“Depending on the pumpkin that I carve, it can be scary or funny,” said Susan Hunt, 24.
According to pumpkinnook.com the Jack-o’-lantern, a carved pumpkin, the origins of carving pumpkins come from the Irish legend of Stringy Jack, a man who loved to play jokes on people, playing a joke on the devil and in return guaranteeing he would not be taken into hell. Upon Jack’s death he was not allowed into heaven for being too mean a person and was also denied entry into hell as the devil promised, he was given an ember from the fires of hell to light his endless journey in between heaven and hell and placed the ember into a carved turnip. When immigrants came to America they carved pumpkins because they were easier to use than turnips, due to the availability and size.
Waiting all night in a pumpkin patch to see the great pumpkin is not something everyone can do, but Linus from Charles Schultz’s Peanuts does.
You can wait to find the Great Pumpkin or create your own great pumpkin.
When it comes to carving a pumpkin you can keep it simple and traditional with triangle eyes and nose and a sharp toothed mouth.
Or you can go elaborate and find a fancy stencil online to create a temporary masterpiece.
Those with little experience can easily learn how to carve a pumpkin.
TIPS FOR CARVING
- When cutting the lid angle the knife towards the middle of the pumpkin to avoid the lid falling into the pumpkin.
- Carving the face of the pumpkin is easy, to have a cleaner look when lit, after you carve the face angle the inside of the cut-outs to allow more light to shine out.
