No plans for Halloween? Prague’s Botanical Garden is organizing a lantern parade
Pumpkin harvesting festivals have become increasingly common in recent years, driven by the growing popularity of Halloween. People in Prague can head for the Botanical Garden, but pumpkin harvesting events can be found around the country.
This year's pumpkin exhibition in the Prague Botanical Garden is inspired by the celebration of Día de los Muertos, a traditional Mexican holiday that honours the dead and celebrates life. This past weekend offered a creative workshop for children and was enhanced by spooky lights, skulls, skeletons and Mexican motifs.
On the weekend of October 19 and 20 the Botanical Garden offers another Creative Workshop with pumpkins and on the last weekend of October (26 and 27) visitors will be able to carve pumpkin lanterns.
The festival will culminate on October 31 with a Halloween celebration and evening lantern parade through the garden.
Many other towns and villages have organized similar events. In Chuchelna, north of Prague, the local champion nicknamed “Goliath” weighed all of 50 kilos!
While many Czechs have enthusiastically adopted Halloween, few people here know that their own ancestors had a similar pagan tradition. The Slavs used to carve lamps out of turnips, beets or large kohlrabi to chase away ghosts and dark forces. These lanterns were lit and put in windows at night.
