Quote:
Originally Posted by Renate
Makes me think of a nice plate of haggis with neeps and tatties.
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Curiously turnips and swedes are two related plants. One is large with yellowish flesh and is neeps; it's called turnip in most of Ireland. The related plant, usually called a swede in Ireland, is much smaller and white flesh.
In some parts of Ireland and most of England the names are reversed.
<rant>
A Halloween lantern is made from a large turnip. It's Samhain in Irish (like sawin). It's one of the four Celtic Fire festivals originally exactly between equinox and solstice and vice-versa, surviving as "Quarter days" in the Church of England.
It was Americanised in about 1908 and Corporations then in more recent years imported the USA practices, including the pumpkin. Though the pumpkins are locally grown. There is zero tradition of pumpkin pie and the USA Pumpkin spice seems to be derived from Irish/British Allspice or Mixed Spice that might be in Hot Cross Buns. I've had real pumpkin pie in USA and the "pumpkin" spice is because it would be otherwise be almost tasteless.
The Chinese made junk and costumes (more inspired by USA Addams & Munsters and then USA TV) and pumpkins promoted by big business has almost destroyed the local original Irish / Celtic culture of Halloween / Samhain. Actually even the much older than US imported culture All Saints is a Catholic and later Anglican attempt to "take over" the original festival. </rant>
A poor advertising copy on an Irish Media site.
https://www.thejournal.ie/halloween-...23558-Sep2025/
The turnip lantern reason is lost in the mists of time. One theory is that it's goblins.
It's not about witches or ghost either (originally), but more about a time that the Sidhe (pronounced shee and used as basis for Tolkien's Elves) can more easily pass to and from the "Otherworlds" such as Land of the Tall Women, Land under the green waves, Tír na Óg and Inis Abhlach (Welsh Ynes, English Avalon) the Isle of Apples (old Irish for apple).