Why Pumpkins?

Luke Ellis

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Have you ever wondered why we carve pumpkins on Halloween? The term “jack-o’-lantern” is from Britain and dates back to the 17th century. It means “man with a lantern” which refers to a night watchman. In Britain, they would carry jack-o-lanterns door-to-door to represent the souls of the dead while asking for soul cakes. Their origin comes from an Irish myth about Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil into promising that he wouldn’t have to go to hell for his sins. When Jack died, God wouldn’t allow him into heaven. The Devil kept his promise and made Jack wander the earth for all eternity, with only an ember of hellfire to light his way, Therefore he was forever known as Jack O’Lantern.

In Ireland, people began to carve scary faces out of turnips to frighten away Jack’s wandering soul. When Irish immigrants moved to the U.S, they started carving jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins, as these were more common in the area. When the Roman Catholic Church moved All Saints’ Day, to November 1. Halloween fell on October 31. Traditions from Samhain remained (a celebration in ancient Britain and Ireland that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the new year), such as wearing disguises to hide from the souls wandering the earth. The folklore about Stingy Jack was quickly incorporated into Halloween, and we’ve been carving pumpkins ever since.