One of the biggest destinations for pumpkins is Halloween venues. They appear on doorsteps especially for October 31st celebrations. They also find their way on haunted hayrides and haunted houses. But, pumpkins weren’t always carved.

The carved pumpkin is often called a Jack o’ Lantern. It seems like a strange name for a pumpkin especially one with a friendly face, but there’s a story there. The history of the Jack o’ Lantern dates back hundreds of years and across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and Britain.

The story originates somewhere in Ireland. The beginnings of Halloween are rooted in Celtic pagan celebrations. During these celebrations, Irish folk would carve large turnips which were plentiful in the area. Candles were set inside and they were used as lanterns on the night of All Hallows Eve to light the way so as not to run into any naughty spirits.

Once Irish immigrants reached the shores of America, turnips were still the vegetable of choice until they encountered the pumpkin. It was larger than the turnip and easier to carve. The followers of these pagan festivities chucked their turnips in favor of the orange squash.

But, what is the reason that gruesome faces were carved in the first place? Here’s the story of one named Stingy Jack. It could be a lesson to children who think that stinginess is a badge of honor.

The story has many variations but they all center on the same theme. There was once a man named Stingy Jack. As you can imagine, he was not good at playing well with others.

As the story goes, Stingy Jack asked the devil to sit down for a drink. Being himself, Stingy Jack refused to pay for the drink. He asked the devil to turn himself into a coin so he could pay for the drink.

Jack didn’t pay for the drink but put it in his pocket next to a metal cross. On another occasion, Stingy Jack traps the devil in a tree by carving the image of the cross in the bark. In order to be freed, the devil had to promise Stingy Jack that he wouldn’t take his soul when he died.

When Jack did die, Heaven wouldn’t have him and Hell couldn’t because of a promise. As a consequence, he was doomed to walk the Earth carrying a burning ember of Hell inside a turnip to light his way.

The story has evolved over the years, but the name Jack o’ Lantern has stuck. We still carve them from pumpkins and they are a Halloween favorite.

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