As a person coming from a muslim country, it was the first time for me to see a Pumpkin Festival. I was so happy and excited for that. Yayy! Believe me or not but also one of my dreams was spending Christmas or Thanks-giving (for me not so different) with local people. Imagine how I was desperate. Lol. No worries! I already spent my Christmas with locals last year. Still eating turkey is pending, but it is okay. I watched a lot of American movies. Well, Halloween could be the other important event to be spent with locals. Local means for me, people who celebrate an event by their own culture.
Seriously, where the Halloween comes from? Mostly recently, the activities at Halloween like attending costume parties or playing trick or treat in the USA are business made. Well as soon as everybody is happy, there is no problem. There is a link between pumpkin and Halloween, and pumpkins remind me Halloween. But the thing that I am going to write today about does not have anything to do with Halloween.
Considering pumpkins grow in this season (October, November mostly), Pumpkin Fest is held in most of the northern cities in Italy. As I am habitant of the city of Piove Di Sacco, I was supposed to go to Suca Baruca which is the local Pumpkin festival. That’s what I did and I had my first experience of Pumpkin Fest.
Pumpkin festival is an event promotes the arts and recreation, so you can find a lot of designs made of pumpkins. It is unbelievable for some of them that they are really made by pumpkins.
Of course a festival can not be without music. Besides the live music people were playing in the square. There were also famous “Alpini” playing music. Alpini is (actually it is plural so I should say “are”) military corps called for soldiers who served on mountain of Alps, recently, some years ago, they were dismissed. Italy is the only country that this military corps exist. Each soldier (even if they are retired) is called “Alpino” and the group is called “Alpini” which the name comes from the mountain of Alps. Alpini have a lot of wine for everybody and they don’t sell it. You can just pay as much as your heart says.They are joyful people and they are playing country music that everybody knows by using traditional instruments.
Of course if we are in Italy and in a festival, the essential thing is food! Like there are food booths where you can buy food to take home, you can find street food to eat at the moment as well. I didn’t guess it is possible to make tons of different dishes with pumpkin. Also there is a book full of recipes with pumpkin. Imagine having only one kind of pumpkin recipe in Turkey which is a kind of dessert, seeing that book of recipes was marvelous.
 |
 |
There was also a dozens of attractions for kids such as jumping castle, face painting, pumpkin carving contest… Kids, with the help of their parents tried to make the greatest pumpkin head.
These kinds of festivals have tons of fun, amazing attractions, and making the city more alive.
great article and a colorful festival