We've updated our Privacy and Cookies Policy
We've made some important changes to our Privacy and Cookies Policy and we want you to know what this means for you and your data.
Pumpkin carving: What is a Jack-O'-Lantern and why do we make them?
Image source, Getty Images
Pumpkins! These round, orange vegetables are a familiar sight as Halloween approaches.
But have you ever stopped to ask - why do people carve pumpkins for Halloween?
And why are carved pumpkins even called Jack-O'-Lanterns in the United States?
Well, wonder no more, as we have all the answers here.
And no, it's not because it told ye olde trick-and-treaters which houses were giving away chocolate and sweets.
What is the real history behind a Jack-O'-Lantern?
Image source, Getty Images
There are a number of theories about the origins of the carved Jack-O'-Lantern.
One of the most popular stories is that it came from a 17th century Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack.
The story goes that Stingy Jack spent a lifetime tricking the Devil into changing his form using a number of cunning plans.
As payback, the Devil punished Stingy Jack, forcing him to roam Earth with nothing but a small, glowing ember to light his way.
Jack is said to have put the glowing coal into a carved-out turnip.
He then became known as Jack of the Lantern, and then simply Jack O'Lantern.
There is no evidence to say that Jack was real, but it's a great spooky story to tell!
Why do we carve pumpkins for Halloween?
Image source, Getty Images
Inspired by Jack's story, there came a popular tradition in Ireland of carving vegetables with scary faces to frighten away Stingy Jack during Halloween.
While pumpkins are often used for carvings today, hundreds of years ago in Britain and Ireland, pumpkins were not a common vegetable to grow.
Instead, turnips, beets and potatoes would have been used.
In the 18th and 19th century, millions of Irish people emigrated to the United States to escape poverty and famine in Ireland.
With them they brought their tradition of carving root vegetables.
In the US, where pumpkins were more commonly grown, they found that these winter squashes were much easier to carve than root vegetables.
So the tradition still stands today, with the popularity of pumpkin carving travelling to the UK and around the world.
Are you carving a pumpkin for Halloween this year? If so, let us know what you're carving!