The History of the Jack-O-Lantern
Special | 58sVideo has Closed Captions
Learn about where the tradition of carving faces into pumpkins for Halloween came from!
The tradition of carving faces into pumpkins for Halloween originates with the old European legend of "Stingy Jack" or "Jack of the Lantern". Before pumpkins, the Irish and Scottish carved faces into hollowed out turnips or potatoes to frighten away malevolent spirits. They brought these old world customs with them to the new world in the late 1800's, and turnips were traded out for pumpkins!
The History of the Jack-O-Lantern
Special | 58sVideo has Closed Captions
The tradition of carving faces into pumpkins for Halloween originates with the old European legend of "Stingy Jack" or "Jack of the Lantern". Before pumpkins, the Irish and Scottish carved faces into hollowed out turnips or potatoes to frighten away malevolent spirits. They brought these old world customs with them to the new world in the late 1800's, and turnips were traded out for pumpkins!
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipWhy do we carve faces into pumpkins and illuminate them every October 31st?
This tradition stems from the old European legend of a man named "Stingy Jack" or "Jack of the Lantern" - a man so devious he got himself thrown out from both Heaven and Hell cursed to walk the earth for all eternity with nothing but a hollowed out turnip containing an ember from Hell to light his way.
Originally, Europeans carved faces into turnips or potatoes and placed them in windows to scare away Stingy Jack and other malevolent spirits.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought these old world customs with them when they emigrated to the U.S..
They soon discovered that pumpkins, a fruit native to North America proved much easier to carve than turnips and potatoes.
Have a Happy Halloween... And don't let Stingy Jack get you!
