welcome my pretties…

We, thestudio team, love the festive season, and what better occasion to celebrate in the run up to Christmas than Halloween!

Halloween, also known as All Hallows Eve or All Saints Day, is a surprisingly auspicious occasion. It is known for having roots in Christianity and Paganism as a day to remember Saints, Martyrs and the dead. It was only a year ago that we celebrated with a big monster mash and a “lunatics asylum” themed party @studiovenues! Lots of pumpkins all round.

smashing pumpkins

What’s the first thing that springs to mind when Halloween is mentioned? For us, it’s definitely pumpkins! We find their strange faces, eerily set aglow with candle fire truly creepy! The tradition of carving pumpkins has been around for centuries; in keeping with the strangeness of Halloween we thought it was time to investigate…

Take part in the festivities, tweet your carvings @studiovenues!

Oddly enough, the tradition was sparked off by an Irish Myth about a man nicknamed Stingy Jack. The story alleges that Jack invites the Devil to drink with him (as you do) but being true to his name, he didn’t want to pay for the drinks. Using his cunningness he tricks the devil into turning himself into a coin in order to pay but instead of buying drinks he keeps the Devil (in the form of a coin) in his pocket next to a crucifix. Unable to transform back into his original self, Jack eventually freed the Devil under the condition he would not come for Jack’s soul if he were to die and would let him be for a year. After a year had passed, Jack managed to trick the Devil once by sending him up a tree to pick fruit (you’d think the Devil is smarter than this). Slyly he then engraved a crucifix into the bark so the devil could not come down. He once again wagered that he couldn’t bother him for ten more.

When Jack passed away God didn’t want such an unpleasant character in heaven and the Devil, true to his word (surprisingly), didn’t claim Jack’s soul. But instead, sent Jack on his way with a piece of burning coal. Jack carved out a turnip, placed the coal inside as a make shift lamp in preparation to roam the Earth for eternity. This ghostly figure was known as Jack of the Lantern, hence Jack O’Lantern!

Happy Halloween studio goers!