This white pumpkin is also known as a “ghost pumpkin.” It’s an apt name, for reasons that will become clearer as you read on.

Coming soon is the season of Samhain— a Gaelic festival to celebrate the end of harvest, usually celebrated from Oct. 31 to about Nov. 3. Samhain is considered a time when the veil between life and death thins and a good time for rituals honoring the dead.

With that in mind, I suggested to Michael that we carve a white pumpkin in honor of our beloved late dog, Riley, and all the other dogs we’ve had who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Riley left this world on Nov. 30 of last year, so the timing was right.

His response: a big smile and “I love the idea! I’ll carve if you draw it out.”

I think this is a beautiful way to honor the dead.

Why not carve a white pumpkin to honor your own loved ones? Here’s how:

  You can carve names, initials, hearts–loving thoughts–just nothing scary. Only loving symbols.

  Pick any size pumpkin you like. Carve what you think represents your feelings for your deceased loved ones.

(If you’ve got an altar honoring deceased ancestors, carve a small one for the altar.)

Put photos of your loved one near the pumpkin.

  Insert a candle, and say a little prayer each time you light it.

♥  Enjoy their memory, celebrate their lives and know that you will meet again on the other side.

I’ll share a photo of our own pumpkin after we carve it. Carved pumpkins only last about a week, so we are waiting until later in the month to complete ours. But we talk about it all the time.

♥ ♥ ♥  As we head toward Samhain and the Day of the Dead,  I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my grief affirmations and the Guided Journal through Grief, both ways to honor the love we have for those who have made their transition. Beautiful, gentle, affordable at this tab.

 

%d bloggers like this: