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Here’s What It Means If You See a White Pumpkin This Halloween

Orange pumpkins are the go-to gourds for Halloween, seen everywhere from front porches to store displays. You might even occasionally spot hybrid squashes in different shades of green, blue and even pink. And then there are the white ones, which may seem like an unexpected choice for your front-stoop design.

But the truth is, a white pumpkin on display can have special significance for its owner–one that’s more poignant than the typical Halloween-season displays represent. Here’s what this particular hue symbolizes and what to do if you spy one this fall.

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What do white pumpkins symbolize?

White pumpkins may simply be a design aesthetic for some people, but for others, they symbolize the end of a pregnancy or an infant’s premature death. This intentional sign, placed as a part of the White Pumpkin Project, occurs in October, which is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, according to the March of Dimes.

By displaying a white pumpkin on a porch or in the home, families may be honoring a lost loved one or showing support for others who’ve gone through a miscarriage or stillbirth.

How did the White Pumpkin Project get started?

The inspiration for the White Pumpkin Project came in 2018, when Jennifer Giles penned a poem after the stillbirth of her infant daughter at 38 weeks. Titled “The White Pumpkin,” the poem helped Giles process her loss, and in 2020, with the help of blogger Jessica Watt, the White Pumpkin Project officially got off the ground.

While the idea for the remembrance isn’t connected to an official organization, many groups now promote the symbol, including the nonprofit Pregnancy After Loss Support (PALS).

How has the White Pumpkin Project helped families?

The White Pumpkin Project has helped families by giving them a way to turn a devastating tragedy into a symbol of comfort. Valerie Meek, the operations director at PALS, also experienced the loss of her son and knew she wanted to include him in her family’s holiday traditions. As she describes on the PALS website, picking out a white pumpkin has made that possible. Every year she, her husband and daughter go to a pumpkin patch to select this special token.

Participating this way “fills my heart with so much joy and love and pride for both of my children,” Meek says. “It’s become such a special tradition for our family. And it’s been inspiring to see this tradition grow throughout the loss community as we all cling to ways to include our babies who died in our families, our traditions and our lives.”

What should you do if you see a white pumpkin?

If you see a white pumpkin on someone’s front steps, walkway or mantel, it’s fine to acknowledge it or even compliment the choice, if you’d like to. But avoid getting too personal. Some parents might be more than willing to share their story, but others may want privacy as they grieve. Plus, not all people who choose to decorate with white pumpkins have experienced this kind of loss or know what this relatively new symbolism means, so you may be assuming something that’s not actually true.

The bottom line? Tread lightly, and be aware of a white pumpkin’s possible meanings. And if you’d like to include a white pumpkin in your fall decor to support this particular community, it’s absolutely fine to add one to your mix.

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Sources:

The History Behind Día de los Muertos

Why Do We Bob for Apples on Halloween?

What Are the Halloween Colors?

The post Here’s What It Means If You See a White Pumpkin This Halloween appeared first on Reader's Digest.



from Reader's Digest https://www.rd.com/article/white-pumpkin-on-halloween-meaning/
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