National Pumpkin Day Date in the current year: October 26, 2024

A pumpkin is a cultivar of a squash plant characterized by round shape, smooth and slightly ribbed skin, and deep yellow to orange color. Pumpkins are thought to have originated in the New World; the oldest pumpkin seeds, dating between 7000 and 5500 BC, were found in Mexico. One of the most popular crops in the US, pumpkins are planted in early July and harvested in the fall.

In the United States and Canada, pumpkin is a popular Halloween and Thanksgiving staple. Around Halloween, pumpkins are used to make jack-o’-lanterns with monstrous and comical faces. And pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving staple throughout much of the United States and Canada (ironically, although pumpkins are native to North America, the pie was invented in Europe and then brought back to the New World by the pilgrims).

A couple of weeks before Halloween, many Americans start visiting pumpkin farms and markets to choose the perfect pumpkins for the holiday. National Pumpkin Day is celebrated on October 26, less than a week before Halloween. It’s a perfect occasion to try your hand at carving jack-o’-lanterns or come up with a new pumpkin pie recipe.