Why are there different colors of pumpkins?
by Shirley Lorraine
Have you ever wondered about the different colors of pumpkins available in stores? There are numerous colors provided by nature, and then there are some that have been designated to serve as communication for a special cause or purpose.
Standard orange is the traditional favorite of young and old alike. You will also see white, white/orange/yellow stripes, yellow, gray, green, and many other variations.
Treat buckets and craft pumpkins are also seen in teal, purple, blue and pink. Jut to be fashionable? No, not really. A blue pumpkin on display at a house or carried by a costumed child spotlights autism. Be aware that a child carrying a blue pumpkin might be reluctant to speak or make eye contact. A house displaying a blue pumpkin might mean that a resident or relative is on the autism spectrum.
Purple symbolizes the epilepsy foundation’s awareness campaign. Sudden noises or flashing lights may be hazardous to the carrier of a purple pumpkin. Or they may just like purple.
Pink is the color of breast cancer awareness and, of course, princesses and unicorns.
A teal pumpkin to spotlight allergies has become popular over the last 20 years or so, thanks to a mother in Texas whose child suffered from multiple allergies. No peanuts given out at a house with a teal pumpkin.
Personally, I use my teal pumpkin to show that I do not give out candy – I give out small toys. Spinners, sticky hands, bendies, pencils, coloring books, plastic rings and vampire teeth are always fun and good for most ages. Available in quantity at many party stores and online, toys can be saved from year to year if you have any left. If having your kids touching things is a concern, toys can usually be washed or wiped down – candy, not so much..
Always popular for the Goth look, truly spooky and dead displays is the black pumpkin. This often signifies a macabre sense of humor and focus on the darker aspects of Halloween. Or you just like black. Black pumpkins are often paired with skulls, ravens, graveyards, ghouls, witches and black cats.
Whatever statement you want to make with your pumpkins this year, go for it. House decorations may be more in vogue this year than costumes or candy due to C-19 fears and trepidations.
Treat-or-treating has not been banned in Ventura, but caution is certainly advised. No-contact distribution is encouraged. Each household will have to decide on their own comfort level to participate. Even if you are not handing out goodies, yard and home decorations will keep everyone in the spirit.
Halloween outdoor décor is as big a business as Christmas displays so there are lots of options. Décor can be automated, projected, inflatable, you name it. So, go big and have fun by the light of the full moon.
