Believe it or not, pumpkin carving was brought up by the Irish. They carved turnips and potatoes to keep the evil spirits away, and left them on porches window sills. It was not until they migrated to the United States when the tradition spread, and people started using pumpkins.

This fruit was considered better, because of its size, to ward off the all spirits. Not only did the fruit change after the move, but so did the name. These carved pumpkins were soon called “jack o’lantern”, after a man named Stingy Jack.

Stingy jack was a little drunk man who invited the devil out for a beer one night. Jack didn’t have any money to pay for their beverages, so Jack convinced the devil to transform himself into a coin. Jack picked him up and put the devil next to a silver cross in his pocket, trapping the devil in that form for years. Jack kept him there until the devil agreed not to take his soul.

Later, Jack convinced the devil to climb a tree to steal some fruit. Once the devil was at the top, Jack carved a cross at the base of the tree. Jack left the devil stuck until he agreed to not bother Jack for ten years.

Shortly after, Jack died, and like he promised, the devil never took his soul. Instead, the devil sent Jack into the dark night, forcing him to roam the world for eternity. All Jack was given was a burning coal, which he had set inside a hollowed out turnip, and according to legend, Jack roams the earth to this day.

Ever since, Jack has been nicknamed “Jack of the Lantern,” or “Jack o’lantern.”

More and more people carved turnips and potatoes every year until the trend moved to the United States, where people would carve pumpkins instead. Even though the history behind carving pumpkins is not commonly known, they are still part of the spooky Halloween fun.