Celebrate Halloween with a Jack-o’-Lantern

Did you know that Halloween originates from the Celtic holiday Samhain? Meaning “summer’s end,” Samhain runs from sundown Oct. 31 through Nov. 1. The holiday holds particular significance since it marks the end of the Celtic calendar year. It was a night to honor loved ones, similar to the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead. Carved gourds, turnips and potatoes were set out on porches to welcome deceased loved ones home and to ward off evil spirits.

The modern tradition of carving pumpkins for Halloween originated not only from the carved gourds of Samhain, but also from the use of pumpkins as lanterns. Early settlers of America, particularly Irish European settlers, found the native pumpkin to be large enough and suitable enough, if not perfect, to carve as substitutes for lanterns. Not until the late 1800s did the holiday become more celebrated. Today, we use cheaper and safer candles instead of the originally used lumps of coal to light each jack-o’-lantern.

To get started you will need the following items: a suitable pumpkin; a spoon or an ice cream scoop; one sharp, thin-bladed knife; one paring knife; and some newspaper. A useful technique for cutting the top out of a pumpkin is to cut at a 45-degree angle; if you cut straight down, the top can fall in. Also, be sure to use a suitably sized candle for your pumpkin; otherwise, your pumpkin can burn or catch fire. If you can’t find a candle small enough, just leave the top off of the pumpkin. This will help ventilation and leave nothing for the candle to burn.

If you feel adventurous and want some great ideas for your jack-o’-lantern, check out http://www.extremepumpkins.com/ for some pretty intense design strategies. But for the novice pumpkin carver, try http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pattern.htm for patterns.