Why Do We Carve Faces into Vegetables?

It’s that time of year again! No, not that time. It’s Pumpkin Time! If people aren’t eating or drinking pumpkins, they’re decorating with them. Half of your neighbors probably already have pumpkins on their front steps, whether they’re carved or painted jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween, or just some nice seasonal décor for fall. But have you ever wondered how this squash came to be associated with fall and why we’ve decided to carve faces into it? Seems kind of random, doesn’t it?

Well, it might surprise you to know that the original jack-o’-lanterns weren’t made from pumpkins at all! They were carved turnips and potatoes. Irish immigrants brought the practice to America with them, and started to use pumpkins instead because they were more readily available and happened to be perfect for carving faces.

But why do we carve faces into them in the first place?

THE LEGEND OF STINGY JACK

It turns out a story started it all (more or less)! The name “Jack-o’-Lantern” came from an Irish folktale called “Stingy Jack.” There are a few different versions of the folktale, but most of follow the same basic premise. A man named Stingy Jack invites the devil to have a drink with him, but doesn’t want to use his own money to buy the drinks. He convinces the devil to transform into a coin, and puts the coin in his pocket next to a silver cross so the devil can’t transform back. He only agrees to let the devil out after making the devil promise not to bother him for a year, and that if Jack died, the devil wouldn’t claim his soul. The devil promised and went on his way.

The next year, Jack tricks the devil again to climb a fruit tree, and he carves a cross onto the trunk to trap the devil. Again, he only agrees to let the devil down after the devil promises not to bother him for ten years. The devil promises, and Jack lets him down.

Jack dies a few years later, but God is unwilling to let such an unsavory character into heaven. The devil also refuses to claim his soul - bitter about the tricks Jack played on him - and sends Jack into the night with only a burning lump of coal to light his way. Jack puts the coal in a carved-out turnip and has been wandering the Earth ever since, looking for a place to rest.

Spooky Decorations

The people of Ireland and Scotland began carving their own scary faces into turnips and potatoes to mimic Jack’s lantern and scare away evil spirits of the night. Halloween also falls on Samhain, a time when the souls of the dead roam the Earth. The jack-o’-lanterns are used to keep those souls at bay as well.

Before they were associated with Halloween, pumpkins were a symbol of the fall harvest in general. It was common for carved pumpkins to be part of Thanksgiving décor at one point, before they became known more for spooky Halloween decorations.

I think they’ve found a better home with this holiday. We might not be trying to scare away restless spirits, but it’s still fun to frighten our neighbors.

Do you carve pumpkins for Halloween? The Mercer County Library System has some great books for carving and decorating with jack-o’-lanterns, with some real scare-your-pants-off ideas!

- by Lydia, Administration

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