Jack-o’-Lantern Origin: Why We Carve Pumpkins at Halloween

The carved Halloween pumpkin comes from an Irish and Scottish custom: people first hollowed out turnips, and later beets or potatoes, and lit them with a candle. Irish immigrants switched to pumpkins in North America in the 1800s, and the name « jack-o’-lantern » points back to a folk tale, the story of Stingy Jack.

Where does the name jack-o’-lantern come from?

The phrase is older than Halloween. By the 1600s, « Jack with a lantern » described a man who carried a light at night, such as a watchman. The term later came to describe will-o’-the-wisps, the flickering lights people saw over bogs and marshes, which country folk believed were spirits leading travelers astray.

That detail matters because it explains the link between a lantern and a wandering soul. The name came first, and the pumpkin came later: the carved Halloween object inherited a word that already carried beliefs about the night, deceptive lights, and the restless dead.

What is the legend of Stingy Jack?

The best-known version is an Irish folk tale, collected in several variants. Jack, a drinker and a trickster, outwits the devil twice. In one telling he talks the devil into turning into a coin, then keeps him in his pocket next to a cross. In another he traps the devil in a tree by carving a cross into the bark. The devil agrees never to claim Jack’s soul.

When Jack dies, heaven turns him away because of how he lived, and hell turns him away because of the devil’s promise. The devil tosses him a glowing coal to light his way through the dark, and Jack places it in a hollowed-out turnip. In the story, he has wandered with his lantern ever since.

The tale belongs to a large family of European stories in which a clever peasant fools the devil. Versions differ by region, and no early source lets us date its origin with confidence. Read it as a folk story, not as a fact.

Does the jack-o’-lantern come from Samhain?

You will often read that the ancient Celts carved lanterns for Samhain, the festival marking the start of winter around November 1. No early source establishes that direct link. What we can say is more modest: Samhain is a real, ancient Irish festival attested in medieval texts, and turnip lanterns are well documented for Halloween eve in 19th-century Ireland and Scotland.

Between those two points there is a long gap in the evidence. To follow that part of the story, read our article on where Halloween actually originated, and our guide to Halloween traditions around the world.

Why did the turnip become a pumpkin?

The reason is practical. Pumpkins are native to the Americas, they are plentiful in the fall, and they are larger and much easier to hollow out than a hard turnip. When Irish families emigrated to North America in the 1800s, they kept the custom and swapped the vegetable, and the orange pumpkin became the symbol of the holiday.

If you want a sense of how other places celebrate, the Day of the Dead ofrendas article shows a very different way of honoring the night of the dead.

How do you carve a pumpkin cleanly?

A few simple steps give a sharp result with little risk.

• Cut a lid around the stem at an angle so it does not fall into the pumpkin.
• Scoop out the seeds and scrape the inner wall to about 1 to 2 inches thick so light can pass through.
• Draw the face with a marker before you cut, and keep the shapes simple.
• Use an LED candle instead of a real flame if children are around.
• Carve on the day or the night before, because the flesh softens within a few days.

A turnip takes far more strength and patience, which shows how much effort children of the past were willing to put into a single lantern.

How do you tell the story without distorting it?

For a Halloween party, say what is solid: the turnip custom is documented, the name comes from an older expression, and the Jack tale exists in several versions. Say what is uncertain: the date of the tale and the direct link to Samhain. Our guide on how to tell a real legend from pure fiction gives the criteria, and our collection of ghost stories rooted in authentic folklore offers material for the evening.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we carve pumpkins at Halloween?

The custom comes from Ireland and Scotland, where people hollowed out turnips as lanterns on Halloween eve. In North America, immigrants replaced the turnip with the pumpkin, which is bigger, softer, and common in the fall.

Who was Jack in the jack-o’-lantern legend?

Jack is the hero of an Irish folk tale: a trickster who fools the devil and is turned away from both heaven and hell after he dies. Several versions exist, and he is a character in an oral story, not a historical figure.

Did the Celts carve pumpkins?

No. Pumpkins are a plant of the Americas, unknown to the ancient Celts. Turnip lanterns are documented much later, in the 1800s, and their link to the Celtic festival of Samhain remains an unproven hypothesis.

How long does a carved pumpkin last?

A carved pumpkin usually keeps for a few days, since the flesh spoils quickly once it is cut open. Carve it shortly before your party, keep it cool during the day, and toss it once mold appears.

To continue the evening with stories drawn from documented folklore, discover ScaryTraditions books.

Also available in French: read this article in French.