The All-Important Pumpkin
By Milada Broukal from A Cultural Reader
For Americans, the simple pumpkin has come to symbolize everything that is important and meaningful about autumn. Everyone knows it’s autumn when pumpkins begin to appear at roadside stands. Soon afterward, pumpkins will decorate doorsteps at Halloween①. Then they’ll be part of Thanksgiving holiday decorations. They will also be baked into breads and pies. Farmers will know winter is near when morning frost is on the pumpkin.
Pumpkin and squash ② are believed to be the first food plants cultivated by the Native Americans. New England natives called them both askootasquash③. The Pilgrims④?, who were the first English settlers, shortened it to squash. Then they named the pumpkin from a Greek word, pepon , meaning a large melon. The natives cooked pumpkins among their corn. The natives taught the settlers how to plant it and eat it. Very quickly the pumpkin became a favorite and important garden vegetable. It was a healthy addition to the settlers’ diets because it is rich in vitamins and minerals.
Eighteen-century Americans used pumpkin seed tea for medical purposes. But of all the uses of pumpkins, none is as amusing as the way it was used by New Englanders, or “Yankees.” Yankee men used the pumpkin shell as a guide for cutting their hair!” They put the pumpkin on their head and trimmed around its base⑤. This gave rise to⑥ the expression “pumpkin head,” which at first meant New Englander, and late meant someone who looked silly or stupid.
Every autumn there are pumpkin festivals held all over the country. They are a type of harvest celebration. Pumpkin queens and kings are named. Prizes are given for the biggest or the best-decorated pumpkin, or the best-tasting pumpkin pie. With the help of fertilizers, some pumpkins have been grown to the size of a small car.
Pumpkins are popular with children, not so much for eating as for making jack-o’-lanterns⑦ at Halloween. Most Americans don’t realize that this tradition comes all the way from Ireland and Scotland. It originated over 2,000 years ago with the Celts⑧ who lived in what is now France and the British Isles. They celebrated a harvest festival on October 31. It was a joyous occasion, but also in some ways a sad one. It marked the beginning of the long, dark, cold winter. They believed that in the darkness, the spirits of the dead walked upon the earth. Great fires were built on the hills to protect the people from bad spirits. People hollowed out⑨ turnips, a root plant, and put a candle inside. They carried them if they went outside to protect themselves from evil spirits.
When the settlers came to America, they brought their customs with them. They didn’t have turnips, so they used pumpkins instead. Today, of course, children look forward to Halloween and the carving of pumpkins. First the pumpkin is hallowed out and the seeds and pulp taken out⑩. Then funny or scary⑾ faces are carved into the side. In the evening, a candle is put inside and the face glows in the dark. Sometimes pumpkins are painted and decorated. As Halloween approaches, jack-o’-lanterns pop up on doorsteps everywhere.
After Halloween, Americans look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday. Pumpkins and corn plants are often used as decorations during this time. They symbolize autumn and the spirit of the season. It is a time of giving thanks for the harvest, for the family, and for all the good things that families enjoy.
But pumpkins don’t only serve as symbols. They’re eaten too. The first settlers who depended on the pumpkin for food would be amazed to see how many ways it’s eaten today. Pumpkins are boiled, broiled⑿, and baked⒀. They’re put in bread, cakes, pies, muffins⒁, doughnuts⒂, ice cream, pancakes, cookies, soups, and even hamburgers! Sometimes there seems to be no end to the uses of pumpkins. Who would ever have thought this simple little plant would get to be so popular!
注释：
①Halloween：万圣节前夕，即10月31日
②squash：西葫芦，美国南瓜。另有“拥挤”之意。
③Pilgrims：英国清教徒，于1620年到美洲创建麻省普利茅斯殖民地。
④trimmed around its base：沿着底部修剪头发。
⑤give rise to：result in, lead to.
⑥jack-o’-lanterns: 南瓜灯笼，即在南瓜上挖出人脸形，里面点上蜡烛。
⑦Celts：凯尔特人， 尤指爱尔兰人，威尔人，苏格兰人和不列塔尼人。
⑧hollow out ：挖出。
⑨the pumpkin is hallowed out and the seeds and pulp taken out： 在南瓜上挖个洞，再把种子和瓜瓤掏出来。第一个and连接两个并列的句子，第二个and连接后一个句子的.两个并列的主语。
⑩scary：引起恐慌的。scare的形容词形式。
⑾broil：在火上或铁架子上烧烤，多为肉类。
⑿bake：在烤箱里烘烤。烤硬。
⒀muffin：小松饼，小面包卷。
⒁doughnut：炸圈饼
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