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Why Do We Carve Pumpkins for Halloween? Blame a Guy Named Stingy Jack

The original jack-o'-lanterns were turnips, and they were terrifying.

By the Buzzuh Team

The short answer

We carve pumpkins because of an old Irish and Scottish tradition of carving scary faces into turnips and other root vegetables around the time of Halloween. Irish and Scottish immigrants helped spread the custom in America, where pumpkins were bigger, easier to carve and everywhere, and the jack-o'-lantern is tied to an Irish folk tale about a man called Stingy Jack.

Meet Stingy Jack

According to the Irish legend, Stingy Jack was a clever, not-very-nice man who tricked the devil more than once. When Jack died, he wasn't allowed into heaven, and the devil, still annoyed, wouldn't let him into hell either.

Instead, the devil sent Jack off into the night with just a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal inside a carved-out turnip and has been wandering ever since. People came to call him "Jack of the Lantern." The name itself is older (it was once slang for a night watchman and for the eerie lights over marshes), but the story stuck. Moral of the story: don't prank the devil.

The first jack-o'-lanterns were turnips

In Ireland and Scotland, people carved faces into turnips, beets and potatoes and set them in windows or by doors. The scary faces were said to keep wandering spirits (and possibly Stingy Jack) away.

If you've ever seen an old carved turnip lantern, you'll understand why they worked. They look like the stuff of actual nightmares. A pumpkin with a goofy grin is a big improvement.

Then came the pumpkin

Pumpkins are native to North America, and they turned out to be much bigger and easier to carve than a rock-hard turnip. Carved pumpkins were already showing up in America by the 1830s. When Irish immigrants arrived in huge numbers later in the 1800s, their Halloween traditions and stories helped turn the jack-o'-lantern into a holiday staple.

Over time, the carved pumpkin became the symbol of Halloween in the U.S. Today, Illinois grows more pumpkins than any other state, and pumpkin patches across the country make October their busiest month.

Tips for carving like a pro

Cut the lid from the back or the bottom instead of the top, so the pumpkin keeps its shape and is easier to light. Scrape the inside walls thin where you plan to carve. A small serrated knife or a carving kit works better than a big kitchen knife.

Want it to last longer? Keep it out of direct sun, and consider an LED light instead of a candle. It's safer, too. Stingy Jack had to use a coal. You don't.

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