Halloween

The end of October is here, time to celebrate! In the north days get shorter, so be prepared regardless of the flavour of your party! Use a torch to illuminate your face from below to scare others, or light the way through a dark alley in case you piss your pants otherwise.

If you haven't carved a pumpkin before, do give it a shot! In case you are a newbie, here are simple instructions that guarantee your success:

Pick a pumpkin of a suitable size. The size required to make a mask is surprisingly big, but for a lantern even smaller ones suffice nicely. The stem is fairly fragile, so don't lift the pumpkin by the stem or turn it upside down without protection. In addition, you'll need some tools and accessories:

• Fruit knife (thin, short and narrow)
• Wide-headed spoon
• Sharpie
• Bowl
• Bucket
• Bleach

Special preparations aren't necessary, apart from protecting the table if you're not in the kitchen. Do wash your hands, though. First, you cut a round hatch to the top. Cut at an angle so that the separate piece doesn't fall through the hole once it shrinks a little bit. A sawing motion is effective and this is why the thin-bladed and narrow knife is so awesome. After gaining access to the inside, scoop and scrape out the "brains" of the pumpkin.

Save the seeds and insides for later use: make a soup or pie, and roast & salt the seeds to use as snacks!

Once the insides and hatch are scraped clean, sketch a face or any picture you like to the side. Use a sharpie generously: you can wipe it off later and a little scruffiness just adds character. The largest areas and the ones you intend to be brightest can be cut out, but you can also scrape the surface a few mm deep (1/8" or so) with a screwdriver to make smaller details.

As a final touch dunk the pumpkin into a bucket full of water with a small cup (1 - 1,5 dl or about 4 fl oz) of chlorine bleach and let it soak overnight. This preserves your creation for several days without rotting or molding. A week is the longest time you may reach with this trick.

In this day and age a rechargeable lantern or flashlight provides your illumination inside. Set it to low power or blinking for max. burn time.

To make a mask, there are a few slight differences: cut the pumpkin from below at a vertical angle. Your head isn't entirely round, so ovalize the hole a little. Align the eyes by putting the hollow pumpkin on your head and aiming for your eyes with a sharpie. Then make small holes and put the pumpkin on again: you'll easily see if they need some adjustment.

Is this difficult? Not really. Our presenter in the video had never done this before.