Practiced on

Samhain, Halloween, Punkie Night

Country of Origin 

Ireland, Great Britain

Key Points / Halloween Connection

- Scary faces were carved into turnips and lit from within to scare away evil spirits during Samhain

- Irish immigrants brought this tradition to the US and used pumpkins instead as they were larger and easier to carve

Brief Bio

A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin, or formerly a root vegetable such as a mangelwurzel, rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes from the phenomenon of strange lights flickering over peat bogs, called jack-o'-lanterns (also known as will-o'-the-wisps). It is suggested that the name also has ties to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a drunkard who bargains with Satan and is doomed to roam the Earth with only a hollowed turnip to light his way.

Jack-o'-lanterns carved from pumpkins are a yearly Halloween tradition that developed in the United States when Irish, Cornish, Scottish and other Celtic influenced immigrants brought their root vegetable carving traditions with them. It is common to see jack-o'-lanterns used as external and interior decorations prior to and on Halloween.

The carving of vegetables has been a common practice in many parts of the world. It is believed that the custom of making jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween time began in Ireland and Britain. In the 19th century, "turnips or mangel wurzels, hollowed out to act as lanterns and often carved with grotesque faces," were used on Halloween in parts of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. In Gaelic-speaking regions, Halloween was also the festival of Samhain and was seen as a time when supernatural beings walked the earth. In Wales such nights were known as Ysbrydnosau (spirit nights), with Calan Gaeaf being the one which occurred on the night of 31 October. Jack-o'-lanterns were also made at Halloween time in Somerset, England (see Punkie Night) during the 19th century.

By those who made them, the lanterns were said to represent either spirits or supernatural beings, or were used to ward off evil spirits. For example, sometimes they were used by Halloween participants to frighten people, and sometimes they were set on windowsills to keep harmful spirits out of one's home. It has also been suggested that the jack-o'-lanterns originally represented Christian souls in purgatory, as Halloween is the eve of All Saints' Day (1 November)/All Souls' Day (2 November).

The application of the term to carved pumpkins in American English is first seen in 1837. In the United States and Canada, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general before it became a symbol of Halloween.

American Thanksgiving Day postcard sent in 1909 with images of a jack-o'-lantern and a turkey

In the United States and Canada, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general before it became a symbol of Halloween.