

What would Halloween be without pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns and decorations? Although this is the plant most often associated with Halloween today, it may surprise you to know that in the past other fruits and vegetables had strong connections to this holiday.

In England and Ireland, Halloween lanterns were originally carved out of turnips and large beets. Faces of demons were cut into the vegetables. Then, a glowing coal was placed inside. People carried these lanterns around the village or left them burning on doorsteps to frighten away evil spirits. When the Irish immigrants arrived in America, they found pumpkins abundant and much easier to carve than turnips. And thus, the tradition of turning pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns began.

The custom of decorating with apples, pumpkins, cornstalks, and autumn leaves has its origin in an ancient Druid autumn festival called Samhain (pronounced SAH-win). The festival celebrated the end of summer and a successful harvest. Today apples are also used in the popular Halloween party game "bobbing for apples" and are often given out to trick-or-treaters.

But, during the Victorian era, the apple was more than just an edible treat. It played a significant role in determining a young girl's future. By slipping an apple under her pillow on Halloween eve, she was sure to dream of her sweetheart.

Apples also were used to foretell the identity of the man she was to marry. At midnight on Halloween, a girl would stand in front of a mirror and brush her hair three times while eating an apple. The image of her future husband would appear in the mirror over her shoulder.

Another way to learn about one's future spouse was to visit the cabbage patch on Halloween. Both young men and women followed this ritual, rushing into the garden to pick the first cabbage they saw. If the cabbage had a short stalk the spouse would be short. A long stalk meant the spouse would be tall. Dirt on the leaves meant the one who picked the plant would marry rich. If a young maiden couldn't choose between two suitors she took a pair of hazelnuts, one for each beau, and tossed them into the fire on Halloween night. The nut that burned the brightest or popped the loudest indicated which man was to be hers. In England, this night became known as Nutcrack Night.

Throughout the years, other plants and herbs were also associated with this holiday. In Mediterranean countries, prior to the fourteenth century, rosemary was placed over the cradle of babies to protect them, not just on Halloween, but year round. It was often burned with juniper and thyme as a means of cleansing a room of witches and bad spirits. Rue was hung from doorways and windows to ward off evil spirits and prevent them from entering the house.

Salvia, which is also known as meadow sage, was considered a symbol of immortality. When planted on graves in cemeteries, this perennial was believed to give the dead "eternal life."

These archived newsletters were written by Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly. Kelly is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.