Turnip-hollowing can't be very old since the turnip (swede, rutabaga) was only introduced into Scotland late in the 18th century.
The Mexican Day of the Dead, as well as using indigenous symbolism, is a pre-columbian event. Early colonists gave descriptions of it; it went one step further than the modern celebration in that each family would exhume its dead relatives so they could be propped up and take part in the feast. (I wonder how the US's constitutional freedom of religion would cope with a group that wanted to go back to that?)
The "11 days" rioters were not as naive as anonymous GUEST thinks. It wasn't about swindled out of lifespan but being swindled out of money. Landlords were claiming a full year's rent despite 1752 having only 354 days.