The Jack o’ lanterns humble beginnings

Easily one of the most recognizable symbols of the Halloween season is the Jack o’ Lantern. The bright colors, the clever designs, and the way they light up a porch just make the season complete. But where did they come from? Who first had the idea to hollow out a pumpkin, carve a face into it, and light it up for Halloween?

The answer comes from the Celtic people of Scotland and Ireland, who, as early as the 9th century were celebrating a festival they called “Samhain” (pronounced Sah-win). Much like modern-day Halloween celebrations, the medieval Celts would go guising (trick-or-treating), play pranks, and, according to some sources, carve Jack o’ Lanterns. 

Originally, these would have been carved out of turnips or other root vegetables and had a variety of purposes, but in the beginning, they would have likely been used to help light the way for the guisers going from house to house. As Ireland and Great Britain were Christianized, the festival slowly shifted from Samhain to All Hallows Eve, and All Hallows Day, and the use of Jack o’ Lanterns shifted as well.

Still, the carving out of vegetables remained popular, even though the term Jack o’ Lantern itself first appeared in the mid-19th century. As Irish and British immigrants came to the United States in droves in the 19th century, they brought along many of their traditions, including carving out Jack o’ Lanterns, which, with the availability of the North American pumpkin, became a bit easier. 

Since then, the world over has seen many creative designs for the gourd, from the classic and simple shaped faces to the intricate and elaborate designs seen at annual contests. Still, there’s nothing quite like going around on Halloween and seeing the grinning pumpkins lighting up porches in the neighborhood, is there? λ