The carved pumpkin is arguably the global symbol of the current Halloween celebration. But where did this custom come from and what does the Jack-o'-Lantern really represent?
The incredible glow of a carved pumpkin, twinkling with a toothy smile, has become an iconic symbol of Halloween on a global scale. Known as “jack-o'-lantern”, this tradition has its roots deep in archaic folklore where Samhain was celebrated, combining tales of wandering spirits, venerable world customs, and the haunting specter of Stingy Jack.
The jack-o'-lantern is now primarily carved from pumpkins as Americans began to create their own versions of the carving tradition brought by Irish, Cornish, Scottish and other Celtic cultures. But other root vegetables have also been used over the years, such as mangelwurzel, rutabaga and turnip.
Carving faces into vegetables was a way to ward off spirits during archaic festivals such as Samhain, when the doors between the living and the dead were especially slim as summer turned to winter. Lanterns also helped guide people performing the Samhain ritual of going from house to house to eat and drink, a prelude to modern-day “Trick and Treat.”
The art of carving vegetables
While the tradition of pumpkin carving as we know it today perhaps dates back several centuries, the act of carving faces into fruits and vegetables dates back millennia and is popular around the world. Some speculate that in northern European Celtic cultures it was a way of symbolizing the severed head of enemies before connecting it with Samhain.
It is also worth noting that making lanterns was also a practical and affordable way of using what was needed to cover the lights that were turned on on murky nights. And faces were a practical and decorative way to let delicate through, something we still do today.
Magic lights of false lights
There are many stories about the origins of the jack-o'-lantern as a more supernatural item. Perhaps the oldest of them are associated with the lights of false fires, which are associated with many legends. The will-o'-the-wisp, also known as ignis fatuus (silly fire), is one of the most enduring and mysterious legends across cultures. These eerie, twinkling lights appear in swamps, forests, and other desolate places, often out of reach, luring travelers into danger.
In European folklore, will-o'-the-wisps are ghostly lights that hover just above the ground, often leading those who follow them astray. The name itself comes from the word “Will of the Wisp”, referring to a man named Will or Jack who carried a flickering torch, or wisp, through the night. According to some stories, these lights are the souls of those denied entry to both Heaven and Hell, doomed to wander the Earth in limbo. Their ethereal glow lures the unsuspecting traveler deep into treacherous swamps and murky forests, where they lose their way or meet their death.
In England, the false wisp is believed to be a malevolent fairy or spirit that takes pleasure in leading travelers from a secure path into the wilderness. In other versions, the lights are said to be the souls of the dead, restless spirits who died prematurely and now seek the company of the living. Many venerable English stories tell of people following the lights, only to end up stranded in unsafe swamps or falling into concealed pits.
Other cultures have their own interpretations of these haunting lights. In Scandinavia they are called irrblossbelieved to be the spirits of unbaptized children or the souls of treasure guardians trying to protect their treasures. In Japan hitodama are rising flames representing the souls of the recently deceased floating away from the body.
Scientifically, this phenomenon can be explained by the burning of gases such as methane and phosphine released by decaying organic matter in the swamp. These gases can spontaneously ignite, creating the flickering lights that have inspired such widespread fear and fascination.
The Story of Stingy Jack
The will-o'-the-wisps soon became intertwined with the story of the lighthouse, but so did another story that gave it its name. The story of the jack-o'-lantern also comes from a mid-18th-century Irish myth. He was also called Jack Smith, Drunk Jack and Flakey Jack. But who was Jack? In the 17th century in Great Britain, it was common to call unknown people “Jack”. So a man working as a night watchman would be called Jack of the Lantern, for example.
According to legend, the man known as Stingy Jack was a fraudster who managed to deceive the Devil himself. Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him, but when it came time to pay, Jack convinced the Devil to turn into coin to cover the costs. Instead of paying with a coin, Jack put it in his pocket next to the silver cross, stopping the devil. In exchange for his release, Jack made the devil promise not to take his soul for ten years.
Ten years later, the Devil returned for Jack, but the cunning man once again tricked him, this time asking the Devil to climb a tree and pick a piece of fruit. While the devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross into the bark, trapping him again. In exchange for freedom, the Devil promised that he would never take Jack's soul.
However, when Jack finally died, Heaven denied him entry due to his sinful life, and the Devil, true to his word, did not want him either. Left to wander the Earth as a lost soul, Jack received only one ember from the devil to delicate his path. Jack placed an ember in a hollowed out turnip and used it as a makeshift lantern while wandering the afterlife.
In Ireland, people began carving their own turnips and placing candles in them to ward off the wandering spirit of Jack and other evil beings, John the MoonThis is what jack-o'-lanterns are called in Irish. Brought to America by Irish immigrants in the 19th century, the practice evolved as the native pumpkin – larger and easier to carve – became the preferred choice for jack-o'-lanterns.
Today the jack-o-lantern is lit
With the advent of electric lighting, stories about Stingy Jack and what happened in the murky began to fade as the imagination brightened. However, the custom of carving jack-o-lanterns for Halloween still exists. Today, the eerie glow of jack-o'-lanterns is a familiar sight on Halloween, and their carved faces are a reminder of Stingy Jack's eternal punishment. Each twinkling delicate serves as a beacon, keeping ghosts at bay while paying homage to a haunting tale that dates back centuries.
Reference:
The origins of the Jack-O-Lantern
How Jack O'Lanterns Came to Be in Irish Myth | HISTORY
The twisted transatlantic tale of America's Jack-O-Lanterns
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