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  • Halloween pumpkins:the best templates and ideas

    Posted on by Steve Kirchhoff

    Vorlagen für Halloween Kürbisse findenThe big pumpkin carving is popular. Need some inspiration A world without Halloween pumpkins is possible, but pointless! Something like that is an old Chinese proverb. And we want to follow this wisdom this year too. Numerous instructions and tips on the Internet prove that decorating and designing the popular autumn vegetables is not that difficult. But where do you start?? Where can you find inspiration and good examples of pumpkin faces? The party panda has looked around for sources on this Internet for you. And on top of that he has given you his personal top 5 list of pumpkin carvings.

    Where does one get templates for pumpkin carving from??

    Pumpkin carving is of course an American invention and the United States is a good place to go with its numerous Halloween competitions and pumpkin festivals. It should be mentioned, however, that we in Switzerland also have a tradition of carved vegetables in connection with placing a tea light. We're talking about the classic carving of rods and thatm Making a Räbelielichtli. As already described in our LINK BLOG ENTRY handicraft instructions, it is advisable to pre-scratch the outlines of the figure with knives and tools before starting. To do this, we attach a template made of paper directly to the pumpkin and then use a fork or similar to prick the later cutouts. An easy way to do this is onee targeted search query on Google. For example:

    In addition, numerous websites can be discovered that have a large download area with patterns for Halloween pumpkins.A small selection of links:

    The pumpkin carving hit list from the party panda

    And has you got the lust for carving If not, then your hand should begin to twitch incessantly after looking at the following Halloween artworks at the latest. The urge to tinker and decorate comes automatically;;)

    5th place: The 'Christian' variant

    • Papst Franziskus als Kürbis
    • Famous personalities as pumpkin heads have a long tradition. This copy with Pope Francis is extremely detailed.

    4th place: tongue out!

    • Halloween Pumpkin mit Zunge
    • It doesn't always have to be an absolutely filigree masterpiece. This pumpkin variant impresses with its wit!

    Rank 3: Nightmare on Elm Street

    • Freddy Krüger - Der Kultfilm als Kürbis Vorlage
    • Here comes Freddy! The film cult figure was immortalized here in a creepy and apt way.

    2nd place: Carving to the power of 10!

    • Football Spieler als Halloweenkürbis
    • For people with a lot of patience and a golden hand. The football player as a Halloween pumpkin

    1st place: Happy Michael

    • The ultimate film for Hallow's Eve and its main character Michael Myers were processed in this gruesome pumpkin copy.

    You are still looking for witch outfits, zombie make-up or decorative items for the scariest night of the year. Then take a look at our large Halloween range!

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  • Dia de los muertos - Or the new Halloween

    Posted on by Steve Kirchhoff

    Dia de los muertos - Tag der Toten - Herkunft und Bedeutung

    Strictly speaking, the Sugar Skull brides and skeletal ghosts, which decorate many homes and costumes on the Day of the Dead, are not a modern Halloween trend at all. The decoration of the house and the dressing up in the partly colorful skull robes is based on a centuries-old Mexican holiday. And now let's get to the bottom of this.

    Day of the Dead - Mexico's solemn memory of the dead

    Every year in the night from November 1st to 2nd we commemorate the dead in large parts of Mexico. The age-old belief says that the dead souls will return that night and celebrate together with the family. In honor of the dead, days in advance the house is colorfully decorated, altars embellished and sweet gifts made available. Contrary to what the gruesome occasion suggests, a colorful and happy festival is held. And in 2003 UNESCO even decided to make these nationwide celebrations and customs the masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of mankind and thus classify them as a world cultural heritageen

    How James Bond brought the Day of the Dead into the worldug

    In the opening scene of the James Bond film Specter from 2015, a magnificent costume parade was shown in the heart of Mexico City. Numerous guardians of the dead, skull costumes and zombie brides line the South American metropolis and 007 is right in the middle of saving the world once more. But actually this impressive parade is a sheer invention of the British filmmakers, lavishly staged with hundreds of extras. Many moviegoers remembered the colorful masks and chic dresses for a long time. The searches for such costumes skyrocketed. In the meantime, the city's tourism authority has also recognized the marketing value of this film and officially launched a death day parade. This year alone, up to one million participants are expected.tet.

    Dia de los Muertos is the same as Halloweenen?

    There are strong similarities between these two festivals. The Irish, who are considered to be the founders of Halloween, also believed that the gates between the worlds of the dead and the living were open on a special evening in autumn. At Hallows Eve, the deceased have the chance to visit their families. The living relatives try to show the way with lights and torches and thus facilitate the transition. In the course of the great Irish migration to the USA in the 19th century, many Halloween customs also came overseas..

    Even if many tradition-conscious Americans with Irish roots continue to celebrate the original concepts and customs, today's Halloween festival on October 31 only has little to do with Hallows Eve. Thanks to our pop culture with its films and music, this creepy party has now reached large parts of the globe. Since the Mexican celebrations overlap with Halloween and the meanings of the festive season are quite similar, it was only a matter of time before the costumes, makeup designs and masks also merge..

    The symbols of the Dia de los muertos

    There arenumerous characters and characters on the occasion of the feast of the dead get into the focus. These are the top 5 symbols and their meanings for Mexicans:

    1. Calaca - The skeleton

    Bones and skeletons are represented in many different forms. Small and narrow, drawn out, thin or wide. They have one thing in common - they are all always portrayed as happy and never as scary. In many places they are dressed in colorful, elaborate suits in honor of the dead.

    2. Catrina

    The catrina occupies a special position among the female skeletons. As a symbol of a noble woman from the Mexican upper class of the 19th century, she is depicted in eye-catching high-quality clothes. The skeleton bride with veil and floral wreath is also a modification of this figure.r.

    3. Calavera de azucar - The sugar skull

    Also known as Sugar Skull or Candy Skull, this special skull is a cute part of the holiday decoration. As a sacrificial gift or table decoration, this skull is placed in many places in the house.

    4th altar

    A special place for decorations is the in-house altar, which is decorated in an extremely colorful way. In addition to the Sugar Skulls, floral wreaths and bone structures are also used here.

    5. Cempasúchil Flor de Muerto - Flower of Deathodes

    The importance of flowers in memory of the deceased is certainly widespread worldwide. However, Mexicans use a special floral genus for the occasion. Known to us as the marigold or Turkish carnation, it is used in numerous colors for the Dia de los Muertos. Whether as a wreath, flower chain or headdress, it is omnipresent and adorns the house and costumes.

    Hopefully we could tell you about this disguise trend and its originsHalloween bring something closer. If you see a bone woman or the skeleton guard walking through the city center at the end of October, then you can now assign her.

    In search of Day of the Dead disguises and make-up, stop by the party panda shop and find your perfect skeleton costume.

     

    photo credit # 1: Geoff LivingstonThe Day of the Dead viaphotopin (license)

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  • Pumpkin carving for Halloween - that's how it's done

    Posted on by Steve Kirchhoff

    Kürbisse zu Halloween: Selber Schnitzen

    Halloween is getting closer and with it the time of pumpkins has begun in Europe as well. The vegetables are not only very popular in the soup pot, they also decorate the house and garden at this time of the year. The hunt for the largest, most beautiful and bright orange pumpkins starts as early as September. Pumpkin carving is one of the activities in kindergartens, schools and at home that ushers in autumn like no other. Buying a Halloween pumpkin just like that would be boring. So how about this year you get the whole family around one table and make the Halloween pumpkins yourself, here's how to do it Create an effective and durable Halloween decoration with a few tricks.

    Pumpkin carving made easy

    Once you have found a pumpkin that is suitable as a Halloween decoration and is large enough to carve a face into, you can start. Part of the preparation for carving pumpkinthe procurement of suitable tools. Especially anyone who works with children should make sure that there is no risk of injury when working with knives. A knife is inevitable to sever the "lid". This is the first step in pumpkin carving. After the outside of the pumpkin has been cleaned and any earth debris has been removed, you should make the cut with a pointed and particularly sharp knife. It is best to mark the cut edge before you begin.

    Kürbisse Schnitzen: Halloween-Spass für die ganze Familie

    The inner pulp of the pumpkin can be easily removed with an ice cream scoop or a spoon. Depending on the type of pumpkin, it may make sense to wear disposable gloves or rubber gloves, because many types of pumpkin leave stubborn reddish discoloration on the skin. If the pumpkin is particularly soft, parts of the inside can also be removed by hand. Use the ice cream scoop or a spoon to scrape out all the soluble meat so that only the shell remains. The thinner it is, the better the effect that a light has on the inside of the Halloween pumpkin. The pulp should of course not be thrown away, because it can be made into a soup or other meal. It would be a shame to throw everything away.

    The face makes the difference

    To turn the pumpkin into a real Halloween pumpkin, it needs a face. The best way to find good ideas for your Halloween decoration is to do a little research on the Internet. On numerous craft advice pages and in decoration forumsyou will find countless patterns and templates, which you can transform into a more individual Halloween decoration with a little creativity. There are no limits to your imagination. The only restriction is the size of the pumpkin. However, templates that are too large can be shrunk by 10 or 20 with a standard copier to fit your pumpkin. Attach the template to the pumpkin with adhesive tape. When the paper is stuck, take a small wheel or fork andtransfer the edges to the peel of the pumpkinso that after removing the paper, the outlines can be seen in the form of small depressions in the pumpkin skin. Now cut the contours of the mouth and eyes out of the pumpkin skin along these lines. You can already see the face of your Halloween pumpkin in front of you.

    Be very careful when cutting out delicate areas so that nothing breaks out. When carving pumpkins with the whole family, it makes sense to choose motifs for children that have fewer small nooks and crannies and leave the more complicated shapes when carving pumpkins to adults. A tip: Not only faces are suitable for the Halloween pumpkin but also the outline of a bat or letters and names as Halloween decorations.

    Carve pumpkin and preserve it

    Around HalloweenTo preserve pumpkin a little longer, there are also a few tricks. Usually, pumpkins begin to go moldy after a week in a damp and warm environment. In a dry environment, the Halloween pumpkin dries out just as quickly. At temperatures below freezing point, i.e. when the pumpkin sleeps outside, freezing and thawing accelerates the decay process. Decay cannot be prevented entirely, but you can try to delay it a little. You can, for example, smear the cut edges with a little clear petroleum jelly and keep them supple longer. You can keep the pumpkin from drying out if you put it in water for an hour after a week and then let it drain again. If you only use your Halloween pumpkin as a decoration for a few hours, the best strategy is to keep it in the refrigerator.

    More tips for the Halloween pumpkin

    Gruseliges Gespenst als KürbisThe Halloween pumpkins workmost beautiful when they are lit from within. Tea lights go out very quickly with the wind, especially when the pumpkin is set up outside. Here it is recommendedto put the tealight in a glass, to prevent this. A simple pickle jar is sufficient for this. It doesn't have to be expensive glass because you can't see it from the outside anyway. If you want to be independent of the weather or want to reduce the risk of fire in your home, you should get these small electric tea lights or glow sticks to illuminate the pumpkin from the inside.

    Ideally, you combine a pumpkin with numerous other Halloween decorations.Ghosts, skeletons and much more can be found on partypanda.ch

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