During the months of September to November, we see pumpkins everywhere! On Pumpkin Spice Lattes, on porches, pies, and on fall/Halloween decorations. But why do they have such connotations with this season?
Back in the day pumpkins grew like weeds, so in the 17th century, when farmers from the colonies could not plant or reap wheat and cabbage, they planted pumpkins. According to Delve Experiences, the U.S. produced 72,000 tons of pumpkins in 1949, upgrading that number to 1.1 million tons by 2007. In the 19th Century, agriculture expanded, and with broader options of what to eat, farmers began moving to urban areas because they no longer needed to cultivate their own food or depend on pumpkins as one of their most important sources of food to harvest.
With this internal migration came the nostalgia of the agricultural life they once lived: the seeds, the planting, the soil, the hard work until the reaping. So Americans started using pumpkins — once so needed as a source of food for farmers and the people — to remind themselves of the agrarian lifestyle; it was a bridge to connect their new lives with the hard work from their past. It brings with it a symbol of harvest, abundance, and prosperity.
It is not about the taste of the pumpkin, but the symbolism within it. People started turning them into part of the American culture, which then turned into a harvest celebration in the form of pies, during Thanksgiving celebrations.
Nowadays, we add pumpkins to many things during the autumn season. Which helps to connect us with Americans from the past who wanted to remind themselves of the agricultural years. Our pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pies, pumpkin-flavored goodies, and carved pumpkins are not only a decoration for the season or food to digest, but a celebration for those who came before us! Their nostalgic years, which turned into prosperity and abundance of possibilities.
