There are a number of theories about the origins of the carved Jack-O'-Lantern. One of the most popular stories is that it came from a 17th century Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack. The story goes that Stingy Jack spent a lifetime tricking the Devil into changing his form using a number of cunning plans. As payback, the Devil punished Stingy Jack, forcing him to roam Earth with nothing but a small, glowing ember to light his way. Jack is said to have put the glowing coal into a carved-out turnip.
He then became known as Jack of the Lantern, and then simply Jack O'Lantern. There is no evidence to say that Jack was real, but it's a great spooky story to tell!
Pumpkin Exploration
Inspired by Jack's story, there came a popular tradition in Ireland of carving vegetables with scary faces to frighten away Stingy Jack during Halloween.
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While pumpkins are often used for carvings today, hundreds of years ago in Britain and Ireland, pumpkins were not a common vegetable to grow.
Instead, turnips, beets and potatoes would have been used.
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In the 18th and 19th century, millions of Irish people emigrated to the United States to escape poverty and famine in Ireland. With them they brought their tradition of carving root vegetables.
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In the US, where pumpkins were more commonly grown, they found that these winter squashes were much easier to carve than root vegetables.
So the tradition still stands today, with the popularity of pumpkin carving travelling to the UK and around the world.