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A Turnip Parade
A few weeks ago we participated in our first ever turnip parade. Here in Switzerland (and much of Europe I believe) it is common to carve turnips as opposed to pumpkins.
The girls were very excited, and as we left the house they insisted on leaving a lit lantern by our front door, so people would know we had gone to a lantern parade.
The whole thing was organised by the wonderful Montessori nursery that Emily attends, and it started with us all gathering outside around a giant carved pumpkin. The children made a circle and held their lanterns high, while the teachers talked about this important time of year as we transition from the warmer months to the colder ones. Then the children sang some seasonal songs, whilst swinging their turnip lanterns.
We went on a walk carrying our lanterns, and stopped to sing at various points along the way. People came out of their homes to listen and clap for the children. It was just lovely.
Of course eventually the girls handed their turnip lanterns to me, and joined in with all the other over excited children running and singing at the tops of their voices, revelling in the excitement of being out after dark.
At the end of the walk we were invited to share in the harvest feast, which included pumpkin soup, sausages, bread, and mulled wine. Yum.
Comments (2)
Great pictures and great carvings too! When we were growing up we always used to use swedes (or turnips). I find it can be a bit difficult to get big ones now though! James (age 4) doesn't really seem to mind whether we use pumpkins or swedes as long as we carve big, sharp, scary teeth!
I love that he just wants big scary teeth :-)
I think the only reason we get big turnips is becasue it is a tradition here, and they are grown specially. They give them away in shops, and they are clearly marked as 'lantern turnips', not eating ones, which means they are also softer (and hence easier) to carve than a traditional swede.