Lotus Pumpkin

When daylight gets shorter, night temperature dropping down to single digit, you know it will be Halloween. Here in Germany (in parts of Austria and Switzerland as well), it is to celebrate the end of harvest (Erntedank).

The children will carve small pumpkins, huge potatos or sugarbeets and when it gets dark, they wander house to house, singing and showing their Rübengeist.  Sort of like trick or treat.
 
I'm sure many of you are going to turn the humble pumpkin into some awesome creatures/work of art. I have not had the chance to start on my pumpkins this year but here is what I carved last year. It was placed outside on my doorstep, lighted up with a maxi tealight inside.