BBC - Shropshire - Features - Halloween

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30 November 2009
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Make a Scary Pumpkin!

Make your own scary pumpkin lantern...

Carving faces in hollowed out pumpkins is an ancient halloween tradition that dates back to the Irish legend of 'Stingy Jack'. It's also great fun and a good way of getting children involved.
We show you how to make a scary pumpkin!

WEBLINKS

Not great at drawing? This website contains a host of halloween templates. just click on the template you want and then print out.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.

SEE ALSO

Want to know what to do with all that pumpkin? Take a look at a few BBC suggestions.

Recipes for Halloween
If you're planning a halloween party, why not put a smile on your guests' faces with a few of our halloween recipes. Our fiendish food is also guaranteed to keep children entertained.

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FACTS

Pumpkins are actually not vegetables, but fruit!

The tradition of carving pumpkins apparrently goes back to an Irish myth - The story of 'Stingy jack'. Jack repeatedly managed to fool the devil. In revenge, after his death, the devil condemned his spirit to roam the earth with only a piece of burning coal to guide his way. Jack put the piece of coal in a carved turnip and has been wandering ever since.

Pumpkins have traditionally replaced turnips because they are both larger and look more impressive than turnips - Pumpkins are also native to America, where the tradition is strongest.

The Irish referred to Jack's ghost as 'Jack o' the lantern' - hence the American name 'Jack O Lantern.'

How to make a scary pumpkin
	Step One Choose your pumpkin carefully. You need one large enough to look impressive. But it takes a long time to scoop out a pumpkin. The larger the it is, the greater the effort.

	Step Two Cut carefully around the stalk using a serrated knife - angling inwards as you go. It's almost impossible to get a perfect circle, and a hexagon is much easier to cut. Be Careful!

	Step Three Take off the top and then remove all the seeds and stringy bits from inside the pumpkin. It's a messy job, but one that children can help with.

	Step Four Use a dessert spoon (or specialist tool if you have one) to scoop out the pumpkin. You can even make a pumpkin pie out of what you scoop out!

	Step Five Make sure that the wall of your pumpkin is no more than one inch thick. Then scoop out the lid, making sure that it still fits. After a while, it will become loose and will tend to slip in, so make sure it's a tight fit.

	Step Six Trace your scary face onto a bit of paper and then pin it onto your pumpkin. Carefully cut out the face, using the template as a guide.

	Step Seven Cut a one inch hole in the lid to let the heat escape. Then add a tea light inside your pumpkin. Light it, replace the lid and enjoy your scary pumpkin figure.