The best pumpkin carving I’ve ever seen made its way around the Internet several years ago. A finely carved pumpkin but nothing too had to do. Two eyes, a nose, and a wide, gaping mouth that was in most ways unextraordinary.
The thing that made this design great was, the carver took the inside gook of the pumpkin and arranged it so that it looked like the pumpkin was throwing up. Instead of looking like it was wide-eyed with surprise, you’d see that it was wide-eyed with nausea perhaps from drinking too much Halloween punch. Every time I see this image in my head I have to laugh out loud.
Here is a second winning jack-o-lantern carving design. Carve a fierce looking jack-o-lantern. He should have pointed fangs in his large mouth, to go with angry slim eyes.,. Then, in one side of the mouth stick a smaller pumpkin with a frightened, horrified look on its face. Done properly this should look like the larger jack-o-lantern is eating the smaller one, a bit of malicious delight on All Hallow’s Eve.
And it’s important to note that jack-o-lanterns are an important part of the Halloween tradition, and have been for centuries. According to wikipedia, the origin of the jack-o-lantern is as follows:
Another version of the myth says that Jack was getting chased by some villagers from whom he had stolen, when he met the Devil, who claimed it was time for him to die. To stall his death, the thief offered the devil a way to bewitch the villagers hot on his trail. Since The Devil could take any shape, he was convinced by Jack to be changed into a silver coin. A coin that could be used to pay for the stolen property. They also figured that the villagers would fight who stole the coin, once it disappeared. The Devil agreed to this plan. He turned himself into a silver coin and jumped into Jack’s wallet, only to find himself next to a cross Jack had also picked up in the village. Jack had closed the wallet tight, and the cross stripped the Devil of his powers; and so he was trapped. In both myths, Jack only lets the Devil go when he agrees never to take his soul. Soon there after jack died. No big surprise, Jack’s life had been too sinful to go to heaven; but the Mr D. said he would not to take his soul, and so he could not go to hell either. With no home, where was Jack to go. He asked how he would see where to go, as he had no light, and the Devil mockingly tossed him an ember that would never burn out from the flames of hell. The burning ember was placed in a large turnip Jack carved out. He then wandered the Earth looking for a final resting place. He became known as “Jack of the Lantern”, or Jack-o’-Lantern.
Remember this tale when you dream up your own jack-o-lantern carving ideas!
