Halloween pumpkin lanterns, weren't they always pumpkins?

The season is autumn, and tomorrow, the 31st, Halloween is in full swing!
The other day, I casually looked at the face of the person sitting next to me on the train and was surprised to see horror makeup on her face. I couldn't help but let out an involuntary "huh"...it was the first time I had seen horror makeup up close. I was so upset by this that I missed the station I was supposed to get off at by one stop.

Come to think of it, I feel that the culture of Halloween (although it may be more of an event in Japan) has recently taken root in Japan. When I looked into the history of Halloween, I found that it is quite a complicated mixture of various cultures... By the way, it seems that Halloween first came to Japan around 1990.
When I hear the word "Halloween," the first thing that comes to my mind is a Halloween event at a famous theme park. I don't know why, but I always visit during the period when Halloween events are held... It must be such a wonderful event that it leaves such a strong impression on me.

Now, let's get back to the topic at hand.
The origin of Halloween is said to be the Celtic festival of Samhain. This festival was held in BC to ward off evil spirits and was a day to celebrate the autumn harvest as well as to welcome the spirits of the dead. In Japan, there is a saying that "Bon and New Year's are celebrated at the same time..." I believe this is exactly what it means.

When we look at the "costumes" that are synonymous with Halloween, we find an interesting fact. Originally, people dressed up for Halloween to protect themselves from evil spirits! Originally, Halloween was a religious event to celebrate the autumn harvest and to drive out evil spirits. It is said that the origin of this event was to protect oneself from evil spirits by dressing up in disguise so that they would not recognize you as a human and think that you are one of them.
Another theory is that the purpose of the festival was to scare away evil spirits by dressing up in scary costumes. It is truly an "evil spirit exorcism. Although modern Halloween differs from country to country, it seems to have a strong nuance of "Let's have fun together with all ghosts and evil spirits! I feel that the modern Halloween has a strong nuance of "Let's have fun together with all ghosts and evil spirits! Not only scary costumes, but also characters, princesses, heroes, and many other types of costumes. It is a festival and event that everyone can enjoy, children and adults alike. That is why it is important to observe manners and discipline, and to make it a day that everyone will think was a wonderful day.

What surprised me was the history of pumpkins, which are often seen during Halloween. It is a pumpkin that is hollowed out and made into a lantern.
It is called a "jack-o-lantern.

Jack-o'-lanterns made from hollowed-out pumpkins

The Celts originally used a turnip, not a pumpkin, for their jack-o-lanterns!
So why did they change from the turnip to the modern pumpkin?
It is said that the reason is due to the migration of the Celts to the United States. While turnips were unfamiliar to the American lands, pumpkins were readily available and could be easily processed into lanterns. In the birthplace of Halloween culture, turnip jack-o'-lanterns can still be found today. Turnip lanterns are so cute!

Halloween" is an event that we have heard about casually in our daily lives. But when I looked into it, I found out that it is a festival with a long history and a lot of depth. Next year, I would like to dress up in costume and walk around town saying "Trick or Treat! I would like to walk around town next year dressed up in costume and saying "Trick or Treat!