The Origin of the Jack-O-Lantern

Its origins are traced to an Irish folktale about a man named Jack, a notorious reprobate! Rejected by both heaven and hell, Jack was said to have been given a glowing ember placed inside a turnip to guide him as he went from place to place in darkness. Thus in Ireland, Jack-o’Lanterns were originally carved from large turnips! When the Irish arrived in the new world, they brought with them secular customs of Halloween, and on arrival, switched to the more available pumpkin.as “the vegetable of choice!”