Halloween pumpkin. How to design and decorate your pumpkin

How to make a pumpkin for Halloween .

Among the many traditions that Halloween or Samain brings with it , is to use pumpkins as lanterns.

It is true that this is not a custom of our country, but increasingly, we can find ourselves surrounded by the Halloween atmosphere in any city in Spain.

The truth is that it is not a party as far from our traditions as it might seem. In Galicia, due to its Celtic roots, a festival is held with the name of Samhain .

It was the Irish emigrants, upon arrival in the United States, who carried with them the ancient traditions of the Samhain. One of those traditions, that of using turnips as lampposts, comes from an ancient legend, the story of Jack O´Lantern.

Legend has it that Jack managed to outwit the devil until after his death. Jack used a hollowed-out turnip as a lantern to light his way across Earth as he searches for some resting and resting place for his tormented soul.

Many years later, in the 19th century, the legend was fully extended, these vegetables were used as lamps as a way to ward off the devil on Halloween nights.

The exchange of turnips for pumpkins was due to a simple economic factor, the surplus of pumpkins of the time, made it easier to get them than traditional turnips.

Today Pumpkins are an inherent symbol of the holiday, on Halloween night .

How to decorate a pumpkin for Halloween

1. With a marker we paint what will be the top of the pumpkin.
2. We mark with the punch we make a precut line to help us later with the cutting operation with the knife.
3. With the tip of the knife, very little by little and trying to help us from the guide we have made, we cut the top of the pumpkin.
4. We empty the pumpkin removing from its interior all the remaining pulp and seeds. We will try to leave the pumpkin as clean as possible inside.
5. We repeat the re-labeling, punching and cutting operation for the eyes, nose and mouth of our pumpkin.
6. When we have the pumpkin ready we can put a small candle inside it and cover it.

We will have an incredible and monstrous pumpkin perfect for Halloween night.

You can see in this step by step how to prepare this pumpkin for Halloween  that will surely triumph among the little ones.