Tom is also a proponent of using the entire pumpkin-including the seeds and pulp-in ways that you wouldn’t typically expect. I mentioned non-traditional carving techniques he regularly employs the use of chainsaws, explosives, and props to create massive sculptures that could frighten any unwitting adult at night. Tom encourages you to think outside the box when it comes to pumpkin design. You can find step-by-step tutorials for almost anything… from pumpkin carving, to specialty cocktails, to spooky and even downright disgusting dishes you can serve at your next party. Tom’s love for Halloween and non-traditional means of pumpkin carving have earned him fame and led him to publish several books. Extreme pumpkin carving, in particular, has become popular in recent years.Īs an intern at a local newspaper, I once had the pleasure of interviewing Tom Nardone, author of the book Extreme Halloween. In fact, people have begun to take pumpkin carving up a notch from the simple triangular faces of the past. People continue to carve pumpkins today, despite many not knowing the folklore and history behind this longheld tradition. Jack puts the coal in a carved out turnip, and well… the rest is history. Legend has it, eventually when Jack dies he is denied entrance to both heaven and hell, and instead is sent off to wander the Earth at night with only a coal to light his way. The name “ jack ‘o lantern” itself comes from Irish folklore: A tale tells of a man named Stingy Jack who encounters the devil one day and tricks him into sparing his soul. Immigrants brought the tradition with them from Ireland, where turnips were the original vegetable of choice for carving.Pumpkins proved to be more abundant though, being native to North America, and their size and softness made them more suitable for carving. According to folklore around the world, spirts of the dead wander the Earth on Halloween, and these lanterns are said to ward off the evil spirits.ĭating as far back in America as 1837, carved pumpkins were a herald of the harvest season. A candle lights the face from within, hence the term lantern. Jack o’ lanterns are hollowed out pumpkins (or turnips or gourds, depending on what part of the world you live in) upon which grotesque or comical faces have been carved. Jack ‘o lanterns are one example of a favorite Halloween tradition that lives on. Adults get in on the fun, too, with costume parties and other holiday traditions. Here in the U.S., as well as many other countries, children dress up in costumes and go door-to-door begging for candy, also known as trick-or-treating. The October 31 holiday goes by many names-All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints’ Eve, Allhallowmas-and is celebrated around the world, though the way in which people celebrate it varies from culture to culture. Here in the Midwest of the United States, there is a chill crisp to the air, leaves begin to change color, and that means Halloween is just around the corner. This piece was originally written & produced in 2016 by has always been one of my favorite months. Happy Halloween everyone! We thought we’d revive an old gem on our site that puts us in the Halloween spirit.
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