The Origins of the Jack-o’-Lantern: Why We Carve Pumpkins
From Tubers to Pumpkins Long before the bright orange pumpkins we know today became the face of Halloween, people used humble root vegetables. In ancient Ireland and Scotland, early Halloween traditions involved carving faces into turnips, potatoes, and other tubers. These crude lanterns, known as “jack-o’-lanterns,” were placed on windowsills or doorsteps to ward off […]