The evenings are getting darker, it's chilly & frosty outside and the leaves are turning golden. This means it's officially autumn season. It's time to prepare yourself for colder weather, longer nights, leafy streets and hundreds of plump orange gourds popping out all over the city. And if you didn't know already, pumpkins thrive in autumn, from October onwards all you'll see are pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice candles..everything pumpkin.
Halloween's spooky season is just right around the corner, and we're here to help you get your pumpkin game on. Here are our top tips to perfect your carving skills to make sure your Jack O’lantern is the talk of the graveyard this year.
PUMPKIN CARVING
Halloween is such a fun period, dressing up, decorating your room and of course, finally seeing those cute pumpkins all over your local supermarket. Carving out pumpkins is just simple fun and a great bonding activity with your pals – may be competitive if you’re with the competitive bunch or if you've entered a pumpkin carving comp. So, grab your pumpkins, and your tools and get your creative cap on.
HOW TO
Carving a pumpkin is super easy, slightly messy but extremely fun. You start by cutting off the top of the pumpkin, after removing the pumpkin guts, start carving your desired face with a small, serrated knife. Once you've craved your spooky face, we suggest inserting a battery-operated candle, replacing the crown and watching your pumpkin come to life. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials available to help you.
USE A TERRIFYING TEMPLATE
We’ve dusted the cobwebs off our own pumpkin carving ideas, so you can choose a scary pumpkin template on Pinterest – try and spice it up from the standard scary face to an iconic character or any artistic creation.
A LITTLE HISTORY - FOR THOSE WHO CARE
Or so known as a Jack-o’-lantern. Pumpkin carving is an old tradition that began with carving out turnips or pumpkins for traditional Halloween. The origin of this tradition began in Ireland in the 19th Century. Traditionally, those who made them were variously used to represent the spirits or supernatural beings and has also been said that the Jack-o’-lanterns originally represented Christian souls in purgatory, as Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day. Read more about the traditions and origins of Halloween here.
For safety reasons, wax candles are not allowed within any of our Chapter properties but fear not these can easily be found in your local pound shop or nearest supermarket.
And to make things even more fun, we've put together a chilling playlist for you to boogie along to:
👻 TOP 10 HALLOWEEN SONGS TO CARVE TO 👻
Thriller - Michael Jackon
Unholy (feat. Kim Petras) - Sam Smith
Disturbia - Rihanna
Super Freak - Rick James
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - Kate Bush
Highway to Hell - AC/DC
Bad Guy - Billie Eilish
Poison - Alice Cooper
Sucker for Pain - Wiz Khalifa & Lil Wayne
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Make sure to check out your CHAPTER EVENT GUIDE to see how your property is celebrating Halloween & tag @chapterldn in all your pumpkin creations, remember to gourd big or go home...#CHAPTERPUMPKINS
