There’s so much talk going on about Halloween here at
Koolred- some of you are attending
Halloween events, others have decided to bring up the subject of
spooky hotels in South East Asia and one has even
walked with zombies and ghouls! All this got us in the mood to create our own Halloween-themed post as well!
Although it’s not a widely-celebrated festival in Asia, we think the whole idea of ‘Trick or Treating’ and putting on scary costumes during Halloween is just so exciting!
The Jack O’ Lantern tradition did not start out with a pumpkin, but it was originally turnips and potatoes that were carved and placed with a candle within. Pumpkins were then introduced and the practice of carving pumpkins is believed to help scare evil spirits away as well as to bring luck to homes.
The tradition still lives on, and so Mike gathered his buddies to try out some pumpkin carving action- Asian style! Instead of just pumpkins, they carved out honeydews and watermelons as well.
Wanna try to attempt this? Well, let’s get started then! First, it’s important to get a sharp knife and lots of newspapers ready as it can get really messy!
The tip to carving pumpkins is to first cut the top of the fruit, and then scoop out the insides.
A pretty tricky task, this might take some time as you would need to clean out the insides thoroughly (plus, it’s going to get really messy what with juice spilling out). Next, rinse the insides with water and you can start working on your pumpkin masterpiece. Carve out two triangle-like shapes at the top and remember to add that wide, crooked smile below on your pumpkin. And of course, your pumpkin would not be a Jack O’ Lantern without bright light shining from it!
In order to make light shine from your pumpkin, light a small, flat candle (ones you can find from aromatherapy stores) and place it inside it. You can now put the top back on the pumpkin, so do remember not to throw it out in the beginning.
Since everything is “
Soh-Ee-Zi” to him, the ambitious Mike tackled the honeydew instead:
His pumpkin turned out to look like a horror film character with its “stitched-mouth” feature (on right):
Spooky, aren’t they? Jack O’ Lanterns are great decorations for Halloween parties and events… but remember to place them outside. You do not want to have a tragic Halloween now, do you?
So guys, have your own Halloween celebration with these self-carved Jack O’ Lanterns!
Also, do share your views about Halloween here… does anyone have a clever costume ready for Halloween? We’d love to know!
Koolred would like to wish you a very Happy Wicked Weekend and Happy Halloween!
Photo Credits: Koolred would like to thank comical Redster
Mike for being such a sport as he shared some pumpkin-carving tips and contributed the photos for this special Halloween post.
