A decade ago, pumpkins seemed to be fading from Estonian kitchens, used mostly in old family recipes. Now, the largely American-imported holiday — which offers stiff competition to the traditional local mardipäev and kadripäev — has brought them back into fashion.

"You can see that people are buying more and more pumpkins — and especially for Halloween," said Selver communications manager Mariann Järvela. She added that stores now stock a wider range of varieties each year.

"Halloween really has become a bigger and bigger occasion each year in Estonian retail too," she said.

Pumpkin season runs from fall through winter, with everything from regular orange pumpkins and butternut squash to bottle gourds and spaghetti squash on offer. In supermarkets, the cheapest pumpkins sell for under €1 per kilogram.

Prices at markets tend to be higher, but even so, traders say business is brisk.

"They're very popular in the fall — but not because of Halloween," said market vendor Vadim. "People love making purees and [salad preserves] from them."

Others buy pumpkins just for decoration. Ahead of Halloween, shoppers want whole pumpkins to carve into jack-o-lanterns. Vendors, meanwhile, advise not tossing out the insides as you carve — they make for excellent soup.

"Since the fall season has begun, everyone loves pumpkin soup," said another seller, Jelena. "During the harvest and holiday periods, pumpkins sell very well, and demand is higher."

Consumer holiday status

Halloween is celebrated on October 31 — which this year falls on a Friday — when children, adapting American customs, dress up in costumes and go door to door trick-or-treating.

Until then, stores will stay packed not only with orange vegetables but with other, spookier themed holiday products as well. Alongside Christmas and Easter, Halloween has now become Estonia's third major consumer holiday.

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