A Ritual

1 // Prepare a pumpkin: must be rotund and vaguely head-shaped. It may be blotchy on one side, but should have a stem long enough to grab like a handle.  Any color will do.

2 // Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and spaghetti innards.  (These may be saved for later purposes.)  Hollow the pumpkin as best you can so that the fleshy parts are all scraped away.

3 // Carve a face on the pumpkin.  The more primitive the representation of the face, the better.  The minimum required for this is two eyes, one nose, and a mouth.  (In some instances, even the nose may be optional.)  Do not overthink it.  Use basic shapes.  Free-hand it.  Don't cheat!

4 // Carefully place a lighted candle inside the hollowed out pumpkin with a grotesque face and set in a significant place in your home.  The glowing grin will scare unwelcome ghouls from your door and usher in the souls of your beloved dead, who beg for prayers.  Keep lit until All Souls' Day.  Repeat next year.

(Optional: You may now roast the pumpkin seeds for eager eating.  Salt liberally.)