Jack O'Lanterns
October 25, 2007
This
is our third Halloween together in America. And our third in an
apartment building where there are no children to trick-or-treat. We’ve
put off carving a pumpkin the last two years because there didn’t seem
to be a reason for decorating, but Frances decided that she can’t
neglect her All Hallows Eve traditions any longer.
For
Frances, carving (or painting) a pumpkin is tradition. For Paul, it is
an American spin-off of his turnip-carving days of old. Seemingly the
Irish brought the tradition with them to America. They replaced the
humble turnip with pumpkin abundant in the New World. It didn't hurt
that they are a lot easier to carve than turnips. Seriously - have you
ever tried to hollow out a turnip?
This was Paul’s first experience with such a large Jack O’Lantern. It
was a joint effort, with Paul getting to do most of the yucky stuff like
scooping the inside of the pumpkin clean, and Frances getting to do the
fun stuff like carving the face. When we finished, we were both pleased
with the crooked grin … and are looking forward to eating the seeds once
they are roasted.
Now that we have a pumpkin and a bag of candy for trick-or-treaters who
never show, we are all set for a night of ghosts, goblins and things
that go bump in the night.