Hollow out a pumpkin, carve into funny or scary faces, and light it up with candle or electric lights. This is what we do for Halloween decoration.
But, have you ever thought of why do people carve pumpkins on Halloween?
Originating from British, Jack-o’-lantern literally means “man with a lantern”. Dating from 17th century, according to the legend, jack-o’-lantern picked up its name from an Irishman, Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil into promising him that he wouldn’t go to hell for the sins he had made.
After Stingy Jack died, however, he was barred from heaven, therefore, he went down to the hell and demanded his due from the Devil. Although the Devil realized his promise of saving Jack from the hell, he made him wonder on earth forever with only an ember of hellfire lighting up his way. It is believed that Jack was known by the name of Jack-o’-lantern afterwards.
Nowadays, Jack-o’-lantern means a lantern that is made from hollowed-out pumpkin in which holes are carved to represent scary or funny facial features.
Not until Irish immigrants brought the tradition of carving pumpkins to North America that more pumpkins started being used for Halloween in America and not till late 19 century that pumpkin carving became a popular fun activity across the United State.
Have you ever carved a real pumpkin by yourself? What facial feature would you like to carve on a pumpkin?
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