Why Do We Carve Jack-o'-Lanterns? The Folklore Behind Those Glowing Faces

Because apparently we've been putting creepy faces on vegetables to deal with unwanted visitors for a very long time...

Every October, people start hauling pumpkins home, scooping out their insides, carving ridiculous faces into them, and sticking candles inside like this is all perfectly normal behavior. Some people carve elaborate works of art, others go with the traditional toothy grin, and then there are those of us whose pumpkins end up looking like they've suffered some kind of unfortunate facial injury because apparently our artistic abilities don't extend to cutting symmetrical triangles.

But have you ever stopped to wonder why we're doing this in the first place?

Most people associate jack-o'-lanterns with Halloween decorations, trick-or-treating, and the annual tradition of watching your carefully carved pumpkin collapse into a disgusting puddle on the front porch. What many don't realize is that the custom has roots in Irish and British folklore, where carved lanterns, wandering spirits, and the fear of supernatural visitors were all part of the stories surrounding the darker time of year.

And here's the interesting part. Those original lanterns weren't necessarily pumpkins at all.

Before Pumpkins, There Were Turnips

Long before pumpkins became the unofficial mascots of Halloween, people in Ireland and parts of Britain carved faces into turnips and other root vegetables. These hollowed out vegetables could be fitted with a candle or another small light source, creating a lantern with a rather unsettling face.

And if you've never seen a traditional carved turnip lantern, I strongly encourage you to look one up. Those things are genuinely disturbing. Compared with some of them, our cheerful orange pumpkins look like they're preparing to host a children's birthday party.

The practice became associated with Halloween and the folklore of wandering spirits, although the precise origins and purposes of every regional custom aren't entirely clear. In some accounts, grotesque lantern faces were intended to frighten away unwanted spirits or other supernatural beings. They could also be used to startle unsuspecting people, because apparently frightening your neighbors has been a cherished seasonal pastime for generations.

When Irish immigrants brought their Halloween customs to North America, pumpkins became a practical alternative. They were larger, more readily available in many areas, and considerably easier to hollow out than a stubborn turnip.

If you've ever tried carving a turnip, you'll understand why people were probably delighted to discover a vegetable that didn't require the strength of an angry lumberjack to work with.

Over time, the carved pumpkin became one of Halloween's most recognizable symbols, but the older stories behind those glowing faces didn't disappear entirely.

Who Was Jack, and Why Was He Carrying a Lantern?

One of the best known explanations for the name jack-o'-lantern comes from Irish folklore surrounding a character often called Stingy Jack.

There are several versions of the tale, but the general story involves a cunning man who manages to trick the Devil, sometimes more than once, and secures a promise that the Devil won't claim his soul. Unfortunately for Jack, his cleverness doesn't work out quite as well as he'd hoped.

When he eventually dies, he finds himself unable to enter Heaven, while the Devil, keeping his promise, refuses to admit him to Hell. Jack is condemned to wander between worlds, carrying a burning ember that he places inside a hollowed out turnip to light his way.

And thus, in the familiar telling, we have Jack of the Lantern, a wandering figure with his strange little light.

Now, folklore is rarely as tidy as the versions we encounter in modern Halloween articles. The term jack-o'-lantern was also historically associated with mysterious lights seen over marshes and wetlands, phenomena commonly known as will-o'-the-wisps. Folklore connected these wandering lights with spirits, fairies, or other supernatural beings, depending on the region and story.

The tale of Stingy Jack became closely associated with the lantern tradition, but we shouldn't assume that one neat story explains every historical use of carved lanterns.

Folklore develops, stories change, and customs pick up new meanings as they travel from one generation to the next.

Which, personally, is part of what makes them so fascinating...

Were Jack-o'-Lanterns Really Meant to Frighten Away Spirits?

In some traditions and interpretations, yes. Frightening faces and protective lanterns were associated with keeping troublesome supernatural visitors away.

To understand why, we need to talk a little about the season itself.

Samhain, the Gaelic festival associated with the transition into winter, has long been connected in Irish tradition and folklore with encounters involving beings from the Otherworld. The season carried associations with supernatural activity, unusual visitors, and the crossing of boundaries that were ordinarily kept separate.

Modern witches often describe Samhain as a time when the veil between the living and the dead grows thin. That's a meaningful expression within many contemporary practices, although the familiar wording and some modern interpretations shouldn't be mistaken for a single universal ancient belief.

Halloween customs developed through a complicated mixture of seasonal traditions, folklore, Christian observances, and changing community practices. The relationship between Samhain and modern Halloween is significant, but not every Halloween custom can be traced directly to a specific ancient Samhain ritual.

Still, the idea of supernatural visitors appearing during this season helps explain why frightening imagery became such a recognizable part of the celebration.

A grotesque face illuminated from within could serve as a warning, a protective symbol, or simply a way to create an unsettling atmosphere. Depending on the custom, the intention might be to frighten away troublesome beings rather than welcome them.

And that distinction is worth remembering, especially for witches who work with ancestor remembrance during Samhain.

Not every spirit in folklore was considered an honored ancestor, and not every supernatural visitor was necessarily someone you wanted wandering into your home. Hospitality toward the beloved dead and protective customs against unwanted visitors could exist within the broader seasonal landscape without being contradictory.

You can welcome Grandma while still making it clear that every random wandering spirit doesn't have an open invitation to come rummage through your cupboards.

Spiritual hospitality and spiritual boundaries are two different things.

Why the Frightening Faces?

There's something wonderfully practical about the idea of making something frightening to frighten away something else.

Throughout history, different cultures have used intimidating images, masks, sounds, and protective symbols in customs intended to repel harmful influences or unwanted supernatural forces. These practices aren't all connected to one another, and their meanings vary considerably, but the underlying idea of using a fearsome appearance for protection appears in many different contexts.

The jack-o'-lantern fits comfortably into that broader conversation, particularly in the folklore surrounding Halloween.

A frightening face placed near an entrance could be understood as a protective presence, while the light inside made the image visible after dark. Of course, not every carved lantern was intended as a spiritual ward. Some were made for amusement, mischief, or decoration, and the meanings of the custom have changed over time.

That's one of the things I think we should appreciate about folklore rather than trying to force every tradition into one rigid explanation. A custom can have several purposes, and those purposes can evolve.

Today, somebody might carve a terrifying face into a pumpkin because they enjoy Halloween, because they're honoring a family tradition, or because they incorporate protective symbolism into their Samhain observances.

Somebody else might carve a smiling cat wearing a witch hat because it's adorable.

Neither person is required to justify their pumpkin to the Halloween authorities.

Can a Jack-o'-Lantern Be Part of Modern Witchcraft?

Absolutely, if it fits your practice.

For witches who observe Samhain, a carved lantern can be a meaningful way to incorporate seasonal folklore into their celebrations. Some practitioners choose frightening faces to represent protection and boundaries, while others carve symbols associated with remembrance, ancestors, or personal intentions.

You might place a lantern near your doorway as a symbolic guardian, light one during a Samhain observance, or simply enjoy the connection to older Halloween customs.

There's no need to invent an elaborate ancient ritual to make that meaningful. Understanding the folklore and choosing how to incorporate it into your own practice is perfectly sufficient.

And if you're using a real candle, please remember that dried pumpkin, decorations, loose fabric, and open flames are not always the best combination. A battery operated light is a perfectly reasonable alternative, especially if your pumpkin is sitting somewhere unattended.

Nothing ruins a peaceful Samhain evening quite like having to explain to the fire department that your protective pumpkin attempted to burn down the front porch.

A Little More Than a Halloween Decoration

I love that something as ordinary as carving a pumpkin can connect us to centuries of folklore, migration, storytelling, and changing traditions. What began with root vegetables, lanterns, and tales of wandering figures eventually became one of the most familiar customs of the Halloween season.

And even though most people today aren't carving pumpkins specifically to ward off troublesome spirits, the old associations with protection, the supernatural, and the darker half of the year are still there for anyone interested in exploring them.

So when you're scooping pumpkin guts out of a giant orange vegetable this Halloween, remember that you're participating in a custom with a much stranger history than most people realize.

Whether your jack-o'-lantern is intended to frighten away unwanted visitors, honor the folklore of the season, or simply make your front porch look appropriately spooky, there's something rather wonderful about keeping an old tradition alive.

And if your pumpkin ends up with crooked eyes, three teeth, and an expression that suggests it's just received some deeply upsetting news, don't worry too much.

The old turnip lanterns were considerably more terrifying, and nobody seemed particularly concerned about making those little bastards pretty.

~ Blessings,

Jenny