What Does A White Pumpkin On Someone's Porch Mean?

Decorated pumpkins on the porch have become an indelible part of Halloween decor. Now, traditionally, orange-colored, spooky jack-o-lanterns adorn the exteriors of most homes in the neighborhood during this season. But, with changing times, homeowners have started to put out different colored pumpkins. While some are just a chic Halloween decor idea, others carry deep significance. For instance, if someone puts purple pumpkins on the porch, it's their way of spreading epilepsy awareness. Similarly, pink pumpkins denote support for breast cancer awareness. Likewise, if you see white pumpkins on your neighbor's porch during fall, chances are that they're mourning the loss of pregnancy or an infant.

Moreover, certain families put out ivory pumpkins annually in October in remembrance of their lost ones. It's practiced during this time because it's recognized as the National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, further making white pumpkins a silent tribute for the departed. Plus, as October is recognized as the awareness month, Robyn E. Bear and Lisa Brown — parents who both suffered miscarriages — came up with the idea of dedicating a day to grieving parents who lost their children to miscarriage, stillbirths, ectopic or molar pregnancy, and other causes. They chose 15th October as "Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day."

The display of white pumpkins on the porch gained popularity after Jennifer Giles, a bereaved mother of a 38-week baby girl (Madelyn Grace), shared a poem called "The White Pumpkin" in October 2018. Additionally, in October 2019, Giles composed a song entitled "I Choose You" in her daughter's remembrance. Later, in 2020, along with Jessica Watt, she began The White Pumpkin Project to give the white pumpkin from her poem a physical form. They started making customized white pumpkins with the child's name on it.

This unofficial personal movement led to a community where bereaved families and parents recognize the lives they had to bid adieu too early. Indeed, in October 2025, Valerie Meek, a grieving parent, published an article in which she shared that, when she learnt from Giles about these customized pumpkins, she realized she needed one to honor the life of her departed son, Patrick.

So, if you or anyone you know has lost a child, you, too, can honor their lives by putting out a white pumpkin with their names carved on it. You can also add their names using your label maker. And if you don't have any white ones handy, feel free to spray paint one of your existing pumpkins.