Pumpkin Carving Cats

Hello read cashers! It's 31st of October and you know what that means, it's Happy Halloween! My boyfriend and I wanted to carve pumpkins for Halloween but we didn't have enough time to do so in the weekend. So I will be writing about my past pumpkin carving experiences, as I am unfortunately working on this glorious day as well, so I really can't carve this year.

Pumpkin carving is not common in the Philippines so I've only ever carved pumpkins when I immigrated here in the UK. Why you may ask? Well first, because we don't really have pumpkins in the Philippines, we have squash. Second, it seems wasteful to carve them instead of eating them. And thirdly, Halloween is not as big of a deal there as here in the West. We do have All Saints and All Souls Day to honour our deceased relatives back home. We visit the cemetery and bring food and meat up with other relatives during the 1st and 2nd of November.

Anyhow since I have been in the UK for over 3 years, I have assimilated some of their culture and that includes celebrating Halloween. So for the past 2 years I have carved pumpkins every Halloween and it has always been cats since I love and adore these feline friends. I always get my inspiration from google and happy to say it has always turned out well despite my lack of expertise and experience.

The first time I did it was with my ex housemate, Jennifer. We actually just shared one pumpkin which was given to us by our British colleague. So what you must do first, is cut the top portion of the pumpkin so you can scoop out the seeds and make it hollow. Second, you can draw an outline of the design you want using a pen or a marker. Third, carve according to your outline which for me is the trickiest bit as my knife skills are almost none existent. Lastly, put a lighted candle inside the pumpkin and put back its lid. Turn off the lights for a more dramatic effect.

The second time I did pumpkin carving was when I was in Guernsey. I did it with my friends, Marsh and Joy. It was special to me as the pumpkins we used were freshly picked from my allotment. It's my own grown pumpkin. It is again another kitty pumpkin which I made with Joy. While Marsh decided to do a Tim Burton inspired one.

Pumpkin carving is a fun activity which enriches ones creativity and knife skills. Definitely worth trying! Part of me think it is a bit wasteful food wise but hey it's a once a year thing. I hope you enjoyed this article. Happy Halloween!