Roger and his sister always had fun carving pumpkins with their grandpa. They competed for the “best” face.

            “You need to make your face scarier,” said his sister Gina. “Jack-O-Lanterns are supposed to scare away mean spirits. That face won’t scare anyone.”

            Roger looked at the face he had drawn. It looked okay to him.

            “I don’t see why it has to be scary. He looks like he’s having fun. Isn’t that what Halloween is all about? Having fun and getting lots of candy?” Roger looked at Grandpa to answer.

            “Well, you are both right.” Grandpa said.

            Gina gave Roger the “raspberry” sound, sticking her tongue out. “See!” she said.

            “Long ago, before horses pulled wagons, before Jesus was born, before farmers raised crops, people used jack-o-lanterns. Each year, as the season of fall turned into winter, people would have a gathering celebration. They would come together around big bonfires. They would cook food, trade fur pelts for clothing, and prepare for the coming cold.” Grandpa told them.

            Roger giggled as the cut out of his pumpkin’s mouth flew across the table and onto the floor.

            Gina scowled at him. “You’re so messy.” She shook her head.

            “Did they have candy?” asked Roger.

            “Did they dress up in costumes?” Gina asked.

            “Candy as we know it wasn’t even thought of. Actually, they had very little sweet food. Only things that were made sweet by nature like fruits and honey. As for dressing up, they did, but not for the same reason we do.” Grandpa cut the eye out of his pumpkin as he talked.

            Gina had finished her cutting, eagerly listening to the story. Roger busily cut out the giant ears he had drawn.

            “Why would people dress up for Halloween if there was no Trick or Treat?” Roger wondered.

            Grandpa went on. “To lure the animals they would need to use for food. Back then people did not raise animals for food. They had to go out into the forests and hunt for deer, wild pigs, anything that could be eaten during the wintertime. So they would dress up in animal skins to get close enough to capture them. People did not even have guns. They had to use spears made of sticks and rock or they would build traps to catch them in, and use the “costumes” to trick the animals into being captured.”

            “That is awful!” Gina cried. “How could they be so mean? Why would they trap a nice deer so they could eat it!?”

            Roger rolled his eyes at Gina. “You are such a drama-queen,” he grinned.

            Grandpa chuckled, patting her on the back. “Don’t be so upset with them Gina dear, they had to have something to eat, or they wouldn’t live through the harsh winter.”

            “Okay, then what about the jack-o-lantern. What did they need it for?” Gina asked.

            “Fire was a precious thing. Fires were usually started from other fires. So every year during the festival, each family would take a gourd full of embers from the bonfire to start their own. The gourds would have openings cut in them to keep the embers burning until they got them home to start their fires. It also helped to light the way in the dark,” said Grandpa.

            “But what about the scary faces?” Roger asked.

            Grandpa thought for a moment. “As time went on, people began to believe that making the cuts into scary faces would ward off any bad spirits that might try to get them on the way home. From there, it became a part of the celebration we call Halloween.”

            “I am glad we don’t have to carry embers in our pumpkins,” Gina stated. “It would be messy.”