The Great Gourd Round-Up: A Haberdashery Hollow Tradition Rooted in Myth and Mystery

Here at the Haberdashery Cryptid Preserve, we take every opportunity to celebrate the curious and the uncanny. And what could be more curious (or perhaps a little uncanny) than the humble pumpkin? This plump, orange fruit (yes, it's a fruit!) has taken center stage in fall festivities for centuries, and its origins are shrouded in just as much mystery as some of the creatures that call our preserve home.

A Jack-o'-Lantern Jaunt Through History

Carving pumpkins into grinning jack-o'-lanterns is a tradition now synonymous with Halloween. But the practice of carving gourds likely predates the spooky holiday itself. Celts in Ireland and Scotland used carved turnips to ward off evil spirits during their harvest festival, Samhain. Jack-o'-lanterns, named after the Irish folktale of Stingy Jack, became popular in America when Irish immigrants brought the tradition with them. Pumpkins, being native to the Americas, were a more plentiful canvas for these illuminated wardens of the night.

Pumpkins and the Paranormal

But is there more to the pumpkin than meets the eye? In some cultures, pumpkins are linked to the spirit world. In China, lanterns carved from pumpkins are said to guide lost souls. Here in New England, whispers of pumpkin spirits echo in the folklore. The legend of the Hodag, a monstrous beast said to roam the northern woods, describes it with a body made of lumbering logs and a head – you guessed it – like a giant pumpkin! Perhaps these myths stem from the pumpkin's impressive size and otherworldly glow when illuminated from within.

The Haberdashery Hollow Pumpkin Patch

This year, the Haberdashery Cryptid Preserve is hosting its annual Great Gourd Round-Up! Come one, come all, and select your perfect pumpkin from our sprawling patch. We'll have carving stations set up, contests for the most creative and spookiest jack-o'-lanterns, and even pumpkin pie – baked fresh in our cryptid-approved kitchen! So, grab your friends and family and join us for a day of fall fun steeped in a bit of spooky mystery. After all, at the Haberdashery Cryptid Preserve, we celebrate the strange and wonderful – and there's nothing quite as strange (and wonderful) as the pumpkin!