We love Halloween here at Internal Doors (any excuse to dress up, scare people and pig out on sweet treats) and of course, when the spookiest time of year comes around we just have to do some Halloween themed blog posts for the lovely readers of the Internal Doors blog!
We’ve put together some simple guides for some super scary pumpkin carving designs together with printable templates along with a brief introduction to the history of Halloween!
Did you know that the origins of the Halloween pumpkin, or Jack-o'-lantern, are not completely certain as the practice of pumpkin carving has gone on for many centuries. It is believed, however, that this arguably most popular Halloween tradition began in Ireland, where other vegetable such as turnips or beets were carved. So take a look at our templates and be sure to Tweet us photos @InternalDoorsCo of your pumpkins or post them to our Facebook wall!
The Classic Pumpkin
The Tribal Pumpkin
The Werewolf Pumpkin
The Sugar Skull Pumpkin
The Vampire Pumpkin
The history and story of Halloween is rather vast and has origins in Christianity and Paganism and is heavily influenced by the customs and traditions of Celtic countries. It is often linked to the Celtic festival Samhain which was a celebration of the end of Summer. During Samhain it was believed that the Aos Si, often seen as “degraded versions of ancient gods”, were able to more easily enter our world. Offerings of food and drink were left for the Aos Si in order to ensure the survival of crops and animals during winter. It was also believed that the souls of the dead were able to enter our world, something which is popular in many cultures around the world such as the Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. The popular customer of Trick-or-Treating is thought to have medieval roots; originating from the practice of “mumming” which involved persons in disguise entering house to dance or play in silence. Although Halloween and its modern customs have roots in Britain and Europe, once they were exported to America it became one of the U.S’ biggest holidays and is now much more popular and celebrated there than in the UK. The U.S. Halloween industry is worth billions, with a prediction of an astounding $7.4billion to be spent on costumes, decorations and treats in 2014.
