American origins in
"Peter Peter pumpkin eater" The lyrics of the "Peter
Peter pumpkin eater" rhyme
(unlike most) originate not
in Europe, but in America.
This rhyme is has
become known to
British children
only in recent years
as for most British
children it has only
just become clear
exactly what a
pumpkin is! As it is
not indigenous to
the British shores
the vast majority of
the British
population have
never eaten pumpkin!
The American
tradition of
dressing up for
Halloween (and the
subsequent use of
the pumpkin for
making lanterns)
together with 'Trick
or Treat' has only
reached our shores a
few years ago.
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
poem
Peter Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keep her!
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well!
