Carving pumpkins
By Faye
@FayeHazel (40248)
United States
October 26, 2021 3:31pm CST
A couple of weeks ago I got the experience of carving pumpkins for the first time. I remember us doing it a couple of times when I was a kid, and roasting the resulting seeds - but I was too young to do much of any carving myself.
After that, - my dad didn't really enjoy things like that, so we didn't do them. And that is how I missed out on a lot of the fun type kid activities that people usually experience in their younger years. If dad didn't like it, we generally didn't do it.
Knowing this, some of my good friends arranged for us to have a Halloween weekend - carving pumpkins and watching "Hocus Pocus" - a Halloween themed comedy I hadn't seen before.
What wonderful friends.
I enjoyed pumpkin carving so much that I carved another one . My first one I did as the traditional "Jack-o-lantern" face. And the second one , a simple owl
Do you carve pumpkins?
Photo: Mine
11 people like this
12 responses
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
Wow really.... that's interesting it's catching up moreso
2 people like this
@Orson_Kart (6095)
• United Kingdom
27 Oct 21
Halloween wasn’t a big thing here when I was little. We used to only celebrate Bonfire Night, the 5th November. We did used to carve turnips/swedes, which aren’t as easy to carve as pumpkins. Now Halloween and pumpkin carving are a big thing and more fun for sure.
2 people like this
@Orson_Kart (6095)
• United Kingdom
6 Nov 21
@FayeHazel Yeah it’s today and still celebrated with a fire and fireworks (weather permitting). I am not sure when it all started, but represents Guy Fawkes failed Gunpowder Plot back in 1605, when he and his gang tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament to assassinate King James I. I’ve a feeling bonfires will be banned soon to achieve zero carbon emissions. Maybe they could be virtual in future?
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
8 Nov 21
@Orson_Kart A virtual fire, why not? I should look up Guy Fawkes day , Ive always wantyed to know more about that
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
Ah Happy Bonfire night, which would be today. Actually is it still celebrated there? I've not heard of it here. But I welcome any chances to have a fire.
Interesting, I had read that the Jack O Lantern actually originated with turnips.... but those seem like they would be difficult indeed
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (73241)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
27 Oct 21
Very nice carved pumpkin, I used to love carving pumpkins. Here is the last one I carved a very long time ago,
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (73241)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
8 Nov 21
@FayeHazel I always tried all kinds of different things with the pumpkins I enjoyed carving them As you can see on this one I tried for a round nose, ,
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
I like how you got the mouth on that one
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
10 Nov 21
@RasmaSandra Ooo round for a nose, good idea
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
Thanks! Nice of you to help with clean up
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
27 Oct 21
you hadn't seen hocus pocus before either!!???!! 
I'm so happy you've finally seen it now! How did you like it?
So glad you can mark both off any list you may have from things you hadn't done as a kid.2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
No, at least not all the way through. I like it - thought it was cute, and finally some of the jokes between friends makes sense now
2 people like this
@nela13 (55702)
• Portugal
6 Nov 21
@FayeHazel it is more popular than it was some years ago but it isn't a big thing as in the US.
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
Interesting... I wonder if it will get more and more popular
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
It's a lot of fun, I hope you get the chance if you want to
2 people like this
@kaylachan (57383)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
26 Oct 21
I did it every year with my family. They did the knife work, I took out the inards and we roasted seeds. Sometimes it'd sting, and I'd find out I had a cut or something on my finger.
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
You are awesome for "de-gutting" the pumpkin :-)
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (86520)
• United States
26 Oct 21
Love those pumpkins Faye!
You are so talented with the carving.
I have only ever done that as a child I remember well.
I have not done it lately.
So glad to know you had a great time with friends
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
Thanks! Aw, talented I don't know. Thank you though. I was surprised, it wasn't difficult. Thank you friend
1 person likes this
@xander6464 (40826)
• Wapello, Iowa
27 Oct 21
I have done it before but not in a very long time.
Did you roast the seeds this time?
1 person likes this
@xander6464 (40826)
• Wapello, Iowa
6 Nov 21
@FayeHazel Well, comments like that add a whole new fun dimension to it.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
@xander6464 Lol, I thought you'd appreciate that
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Nov 21
You should try it again, it's fun! Actually the friends that I did the carving with - the husband his said something that I can't type out , but it as something like fudge a former politician and my friend's husband said it was one orange fruit expressing an opinion about another orange fruit
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
8 Nov 21
As best as I know -- it's something to do with an old pagan belief. There is a pre-Christian holiday at about the same time of year where it is believed that the boundary between the Spirit world and our world is thinnest. That's why Halloween has a "scary" theme to it in the modern day. So, in these olden times it was thought that carving a scary face into a turnip , and putting a candle inside would protect a home from "bad" spirits around that time. So- that tradition got brought to the modern day giving us faces carved into pumpkins instead.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
10 Nov 21
@sinari Happy I could help, it was a good question to ask
1 person likes this
@sinari (4997)
• Indonesia
9 Nov 21
@FayeHazel Oh that's the story. Alright, thanks a lot for the explanation. Now I understand the Halloween story with the face engraving on this pumpkin. 
1 person likes this
