The iconic Halloween jack-o'-lantern, originally called Jack-o'-lantern, comes from ancient Irish folklore
The main character is Stingy Jack, a cunning trickster who even fooled the devil; after Jack died, his wicked ways kept him out of both heaven and hell; the devil gave him a burning coal, and Jack put it inside a hollowed-out turnip, carrying the lantern and wandering the earth forever; this was the first jack-o'-lantern
Early Irish and Scottish people hollowed out turnips and rutabagas and made lanterns by carving scary faces, placing them at their doorsteps to drive away wandering evil spirits, not pumpkins
In the 19th century, Irish immigrants arrived in North America and found that local pumpkins were bigger and softer and easier to carve, so they gradually replaced turnips with pumpkins, and the jack-o'-lantern was born
At first, jack-o'-lanterns were only used to ward off evil; as Halloween kept evolving, pumpkin carving gradually became a family holiday activity; people no longer carved only scary faces, and creative designs grew richer, with animals, cartoons and geometric patterns all common
Today, carving a jack-o'-lantern has become a must-do Halloween ritual; from turnip lanterns to golden pumpkins, this little light carries an ancient legend and has become a holiday joy that families create together
