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Author Topic: Carving turnips?  (Read 1264 times)

Aett of Cups

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Carving turnips?
« on: October 29, 2014, 01:04:16 am »
I've read a couple of articles about how people in parts of the UK and mainland Europe used to carve turnip jack o' lanterns, and I just ran across this article: http://livingtherusticlife.com/crafts/turnip-jack-o-lantern

Anyone carved a turnip before?  Is it harder than a pumpkin?  Do you know of any mystical significance to turnip carving that isn't also associated with pumpkin carving?
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Re: Carving turnips?
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2014, 06:05:05 am »
Quote from: Aett of Cups;163756
 Do you know of any mystical significance to turnip carving that isn't also associated with pumpkin carving?

No mysticism about it -  turnips were carved because pumpkins hadn't been discovered back then! Turnips are a seasonal vegetable available in the UK and Ireland at the moment. When Irish people moved to the US, pumpkins were available at the same time of year, and the tradition of carving was transferred to them. Otherwise, the point of them is exactly the same.

I've tried to carve turnips before, just to be more seasonal and local in my choice of decorations, but they're incredibly hard to carve! So I stick with pumpkins now. Alas, the Americanization of all things. Damn them for making things easier. ;)
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Re: Carving turnips?
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2014, 08:52:56 am »
Quote from: Naomi J;163763
No mysticism about it -  turnips were carved because pumpkins hadn't been discovered back then!


As Naomi says, pumpkins are a food from the Americas.

One reason they're much easier to carve than turnips, of course, is that when you remove the seeds, they're effectively hollow (rather than turnips and other root vegetables, which are solid all the way through).

I have seen people do some really lovely carving on the outside of gourds (that would also work with turnips/etc.) by carving lines into the outside in a decorative, and then usually rubbing herbs or spices into the lines for color, but even that's fairly hard work for your wrists and it's still not the same kind of thing as a lantern.
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Re: Carving turnips?
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2014, 08:07:24 pm »
Quote from: Aett of Cups;163756
I've read a couple of articles about how people in parts of the UK and mainland Europe used to carve turnip jack o' lanterns ....

 
I did it myself when I was a child! :)

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