This Holidays

Writen by Emily McDonald

When I was growing up in Northern Ireland, we always had a bonfire and fireworks at Hallowe'en, as well as the traditional glowing lanterns and dressing-up costumes of witches and goulies. I guess, as part of the United Kingdom, we were celebrating Bonfire Night, the 5th November, at the same time, as the dates are so close to each other.

In those days pumpkins were not to be found in N.I. so if we wanted lanterns, we had to use turnips, which are much more difficult to hollow out and carve. Nowadays pumpkins and squash of varying vivid hues are readily available and you can easily create fantastic glowing displays for your Hallowe'en party.

Hallowe'en has become more of a bright and colourful celebration for today's children in other ways as well. In my youth we made witches, wizards and ghost costumes from the dressing-up box and whatever else was to hand. Now, in a more commercial world, all kinds of masks, novelties and fancy Hallowe'en items are for sale wherever you look.

With all this paraphernalia available, it's easy to create a Hallowe'en theme for your party and, with a few additions to the traditional fare, you can also provide an interesting and tasty menu to be enjoyed around the bonfire.

Whether or not you wish to have fireworks and/or a bonfire, that's for you to decide. However, games are an added excitement for children during any outdoor social event and should therefore be part of a Hallowe'en party too.

Bobbing for apples is the traditional Hallowe'en game I always enjoyed - or sometimes not, if I got soaked in my quest for the apple! This is still a popular game and as we know apples are good for us, we should do anything we can to encourage our children to eat more of them! However, if you have lots of pumpkins and squashes at your disposal, why not try some pumpkin games too?

Pumpkin games are not quite the same in that you do not end up eating the raw pumpkin! They are still healthy though - a healthy form of exercise! You should play these games early on, before darkness falls completely and then everyone will work up a good appetite for the food to be enjoyed around the bonfire later.

So what are pumpkin games? Quite simply traditional games but using various sizes of pumpkins instead of balls! I understand that the idea for this was first thought up by Karren Price of Ansty Farm in Wiltshire, U.K. She now holds sporting events using pumpkins every Hallowe'en, or what she calls the "Pumpkin Olympics".

For example, a pumpkin and shovel/spade race is similar to an egg and spoon race. You can vary this flat race by having posts to weave in and out of or by making contestants hop in and out of hoops or old car tyres, placed flat on the ground. Of course all the time they have to carry a shovel with a small pumpkin or squash balanced on it and if this drops off, then it's back to the beginning they go!

Let the men and boys battle it out in pumpkin football by trying to score goals with pumpkins. Or perhaps your guests would rather play pumpkin basketball, croquet or skittles? The games you choose will depend on the size and weight of the pumpkins or squash you have available. For example gemstone squash are a good variety to throw at skittles.

Playing with vegetables will change the game considerably and provide lots of fun and laughter!

For less strenuous pumpkin entertainment at your Hallowe'en party, you could offer a quiz, such as "guess how many seeds in the pumpkin". Perhaps you could set up a pumpkin shy and throw small varieties like Gems or Patty Pans at towers of tins or even more pumpkins!

Then, once the games are over, it's time for hot pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie and other delicious outdoor food and picnic recipes.