Jack-o'-lantern

Halloween · carved pumpkins · folklore · traditions

Pumpkins are modern. Jack-o'-lanterns were originally carved from turnips, rutabagas, and other root vegetables in Ireland long before pumpkins became popular. When Irish immigrants came to America, they switched to pumpkins because they were bigger and easier to carve.

Named after mysterious lights. The name 'jack-o'-lantern' comes from strange, flickering lights that appear over peat bogs in Ireland, a spooky natural phenomenon that locals also called jack-o'-lanterns.

Stingy Jack's legend. According to Irish folklore, a tricky drunkard named Stingy Jack deceived people his whole life, even outsmarting the devil. As punishment, he was doomed to wander Earth forever with only a hollowed-out turnip with a light inside to guide his way.

Glowing guardians. People carved jack-o'-lanterns and displayed them on Halloween night, believing the glowing faces would ward off harmful spirits and light the way for friendly ghosts.

Irish to American. Irish immigrants brought the jack-o'-lantern tradition to America, where pumpkins became the perfect replacement for turnips, and the custom spread across the continent.