History of the Jack O’ Lantern

The Celtic influence does not stop at costumes and trick-or-treating. Jack O’ Lanterns originated from the Celtic tale of a drunken farmer named Jack who tried to trick the devil. He ended up being blocked from the gates of Heaven and Hell, forced to wander in the darkness of purgatory forever. To guide his spirit, Jack carved a lantern out of a turnip and lit it with a burning lump of coal thrown to him by the devil.

The Celtics believed that if they set Jack O’ Lanterns outside, they would help guide wandering spirits home on Halloween. When the Irish immigrated to America, they brought the tradition with them, but switched from turnips to pumpkins, which were more common. The Irish carved scary faces to ward off bad spirits, while we create crazy pumpkins just for fun! Next time you carve a pumpkin, think of poor Jack, who is wandering purgatory with only a turnip.